We finally scored some chairs for the dining room, thanks to this craiglist ad emailed to us by our friend Sandra (muchas gracias!).
You’re probably thinking: what are they thinking?! Parsons chairs? Yup, that’s exactly what we’ve wanted since day one. Thirty bucks? Yeah baby. Weird green and blue swirly pattern? Um… no comment.
But since the price was right (we actually bargained them down to $25 per chair, coming to $200 total for all 8) and the shape/lines were right (they’re solid and very well-made) we figured it was time to pounce (with some reassurance from a few online tutorials about dyeing fabric, making slipcovers, or reupholstering parsons chairs). So in the end we hope to end up with eight affordable and well made parsons chairs without this… uh… “unique” fabric. Hopefully sooner rather than later…
As for how we got them home, I borrowed my sister’s Explorer (since I knew we couldn’t fit them in our Altima without making at least three trips) and drove 90 minutes round trip to Mechanicsville to pick up the chairs. I wish I’d brought the camera (or was fancy enough to have a decent cell phone cam) because the guy selling them lived on a giant horse farm, so the scenery was beautiful. And since Sherry and Clara stayed at home (to make room for more chairs in the car) I wished that I could have taken some photos so they could see it.
The guy selling them was a real character. I expected to pick up the chairs from his dining room, but instead he led me back to a bunch of large storage crates in his backyard (I must admit this is where craigslist horror stories started flashing through my mind and I wondered if I was being kidnapped). Then he rolled up the door to one of the storage crates to reveal that it was FILLED TO THE BRIM with these chairs. I never got the story behind how he ended up with so many, but my guess is that they came from some hotel auction or something. All that mattered is that they were in good condition (solid, sturdy, clean, no pet/smoke odors, etc) and that he was happy to let me put a dent in his collection and leave with eight of those babies.
Here I am back home with my booty (that’s not a butt reference, I mean the chairs), cheesy pose and all (sometimes I defer to cheesy poses when Sherry runs towards me with the camera, you know, just to humor her). And yes, I was extremely proud of fitting all eight of them into my sister’s car in one trip. There was even a call to Sherry where I told her I could only fit six so I needed to make two trips with a big fat “just kidding!” at the end.
As a reminder, here’s what the dining room looked like back when it was chair-less…
…and here it is now with eight new occupants. Actually only seven are pictured because Sherry likes that more breathable look for “everyday” (we can easily add in the eighth one when we need it – until then it’s hanging out in our chaotic playroom with 99% of our other “extra stuff”).
We keep having to remind ourselves to look past the crazy pattern and enjoy the fact that we scored a serious deal on the exact style of chair (with clean lines and solid construction) that we’ve been eying.
The best price we’ve seen so far on any new parsons chair is around $85 (Pottery Barn sells similar ones for $299!), so as long as we can correct the swirly fabric for less than $60 per chair, we made the right call. Even if it means that our dining room looks a bit like a hotel conference room for the time being…
Sherry found a few online tutorials for dyeing fabric directly on furniture that we might try (although dye = scary, so we might skip right to the next step, which would be to make slipcovers or reupholster them in the crisp apple green color that Sherry has been dreaming of from day one). So that’s the story of driving out to a farm and squeezing eight $25 chairs into my sisters car. Maybe you guys have recent craigstlist deals to share? Or an “I can’t believe I got that to fit into my car” tale to tell?
Annalea says
Hooray that those chairs aren’t in swirly burgundy, navy, and puce, eh? :o)
I have a feeling dyeing the fabric on the chairs will only give you a different version of swirlyness . . . so, if you’re wanting a solid color, slip covering would be the way to go.
Or, you might want to try painting them with acrylic craft paint, which is totally bullet-proof once it dries on fabric. My daughter’s shirts are a testament to this, as I haven’t been able to get those blue streaks out of it To. Save. My. Life. You can thin it a little with extending medium, if you want, and of course test on an inconspicuous spot first. (Like underneath the chair where the fabric is stapled down.) And, if you don’t like it, you can always recover them with apple green leather. I wonder if they sell that on craigslist? Hmmmm….
Lynnski says
I like picturing them in more than one color! Maybe 3 shades from Sue, gathered randomly around the table?
In support of the idea of picking up a couple more. At that price, it’s worth it just so Sherry and Clara can visit the farm!
Erika @ Blonde Moments In The Burbs says
Great chairs! A little fabric makeover should do the trick with them!
Krissy says
That’s some good shopping karma right there! We live near a giant Hotel Liquidators place and it’s my go-to resource for furniture, lighting, artwork, decorative mirrors, etc. So happy for you guys!
dalia says
No craigslist stories, but here’s info on how to sew a slipcover: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/03/how-to_sew_a_slipcover.html :)
Mali says
Great score guys!
