Remember how we envisioned modern and cheerful green leather parsons chairs around a chunky wood table from pretty much the moment we moved in? And how we decided that dyed-green slipcovers were pretty much the same thing when we found chairs for $25 and slipcovers for $23? Well, we were wrong. I dyed two of the chairs green and they were just not “it” (even if we altered the shade of green, we just knew it was the wrong way to go for us as soon as we saw these babies):
Especially considering that there would be seven or eight of them around the table at all times (and we have the bold built-ins going on in the background and dreams of chic patterned curtains, a huge cut out opening to the kitchen, a giant chandelier above the table, etc). It suddenly dawned on me that of all the things in the room that there were going to be there, the chairs were not the things that I wanted everyone to be staring at. In fact, I decided that I wanted the chairs to blend in. To become best supporting actors items to a few other things that we’d love to be the stars (namely the built-ins, the bold patterned curtains, and the showstopping chandelier that we can’t wait to bring in).
But let’s rewind to two of the four colors that we considered before we reached for the dye at all. First we thought long and hard about whether we wanted to dye them in the first place. We mentioned that the off-white tone of the covers looked dingy in contrast to the glossy white trim and built-in shelving, but even so we still wanted to live with them a while before doing anything rash.
So we did. And we definitely didn’t like the clashy off-white tone any better after the weeks ticked by. It was time for action.
Next we considered trying to somehow bleach them white. That way they wouldn’t look dingy and would tie right into the white trim and those white built-in shelves. But the more we thought about one of our major goals (for this house to be kid-proof and not make us into uptight fearful hosts) we realized that even though white slipcovers can be bleached they’d still show dirt more on a daily basis. Even dark denim could leave a blue tint behind on them (which is something that we never thought of, but some light googling brought to our attention). And if something a little darker could hide a bit more dirt (resulting in less frequent washings and kid-related heartburn) we’d take it. Function first. Plus we felt like white covers would stop the eye and call attention to themselves since they’d be so contrast-y next to the table (which wouldn’t fulfill the blend-right-in goal that I’d eventually come to reach anyway).
So it was back to the green chair idea that John and I thought would be just the ticket (and later learned… not so much). I’m actually a dye novice. In fact I’ve only dyed one thing before (besides my hair throughout middle school and high school- yes I once was a blonde). That thing that I’ve dyed? Oh yeah, it was my wedding dress (so I could wear it again, like to other weddings):
I can’t believe I had the guts but it worked out so I guess I have a soft spot for dye. It’s a great, easy, and affordable way to breath new life into something you wouldn’t wear otherwise. I’ve dyed everything including shirts, sweaters, and even jeans! It hasn’t let me down yet.
Anyway, here’s how I dyed those two slipcovers just in case you’re about to take the d-y-e plunge. It was actually really easy thanks to the type that I used this time. A bunch of readers and even a few relatives recommended iDye (we found it at JoAnn). It was under $3 for each pack (and I could use each pack to dye two slipcovers at once). It’s meant for natural fibers like linen and cotton and silk (jackpot: our slipcovers are linen and cotton). When it came to picking the color, there were a ton to choose from (which is soooo much nicer than just one tone of green or blue, which is the case with a few other dye brands). In fact there were at least five different green tones (green, olive, kelly green, emerald, chartreuse, etc) so we narrowed it down to these two:
We liked that chartreuse would be modern and fun, but worried that it might end up looking a little too neon and highlighter-ish. And we liked that kelly green would probably be a bit more green and less yellow, so we ultimately decided it was the way to go for that apple green look that I wanted from day one.
Although there were some simple directions on the pack, I’m waaaaay too neurotic to settle for those. So I went to their site for a lot more instruction (aka: hand holding). The fact that this dye worked with front loading washers was a huuuuge perk for me. And it was simple. Burger could have done it if he could reach the dryer buttons.
First I put two cups of hottest-possible-from-the-tap water into a big bowl. Then I dropped in the dissolving dye envelope from the dye kit. And I stirred it up.
