Working with a Chair Upholstered in a Print

from top right, clockwise: via pinterest // Southern Living // via Home & Garden // House Beautiful

There is a vintage consignment shop in Lexington, called Street Scene. For the longest time I'd crush on this re-upholstered vintage plaid chair each time I'd visit the store {it looks royal blue in this photo, but it read more like a navy or muted blue in person}.  I never forked over the cash -- for several reasons:
  1. Moving was in our plans, so it wasn't practical to invest in new furniture.
  2. I usually play it safe with furniture -- neutral color palettes and patterns.
  3. It is intimidating {for me, anyway!} to decorate around such a bold piece.
Honestly, as much as #1 played a part of my decision-making, reasons #2 and #3 were the bigger obstacles.

Country Living
I'm guessing I'm not the only one with this dilemma. Either you've invested in a chair with a bold print and gotten stuck when it came to decorating around it -- or you've skipped buying such a chair in the first place even though you loved the fabric.

Dimples and Tangles via Good Housekeeping

Recently, Chairish, asked if we'd be interesting in creating a mood board around one of their vintage chairs. They have a wide selection of accent chairs available; but when I saw this barrel chair I knew it was an opportunity to decorate around a chair upholstered in a print.


Turquoise Tufted Barrel Chair

Just like the plaid chair at Street Scene, this one is vintage too. That is the cool thing about Chairish. Even though it's an online site, the products have all been previously owned and they have an incredible vintage selection. Many of the products have been refinished or reupholstered, like this barrel chair, with a nice modern fabric. Plus, since these are individual sellers, you can choose to "buy now" or "make an offer" -- just like any vintage shop!

working with a patterned chair

The most obvious way to work with a patterned chair is to balance the bold fabric with neutrals and basic pieces. However, I didn't want this to feel boring, so even though the surrounding pieces are neutral and solid in color, they still have a lot of texture. I also tried to stay true to my style by mixing affordable, new pieces with other unique, vintage pieces. Here is what I chose

Affordable and New

Jute Area Rug -- buy it on Amazon here starting at $90 for a 5'x8'
Hand Knitted Grey Pouf -- buy it on Amazon here for $60
Table Lamp in Varied Grey Tones -- buy it on Amazon here, a set of 2 lamps for $107
White Woven Storage Basket -- buy it on Amazon here for $69
Ikea White Curtains -- buy them on Amazon here for $20
*amazon links are affiliate links

Unique and Vintage

Mid-Century Side Table -- buy it on Chairish here
Original Art "Visible Sound" -- buy it on Chairish here



working with a patterned chair

This second option is much bolder; but I wanted to make this chair versatile. What if I didn't always want it in a neutral room? Could it work in a bold room? I think this mood board shows that yes, it can work! Even though these pieces have plenty of texture, pattern and color, they fall within a simple color palette: greens, blues, and shades of beige to brown. Here is what I chose:

Affordable and New

Oriental Turkish Style Rug -- buy it on Amazon here starting at $56 for a 4'x6'
Woven Foot Stool -- buy it on Amazon here for $75
Navy Table Lamp -- buy it on Amazon here, a set of 2 lamps for $179
Decorative Mirror -- buy it on Amazon here for $26
Rattan Charger as Wall Decor -- buy it on Amazon here for $16
Ikea White Curtains -- buy them on Amazon here for $20
*amazon links are affiliate links 

Unique and Vintage

Mid-Century Side Table -- buy it on Chairish here
Mid-Century Magazine Rack -- buy it on Chairish here 
Vintage Pineapple Art -- buy it on Chairish here


So do you own a chair in a print? How did you decorate around it? If you don't own one, which way would you work with it -- pump up the pattern or balance the pattern?

Chairish did not sponsor this post or provide us a product to review. However, they may share it via their social media avenues. We were already familiar with the Chairish brand and were happy to use their products as inspiration in our mood boards. We love to buy vintage items, and Chairish provides us that opportunity online! As always, all opinions are our own.

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