Is it a sign of my sad decorating skills that I like the chairs as-is? I can’t wait to see what you guys do with them =)
Hayley says
My boyfriend and I are living with a hand-me-down super-country style table from his childhood – dark brown, turned legs, full of dents and splotches of super glue from Chris’ Destructo phase. I painted it white which was a huge improvement but the matching chairs were “can’t-fix-ugly” and falling apart.
Last week we scored 3 solid cherry wood mid-century style office chairs with horrible 90s fabric. Granted, a fourth would have been awesome, but we got them for a grand total of $30!!! I can’t wait to strip ’em down and remake them in beautiful new fabric and stain, every time I pass them I pet them and imagine I’m holding sand paper…
Theresa says
Awesome find. Be sure you check the chair leg bottoms for good cushions. Those felt thingees save our wood floors over and over again. Your chairs may have only been on carpeted surfaces in their prior life.
Amanda says
I actually really like the pattern/colors on the chairs… just not for your house. If it were my house I would leave them and they would blend perfectly. But I agree in your case solid is the way to go. Maybe you could even do 4 in green and 4 in a deep purple color for a little contrast.
About this whole dying the actual chair buisness, I wouldn’t recommend it. If you use a dark colored dye (to cover the pattern) and it doesnt work right, then you decide to cover it with a medium toned slipcover, and heaven forbid a guest (or Clara) spills some liquid on the chair the dark color could bleed through your slipcover! I would vote for slip cover first because then if you change your mind it’s as simple as making new slipcovers instead of having to re-dye or re-upholster the chairs more than once!
renee says
Those look great! I kinda like the colors and patterns. Perfect look for that room. What a bargain! I paid $600. a piece for my dining room parsons chairs!
Connie says
I love how everyone is SO excited about how great Craigslist is, until the actual day of the money/item exchange and then EVERYBODY is all paranoid and “they’re calling from inside the house…” -like. This past weekend I scored a beautiful headboard for only $80 from Craigslist and was so so excited about it! Until I had to give the guy my address to deliver it since I don’t have a car, and I got all “YOU’RE THE CRAIGSLIST KILLER!” over it. When I finally calmed down and gave the guy the delivery address, I was really excited to actually get the headboard and it works perfectly in my bedroom!
By the way: That pattern is pretty awful, but from far away it’s not, like, GLARINGLY bad. At least it’s something you can live with until you decide what to do about the fabric.
Holly R. says
Not sure if it has been suggested, but if the Ikea slipcovers fit them, maybe you could buy some white covers and dye those?
Congrats on the score!
CChristy says
Ok, maybe I’m crazy, but I like those chairs with the patterned fabric and in your rather plain dining room. If you want plain, though, do the slipcover thing, just make sure the slip covers don’t drag on the floor for easier cleaning. Easier to change than a dye job or a complete upholster job. Great score, guys!!
Melissa says
Love all of the updates on the new house! You are inspiring me to do some of my own DIY in our new house.
I was wondering if you guys had any new money saving tips now that Clara is a little older? Does it change your finances from when she was a newborn? I only ask because I use your recommendations from when she was a newborn for my own new babe. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Let’s see, we still don’t buy her many clothes (people love to give them as gifts and we get hand me downs from our cousins and John’s sisters). We also make all of her food (we did Baby Led Weaning so she pretty much eats what we eat and has a really great experimental appetite, which is awesome) so we haven’t spent money on baby food or things like that. We still put all of the money she gets as gifts towards her 529 college savings plan, and we just generally try to keep costs down in our household (by having one car, DIYing things like haircuts, etc) so we have money to save towards her future. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Meredith says
That’s the way I have fed all my kids and I didn’t know it was a technical term. My kids are now GREAT eaters and will eat anything, from salmon to asparagus to whatever else I put in front of them. Yay!!!
Julia Brown says
If you were going to dye them you’d be better off getting fabric spray paint although even in the darkest color the patter will still show through..I reupholster things all the time and the easiest way to go about it is buy an extra chair and strip its skin off and make a pattern off of its original upholstery for slip covers, that way you wont end up with baggy slipcovers that look like they’re wearing their pajamas instead of a fine fitting apple green suit…You could even make them still look fitted by having them removable on the bottom with velcro so you could wash them or my favorite trick is to scotchguard the fabric so any spills will drip right off of them and it doesn’t change the feel of the fabric…good luck doooooods, keep up the good work!
Katrina says
Super amazing deal!!! They will look amazing once slipcovered or re-upholstered! Are you still leaning towards vinyl or now thinking fabric??
YoungHouseLove says
Totally unsure! I think for a slipcover we might go with a duck-like cotton for easy washing.
xo,
s
Laura says
Wow! So ignore the email I just sent with link to apple green chairs then. :) Good score!