Then I added one cup of salt (since that’s what they recommended on the dye site for cotton & linen fabrics, which is what the slipcovers are).
Then I stirred again. Oh and I used a paint stick.
The next step was to pre-wet two slipcovers before adding anything to our front loader (this shot shows how not-white the slipcovers were – sort of oat-meal-ish in person).
Then came the heart-stopping step. Pouring my bowl of hot water and dye and salt into the bottom of our front loading washer. Is it weird that it made me a little queasy?
Then I tossed the pre-wet slipcovers into the washer and started things up right away. The dye instructions on the site said to wash them in hot water and mentioned that adding an extra rinse cycle would help the color develop more. So I set it on “heavy duty” (which used hot water) and clicked the “extra rinse” button before hitting start.
About an hour later things were looking pretty green! Happily they were super even and there weren’t any streaks or dark spots (which was my worry). They looked like green slipcovers you’d buy in a store. Sidenote: how much fun would a store completely devoted to slipcovers be? I’m picturing roaming aisles of every color and shape imaginable. Like the big wall of flip flops at Old Navy.
Oh but before I could take them out and dry them, I did one last wash with cold water and a bit of mild detergent (as recommended by the dye site) which basically entailed clicking it to “normal” (and making sure it was cold water) and adding a smidge of Seventh Generation detergent. The second wash with cold water locked in the color and rinsed out any excess dye. Then I dried the covers on delicate (low heat) so they didn’t take too much of a beating since they were originally dry clean only and I didn’t want to press my luck (like I did here).
As for the color that they came out vs. the color on the pack, I thought it was a pretty good representation. My vision was flawed, but the kelly green pack really did produce a nice kelly green-ish (or apple green-ish) color.
Sadly it just wasn’t “the one.” Onward!
The fourth (and final!) color that we contemplated was good old fashioned mocha. Or as the dye pack called it: brown. We went back to JoAnn and stared at about twenty options and it just seemed like the best way to go. They’d hold up to stains and fall back nicely to let other items in the room be the stars. And the contrast of a chunky wood table and upholstered chairs is a sweet little casual choice (we worried the room would look too formal with eight wood chairs pulled around a matching wood table). So even though it would be brown covers with a brown table we knew the plush chairs vs. hard carved table would be a nice pairing. And by going with the same tone as the table they’d slip in and have less of a “hiya-we’re-a-whole-bunch-of-chairs-so-look-at-us!” vibe (which would have been an issue with green, off-white, or white in the end).
When it came to the actual dying process, again it was the same dealio. Except I used a brown pack to dye two slipcovers at a time instead of a kelly green one.
In went the dissolving pack into two cups of hot water…
… followed by a cup of salt…
… which was then mixed and tossed into the wash with two pre-wet slipcovers. One hot wash and one cold one later, I had yummy mocha covers to enjoy. Oh and it’s worth noting that many fabrics take to dye better than the most-likely-synthetic stitching (which often remains the color it always was). Luckily, white stitching with the mocha = cool with us.
Once again our covers came out looking completely even and didn’t have any dark or light spots or streaking. And after the warm and cold wash the color was set (the color doesn’t rub off at all or anything, even if you’re wet and you sit on the chairs). Oh but one quick note about cleaning your washer after you’re done dying everything: mine was sparkly clean (after one extra rinse cycle as advised by the iDye folks) except for the rubber ring that’s right next to the door, so I just ran a few paper towels across it until they were no longer slightly tinted brown.
Ta da (don’t mind the wrinkles, I let them sit in the dryer far too long before tossing them on the chairs and quickly snapping these pics this morning):
We love how they tuck right into the room (no more of that look-at-all-the-chairs thing is going on) and how they don’t blend too much thanks to the subtle variation in color and of course the hard vs. soft thing thanks to the carved table and the fabric slipcovers:
Most of all I think we’ll love how much dirt they’ll hide when compared to lighter slipcovers.
