The kitchen table and chairs in my mother's house were in desperate need of a pick-me-up. Seeing as the set belonged to my great aunt (we're guessing from around the 1930's), the chairs squeaked any time someone sat in them, they were uncomfortable, needed new upholstery, and the finish was nicked all over. Plus the stain and upholstery my mom had chosen ten+(?) years ago was dated. So she called in an estimate to have it all refinished. The cost of redoing the chairs was not worth it, but the quote on the table was extremely reasonable. So goodbye chairs via CraigsList. Hello, Pottery Barn sale!
When it came to deciding on the color, I won. I'd been telling her for years to stain it a dark color - maybe even black - and pair it with white chairs. In my opinion, the combination is a more striking and less generic look, as seen here...
How charming is this room? Feels like afternoon tea is being served. The coral seats just pop and compliment the turquoise walls perfectly.
A Victorian spin on dark with light
And a contemporary take
I absolutely love this room. The antique table, chippendale chairs, high ceilings, and tangled chandelier.
Light-colored upholstery pulls off the same effect.
Designer and blogger Erin Gates' dining room. She stripped and painted the chairs on her own. Tres impressive. We share an affinity toward zebra stripes.
Our finished product. BIG smiley face.
Before
The wood photographed more red than it really was, but still. Not a good look.
After
We found the chairs from PB on sale so the price on the website does not reflect the deal she got. They are far more comfortable and don't make a peep when you sit on them!
Now it goes so much better with the rest of the room's decor.
As you can see closer up, it's a very dark walnut with a black tint even though it looks black in most lighting.
I absolutely love the kitchen style posting with the banquette seating and table. That's exactly what I need in my kitchen/family room area as they flow together and I want to tear out an exiting cabinet with island in order to do this seating. Is there someone you can recommend to build me a wall unit banquet seating like in the above posting?
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic!! We did almost the exact same thing to our dining table/chairs:
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I found this post when doing a search for dark tables w/ light chairs...it inspired me to take the plunge. I currently have my table stained in a dark ebony color and I'm just finishing up painting the chairs a light cream. It looks fab and I'm so glad I was brave and went for it. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteYour sideshow made me want another desk – and I just got the West Elm Parsons in Polished White! I adore the Parsons desk – its super versatile and beautiful, especially in the white. My Height Adjustable Desks looks gorgeous on it.
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