Nancy Shirley says
Personally I would leave them the way they are until AFTER Clara learns to feed herself! That way when she “spills” you can say I never liked that fabric anyway…
Jennie Gift says
Does he have more chairs left? I would drive to Richmond for this deal! I love this look http://www.potterybarn.com/products/shayne-kitchen-table/popup/more-views.html?active=2
mentioned earlier and think you could pull it off! Can’t wait to see what you do with them.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, those slipcovers are awesome! As for the chairs, he definitely has a ton left so I’d just look for his ad on craigslist (we hear they pop up often). Good luck!
xo,
s
Jocelyn Stott says
GREAT deal! You are going to make that look amazing, no matter what avenue you choose to go down.
Christy says
As a former Pier One employee, I thought that I was full of crazy, I can’t believe I fit (insert piece of furniture) in that (insert model of car)stories. My crowning moment was when I managed to fit a chaise lounge into the back of a Volvo. I thought I was so cool. But then, I went to Vietnam. And realized that my Vietnamese counterpart would have balanced that chaise lounge on the back of her motorbike and still have had room for herself and probalby 3 kids. I kid you not. I saw a family of 3 riding on a motorbike with what had to be at least a 6 foot entertainment console hanging off the back. Vietnam = crazy awesome.
MYE says
I’m in the RVA area and looking for similar chairs. You said he had more so I’m thinking he may sell more?? I looked on Craigslist and alas no luck. Do you happen to know if he plans on selling more?!
YoungHouseLove says
I would just keep an eye out for an ad for “green and blue dining chairs” since others have mentioned seeing his ads go up and come down all the time (he has so many chairs to sell he’s bound to come back again and again- haha). Good luck!
xo,
s
ka says
MYE – here ya go:
http://richmond.craigslist.org/fuo/2288078741.html
SouthsideShellyP says
Sherry:
Sew slip covers. It’s not that hard. I am a novice seamstress (straight seams — no zippers or button holes) and I figured out how to sew slip covers for parsons chairs. I cut a pattern from brown craft paper (side panel, seat, front/back of seat, side of seat and then the long panel for the back rest). I sewed two in muslin so I could work out the kinks and figure out the seams and the connections before cutting and sewing my main fabric. I used two curtain panels to sew 4 slip covers. Yup. I actually did it. They are not perfect but I do get compliments. I would absolutely do it again.
Can you tell me how you mounted a lamp shade to a ceiling fixture in the den of your first house? I bought a lamp shade at Lowe’s this weekend and now I’m trying to figure out how to get the thing attached to the ceiling fixture. HELP!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2008/01/fan-tastic/
As for the slipcovers, thanks for the suggestions!
xo,
s
Whitney says
Not sure if it was mentioned above, but polyester and acrylic (and lycra) are the hardest fabrics to dye as the fabric is really non-pourous and won’t absord the dye well. Since these are hotel-style chairs, I would bet they are some mix of those fabrics. Just FYI for anyone else who might be interested in dying their chairs/fabric. I love the style and would love to find a deal like that in the Houston area!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we’re done with the dyeing idea. Haha. Slipcovers or reupholstery it is!
xo,
s
Azure says
I actually kind of like it! The colors are good. Most importantly, the busyness helps to hid the food stains that are sure to come once Clara puts a booster on those chairs. (Good for spill proned adults too.)
Elisha says
I was thinking you might want to go pick up one more as the test chair for $25 you can experiment.
Carolan says
My roommate and I scored a coffee table for a mere $3.17 from the Goodwill. THEN they proceeded to ask us if we were military for their discount! Awesome deal.
ka says
I love these chairs! I’ve been looking for parson’s chairs for the eating nook in my kitchen but can’t afford the ~$99 price tag of the good-looking ones. Getting these and slip covering would be perfect! Thanks to your friend Sandra for well-timed Craigslist trolling!
I just hope he has enough for all us locals who will be calling him tonight ;)
- Sarah :-) says
SCORE!! I’m already creating apple-green leather/vinyl slip covers for them in my mind. Easy peasy (it’s always easier in yoru head, isn’t it?). Can’t WAIT to see what you do with them!! :-)
pamMN says
Love the chairs. What a great find. I have been searching for a fab dresser here in the TC without any Craigslist luck. So send some our way, okay? ;)
I’d be afraid to dye them on the chair. But here is a post about recovering them from another blog I read, Isabella and Max.
http://isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com/2011/03/making-drop-cloth-slipcovers.html
She used drop cloths. If anything, you could test it out on one chair, for little to no money, just the cost of the drop cloth before purchasing the fabric you wanted. Can’t wait to to see the end result.