What about those two “extra” slipcovers that we dyed green (remember we got ten even though we only have eight chairs thanks to John’s genius suggestion since he worried about dye issues)? Well, we figured we had nothing to lose by trying to overdye them with brown (thinking they’d probably turn out a muddy olive tone, but it was worth a shot).
In a sweeeet turn of dye-related events, the brown totally took over and produced the identical color to the other brown covers (even with the green dye under it). So we have two extra brown covers on hand in case something catastrophic (sharpie, scissors, blood…) happens to any of the eight everyday covers that we have. Oh happy dye day.
In the end, it all came down to some basic math. Bold built-ins + patterned future curtains + a large view into the office + a large future chandelier/pendant + a large future punched out view into the kitchen + bright chairs = too ca-razy. So we’re down with brown. And we’re excited to let things like the built-ins and the future curtains/light fixture steal the show. Speaking of which, check out the designer fabric we snagged at a deep discount thanks to a slight imperfection that we can work around:
We love that it has brown tones (to tie into the table and chairs), white tones (to tie into the trim and built-in shelving), deep teal tones (which relate to the back of the built-ins) and pops of cheerful apple green (if it wasn’t right for the chairs, at least I’ll get it in the curtains). So it’s safe to say that we’re excited to get down to curtain making business soon. But most of all, we’re thankful that our chairs don’t look like this anymore:
Hallelujah. Oh and when it comes to the whole chair budget breakdown, here we go:
- Each chair: $25 (for a total of $200 spent for eight of them)
- Failed painting supplies: $10
- Each slipcover: $23 (for a total of $232 spent for ten of them)
- Six iDye packets from JoAnn (one green one and five brown ones): $18
- Total cost per chair: $57.50 (which also includes two spare slipcovers)
Have you guys dyed something around the house? Curtains? Pillow covers? Cloth napkins? Or are you a dye virgin who dreams of giving it a shot? I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to (or what you’ve been dyeing to do – har har).
Psst- We’ve had some pretty weird adventures with our $25 chairs. Here’s the post where we found them and here’s the post where I tried to paint one, and here’s the post about finding and shrinking the slipcovers.
Update: Check out how our dining room is coming together thanks to those curtains that we finally made here. Woot.
Shirley says
I gotta say I am not a fan of the brown, I would have gone for a light to medium grey. The green definitely was too much of a contrast against the old shelf color. Overall the chairs look good in your room. Can’t wait to see your curtains!
DebInNYC says
These look great and I love the curtain material. Have you considered spraying the office chairs in your apple green? Might make a cute compliment.
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely want to make those office chairs pop (since there are only two of them and that room doesn’t have a huge table or future chandelier that will compete)!
xo,
s
Karen says
Oh… they look great! Almost like suede in the pics. They’re going to look amazing with that gorgeous drapery fabric.
Maybe you can get your pop of green in an area rug.
Begoña says
I’m so proud of my self now cause I always thought your idea of green apple chairs was a little bit too crazy for that room. I feel like a pro decorator!! Anyway, i love the brown chairs because all the reasons you’ve mention and love the curtains, that pattern is just great, but even though i like the wall colour I keep thinking it doesnt belong to that room. Dont know…
YoungHouseLove says
The soft gray wall color is such a light neutral- it just seems to work with everything (we have nearly every color in the living room from a wood console to a gray sofa and a ton of color in the rug and art and pillows). So we’re counting on the soft gray walls to work really well with all the new stuff we’ll be bringing into the dining room too. Of course we’re not afraid of repainting if we hate it down the line though!
xo,
s
Begoña says
Yeah, sure, maybe when we see the final result I change my mind. I’m so jelous of you, I never have the guts to paint the walls cause cant decide a colour and i’m to afraid to make a mistake. I love that about you!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you can paint anything! It’s just paint (usually around $20 and it only takes an afternoon to do). Best thing about it: you can always un-do it! I’m cheering you on Begoña.
xo,
s
pamela says
omg! i saw some $25 (usually like $100) sofa perfect fit slip covers (the stretchy ones) at big lot but they were oatmeal & white so i didn’t get them. But noooow I am thinking to grab them & having a dye party!!! :D SO AWESOME!!! You guys have me all hyped up, my leather sofas have seen better day :/
Rachel says
Looks fantastic! Love your trial and error approach :) Have you thought at all about changing the color of the chair legs? I think they look great as is–just curious!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah we’re not sure if we’ll tweak them down the line! For now we like how they tie into the table, but glossy white legs might add some interest someday. I think it depends on what we bring in on the other side of the room in the entryway, etc.
xo,
s
Rachel says
Great choice. I think you are so right about the boldness vs. blending. And the brown is warm without taking away from the colorful elements. I am constantly impressed with your choices!
Vicki says
What a great idea for brown, I wouldn’t have thought of that at all.
Dye is so much fun. Last year, me and a group of girls were raising money for a breast cancer charity, so we collected old bras from our friends, dyed them all nice pretty colours and added ribbons and sparkles and things. They looked great and we got quite a bit of money!
Amanda says
I really like the brown slipcovers. And the first photo with the green ones, I was like “no!” It just doesn’t look good next to the amazing blue built-ins. Let those baby’s shine! (the built-ins that is)
Can’t wait to see the curtains.
As I was reading I was thinking of ideas you could do with the green slip covers (pillows for Clara’s room or a chair or two is what I came up with) but by the time I got to the end of the post, my idea thinking came to a halt! That’s amazing that they turned out the EXACT SAME colour!
laura says
Love the mocha color! Can’t wait to see it all finished!
Sevi says
I’m no leather furniture fan but I visualized dark mocha leather chair covers around that table and mmm I liked it. Too dark for you maybe?
YoungHouseLove says
We probably would have liked dark leather chairs but the cheapest ones we could find were around 99 bucks each. In the end I think we like the soft casual vibe of the slipcovers so it seemed to work out for the best!
xo,
s
Gaidig says
I’m glad they dye worked so well for you. I can understand why you don’t want the bright green after all, with so many chairs, even though it’s such a fun color. I’m not 100% sold on the mocha, though. I’ll have to wait to see it with the curtains. I was actually thinking a dark grey — like your dress — would be nice. They do read as a unit with the table, though. Since that seems to be your goal, well done.
Christie says
Bestill my beating heart. I have dyed and gone to heaven. Those chairs look fantastic in all their mocha glory. And that new fabric for the curtains….to quote Rachel Zoe “bananas”. Can’t wait to see it all come together. :)
Mary Grace says
I follow your blog, along with many others, on google reader. Neat coincidence that just a few posts afters reading yours today, I saw your curtain fabric made into throw pillows in a pic from laureycaseyinteriors.com. Thought you might want to check out the pic here: http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/2011/06/01/lamps-pairs-or-not/
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man those are so pretty. I have a total crush on our fabric. I can’t stop stroking it.
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
I could NOT sit or sleep comfortably on that couch under the photo of the millipede! HOLY NIGHTMARE FUEL!
Angella says
I loved the green chairs! Although I can see that be overwhelming with 8 of them circling the room. Excited to see that curtain fabric hanging up, it’s gorgeous. We’re waiting to hear back on an offer I put in for a new home and your website is a huge source of inspiration. I’ve made mood boards for every room and I don’t even own the house yet, lol.
emily says
i agree the brown looks way better than the green, but i’m having trouble with the light grey and dark brown in the same room. i’m sure it will all come together with the curtains though! happy decorating.
Sharyn says
Love, love that fabric. I ordered a swatch of it a couple of months ago but just can’t find a place to use it in our house. I’m glad someone is using it!
Kristen says
Did you think about the deep teal that’s in your bookshelves for the chairs? I think that’s what I would have tried after the green didn’t work.