And send some spring our way. It’s still in the 30’s here. Brrr!
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! So pretty.
xo,
s
Britt says
Have you thought about painting the chairs? Someone has probably already posted this (but I don’t have time to read 400+ comments to see if someone did), but I thought this was an awesome idea: http://hypheninteriors.blogspot.com/2011/03/painted-upholstery-process-revealed.html
You have nothing to lose if you don’t like it. Since you plan on recovering them anyway.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we love that project and definitely considered it. Not sure how the treated hotel fabric (it has some sort of stain repellant) would take it though, so slipcovers and reupholstery seem the safest…
xo,
s
Jessica says
Super good deal! I like that as others have mentioned, they dont look bad as is.. i think they need change but for in the meantime, they arent like embarrassing haha. I saw a craigslist post recently for 2 flawless dark brown leather parsons chairs that looked just like the ones you have. She was selling them for $20 for the pair!! I wanted them so bad!! (moving soon so I told myself not to buy anything extra to pack but that was hard to look away from!)
Jessica says
ok I THINK you have the same ones.. now I dont see in your pictures lol Maybe thats it at your desk? (I feel stalker-ish just saying that!)
Future Mama says
So excited to see how they turn out!!
Much love,
Future Mama
http://expectingablessing.blogspot.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that chair was around $85 from Target a while back. But the craigslist ones sound like a steal!
xo,
s
Allison says
Do you plan to put a rug under the the table/chairs? If not, don’t forget to add little felt rounds under each chair leg so it they don’t scratch your beautiful floors.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re thinking about going rugless in the dining area since there will be a rug in the office and the entryway (sort of sandwiching the table)- so felt pads will be added for sure!
xo,
s
Vanessa Romero says
I like the chairs just the way they are!
LadyBirdBerson says
My 9.5 month pregnant self managed to shove a gas grill into the back of our CR-V on Friday along with the seller from Craigslist. Meaning the Craigslist guy helped. I didn’t shove him in the car. But $40 for a $300 grill is worth it!
samantha says
heres a tutorial on how to paint fabric upholstery! Pretty cool…not sure if you could see the swirls or no though after…If it didnt work out you could then slipcover over it :)
http://www.remodelaholic.com/2011/03/new-look-for-and-old-chair-painted.html#more
samantha says
opps look like someone else already posted it :)
Stephanie says
So, up close the fabric is a little scary, but taken as a whole I actually really like them in the room. Score!!!! Excellent find!!
Julia says
Slip cover, slip cover, slip cover! Then when they get dirty, just take the covers off and wash them!
Stephanie@cre8tive says
I think the fabric plays off nicely with the green rug you put in front of your couch. It could of been way worse right? All my kids are grown, they tell me I don’t need my SUV anymore, that I should get a new car, but I say no way! I may not be transporting kids around anymore but I can still get a ton of great finds in there anytime I want.
Katie says
So I hope you see this, but I just found the great world of canvas drop cloths! Yup, from the hardware store. I just re-upholstered a chair for $5! I painted stripes on with fabric paint, but you could easily dye the fabric and then cover your chairs for next to nothing. Check out my blog to see my chair.
YoungHouseLove says
So smart! Ana White did something like that and I love it!
xo,
s
Mary @ stylefyles says
“Hotel auction”…hahaha…that was the first thing I thought when I saw the pattern. But even before I read it, I knew you two were planning a reupholster DIY. Looking forward to it!!!
Sara says
My chairs from world market look to be the EXACT same shape as those and I have the slip covers. It’s the Anna slipcovers (we have the short ones and they don’t even look like slip covers) from World Market if it’s worth looking into! They’re roughly $60/2 not on sale but it would still be within budget if they work. They have white/cream ones that would be so easy to die! Granted I’d assume you can find slipcovers in tons of places!
april says
I’m actually kind of digging the crazy pattern. It makes the inky blue in the built-ins pop a little more.
Bec says
Hey, great buy! Good luck with working your special magic on them. Can’t wait to see the results.
Amanda says
I love those chairs! I would kill for a deal that good. Unfortunately, our craigslist.com offerings are meager at best and priced at near retail (really- an avocado green recliner from 1974 with the stains and tears to match was listed at nearly $200 not so long ago.) You rock!
clarissa says
I’ve bought former hotel furniture on Craigslist before and it’s AWESOME. Super sturdy construction and upholstery. Just think, it’s made to live a hearty life in a hotel room somewhere – where people use it and abuse it! Perfect for a house with kids! Good choice! :)
erin c says
Awesome craigslist find! I can’t wait to see how you go about this..I have similar chairs with black fabric but faded and stained..I need a fix…in a bad way..I will be tuned in to hear what you do..can’t wait to copy!