YoungHouseLove says
We just didn’t want the chairs to take away from the bold built-in color (or look busy and compete with it) so we liked the idea of a deep neutral color (like brown) to let the built-ins and a few other items that we’ll be bringing in “be the star.”
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
I think they look great and also can’t wait to see that gorgeous fabric in its final state. Now that you’ve got brown chairs + brown table, Did you ever think of painting the chair legs a high gloss white? I have no Photoshop skills, but I wonder what that would look like? I’m still in awe over how you guys arranged those built-ins. It’s perfect!
YoungHouseLove says
We like how the chair legs tie into the wood table for now, but we definitely could end up tweaking them down the line (and white could definitely look really amazing)!
xo,
s
Jill says
I was always a little worried that you would get sick of the apple green or that the look would quickly date. i think the mocha looks great and will hold up to so many potential stains. Have you considered a grosgrain ribbon trim around the bottom of each slipcover ? I think it would add such a nice designer touch. Also I love your curtain fabric! it is perfect for that room and what a great price!
YoungHouseLove says
Interesting. I never thought about adding anything but it’s definitely a possibility down the line as the room starts to take shape!
xo,
s
Emily says
Love the brown and the decision to “blend in” versus “make a statement.” I am still learning to do that myself! I always want everything in the room to make a statement and in the end, it looks like crazy circus town.
Also, I am totally dying my Karlstad cover now after seeing this. My mom threatened me with, “You’ll ruin your washer!” but I think that is an old wives tale!
YoungHouseLove says
Definitely go for it! Just be sure to do one last rinse after you’re done dying (without anything in there) and wipe things down with a towel so the next load you toss in doesn’t get tinted at all.
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Ha,what a timely post! I just died a shirt from a nude color (which looked a bit too nonexistent on me) to fushia last night for my first fabric dying experience. I also used a home depot paint stick to mix my dye, kosher salt, and an identical pyrex measuring cup but for the small amount of fabric I was doing went with the stovetop method. The brown slipcovers look great! I can’t wait to see the curtians – the fabric looks beautiful.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- we’re dye material twins.
xo,
s
Stephanie Phillips says
It was so hard not to scroll down for a peak at the final reveal as I was reading- but I resisted! Well worth the wait, I love the mocha. :)
I am daydreaming about some upholstered chairs for my dining room table as well. I am torn between the IKEA chairs and some I sat in at World Market this weekend. It’s such a big commitment!
Suni says
I’ve had a white cotton dress for years that I wanted to dye as soon as I bought it (I wanted it in navy, but navy was not on 70% off sale like white was). I’ve been too scared of ruining it to try it, though… maybe I’ll finally give it a try – what can it hurt if I’m not wearing it while white, right? I think I’ll give the iDye a try – it seems easier than a sink full of dye and me and a big stir stick. Fingers crossed and wish me luck!!!!
sophie says
good call on the green, which was a bit much and also didn’t quite work with the teal-y colour of the backs of your builtin…
But not so much a fan of brown. I would have gone for a deep red to add some more weight around the table. For me, the brown just looks somewhat blah.
But, hey, that’s waht personal tastes are all about. We’d live boring lives if we were all the same!
Jacqueline says
I loved the apple green and the brown looks awesome as well. Totally unrelated to the posting, any special plan for Father’s Day? (you probably can’t share if John is watching over your shoulder). :) It’s a couple of weeks away but this is my first one that I am celebrating with my husband and one year old and already pulling my hair out.
YoungHouseLove says
Ack! I have nothing planned yet. Gotta get cracking!
xo,
s
Adriane Wacker@FortheLoveofPainting says
I am glad you went with the mocha color…I could see why you were trying out the green, but the brown color is muhc classier and is much more fitting to the space! Love it!
[email protected] says
Love the new color on your slipcovers. Good choice. Now, I am looking forward to see the curtains hanged with those beautiful fabrics! :)
Linda says
What a coup with the fabric! I always have better luck picking the key fabric, then working off the fabric colors for the rest of the room. So good to see it work the other way around.
Rhiana says
i am scouring my house looking for something to dye now! Thanks so much for your step by step! I would be terrified to dump dye into my washing machine too!
Brittany says
The fabric for the curtains is to DIE for!! How about whipping up a matching runner (maybe with another fabric mixed in so it’s not too much) with Oh Brother?! I can’t wait to see that fabric up on the windows : )
YoungHouseLove says
You know I’m getting to be friends with Oh Brother… haha. Could be fun!
xo,
s
Christine says
Cute! They look kinda suede-y. Never would have thought of the brown, and it looks great! I like the white stitching, too.
Jennifer Filardo says
Whoops! Sent my reply without finishing. Please forgive! In my long-winded way, I was suggesting making playsilks for Clara, which you may already be hip to! http://www.magiccabin.com/Seasons%2DPlay%2DSilks_p698_S2003_D1103_C2301.html
And the chairs look great!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Lindsay says
I was hoping to see a darker navy greenish color, like on the built ins. And i’m really excited to see the chandelier you guys pick out
Laura@JourneyChic says
OMG, I’ve had my eye on that fabric for MONTHS!! There’s a lighter colorway, too, that I want as well. I’ve been meaning to order swatches and now I must get on that because all your readers will snatch it up quickly!
Jenny B says
Love, love, love the chairs! I’m looking around my house to see what I can dye:) Thanks for all of the info about the room. It’s so exciting to see it come together..
Aside–I stripped ugly wallpaper below the chair-rail in our hallway this weekend. I love the Benj. Moore Dragonfly color you used for your built-ins and think it would look cool where the wallpaper was. Too dark?
YoungHouseLove says
No way it would look AWESOME below a chair rail. I say go for it.
xo,
s
Jenny B says
I’m so excited! I’m going on my lunch hour to get the paint–will keep you posted:) Thanks for not minding my being a TOTAL copy-cat:)
Kate says
I really like the brown! And I think you guys have magic slipcovers – you wash and dryer them and they shrink down to the perfect size, you dye them the wrong color and then you’re still able to dye them to the shade you ended up with… they’re MAGIC!
I also love seeing your house take shape. We just had our walk through of our new (first) house last night (closing is this afternoon) and I kind of started freaking out inside because the house looks so depressing and kind of beat up with everything out of it. No furniture or anything makes all the imperfections really stand out and make the place look nasty. I keep trying to keep the vision in my head of how much better it will look once everything is in and re-painted and decorated!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh you’re right! We have magic slipcovers. Seriously, how else can you explain the lucky shrinking and dyeing? Haha. Love it.
xo,
s
kathy says
Kate, I remember having that same reaction when we bought our first house: It looked so cozy and nice with the previous owners’ furniture in it, and then as we were moving into the empty home, I thought “OMG!” I hate it. haha — since then, we’ve made lots of improvements though.
jay says
hmm. not a fan of the mocha. it is a lovely colour buttt now it seems martha stewart almost. did you guys consider navvy blue or a charcoal?
YoungHouseLove says
We thought navy might compete with the dark teal built-ins and that charcoal would be a bit bolder and less blendy. We really wanted them to fall away into the room so other things that we add in can be more of the focus like the chandy and the curtains and those built-ins. Once things get layered into the room I think the mocha will make them nice easy neutral pieces that just effortlessly work with everything else.
xo,
s
Lisa Nairn says
I’ve been looking for a new table cloth and haven’t been able to find one in the color I like, I never thought of dying one. My current one (that I have no attachment to) has stripes, do you think the dye would make it a solid color, or should I just buy a cheap-o white one and dye that?
YoungHouseLove says
I think the stripes will show through, but they’ll all be tones of the same color if that makes sense (lighter and darker green for example). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
hillary says
The chairs look really great in brown! I wouldn’t have even thought to try that color with the table, but it looks fabulous. I think it will make your dining room more versatile, in that you can set and decorate it for any event, season, or holiday, and the background table and chairs are totally neutral. The contrast in textures and the subtle tonal difference in the browns makes it warm and inviting rather than boring. Anyway…great job!
threadbndr says
Totally agree with Megan. I always worried that the apple green chairs would limit the tablescape possiblities to just whites and matching greens. I couldn’t see that intense color with say reds or purples.
The final chair color is so much more versatile.
Meagan says
Man that green was bright. I’m not totally sold on the brown, but something more subtle is definitely better. I would have maybe liked a deep blue, but its your house and you are the ones who need to love it. But I am totally loving that curtain fabric…be still my heart. haha. (and I am so impressed that the bright green was perfectly covered by the brown…that is some rockin dye.
And I cannot wait to see what kind of chandelier you pick. I’m planning to make my own capiz chandy from some of the tutorials I have found on pinterest. I can’t wait to try, maybe y’all will do it first and I can learn from y’all.
Lee @ Grace Filled House says
Wow! I’m so glad you found a solution you love! I can’t wait to see how the room transforms with curtains, art, and the opening to the kitchen! Do you think you’ll iron your curtains or take Oh Brother for a spin?? So excited to see what you do!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, no idea. That’s my big internal debate. The iron on hem tape gives me such a great straight line and I don’t have to worry about stitching straight. We’ll have to see where I end up!
xo,
s
MicheleLouise says
I actually love the green, but I am borderline anti-neutral so (well other than gray) so that makes sense. Brown seems like the right color for you guys though and I can’t wait to see it with the curtains!
Sandra says
Very cool getting to witness the chair process from beginning to end. I so want to go and dye something now…anything. I love your site!
Susan says
I have never hear dof that dye before and am very excited to hear about it. I dyed the slipcover on my Ektorp chaise lounge a few weeks ago, I wanted to make it black and it turned out almost blue. So disappointing. Maybe I will try to overdye with the idye. Thanks for posting this it gives me courage to try again!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah sometimes black needs a few over-dyeing applications to get that deep “actual” color. Good luck!
xo,
s
Amber says
The brown chairs look so lovely with your table!! Almost like suede. Definitely the way to go!
I’m having dye issues of my own… I found a white king-size duvet cover on clearance, and I think I want to dye it a nice deep gray. Do you think something so big would turn out streaky or spotty in the washer? It’s just too huge to dye on the stovetop. I’m also apprehensive that black dye residue would really mess with my laundry, but it sounds like your machine held its own pretty well and came out pretty clean. Any advice?
YoungHouseLove says
I would just buy a few dye packs (since they tell you how many pounds of fabric each kit can do). Maybe two or three will be enough to add to the washer with the duvet cover for the perfect outcome!
xo,
s
Carolyn says
You make me feel like anything is possible and mistakes are a-okay. Thanks for being so real :-)
And, I think the brown is wonderful and makes them look like plush suede from the view through the computer. Way to go!
Erin @ One Project at a Time says
I’m impressed! I recently did a little fabric dying for our gray and yellow guest bedroom, and it took 3 or 4 tries to get the color that we were looking for. We wrote about it here: http://oneprojectatatime.blogspot.com/2011/05/59-curl-up-and-dye.html
I’d totally do it again though, even though I spent the day yelling “Are you kidding me?” at the washing machine. :) Such an easy way to update old design and make it fresh!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that play by play! Thanks for sharing the link. And of course the results are awesome and so worth the effort.
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
I can totally see myself yelling that at the washing machine if the items came out the colors in your post…HILARIOUS! Great finished product though.
Amy says
Whoa…you guys are so brave! It would have taken me forever to take that leap of faith and try the dye! Way to go!
Casey says
OMG…I just special ordered that same exact Robert Allen fabric last month to recover the bottom of my dining room chairs (I’m working on sanding them down and painting them white first before I tackle the seats). I dug through about a million special order swatches to find the “perfect one”, and I’m soooo in love with it. And now I’m excited to have something matching with YHL. :)
I think it was a great choice to go with the mocha, and the brown accents in the curtains will really tie in well.