And now for a little chair-related riddle: What’s worse than buying eight chairs on Craigslist only to discover they don’t work after a year and a half?
A: Buying eight chairs on Craigslist and then chronicling the whole failed experiment online. We like to keep it real, so here’s the condensed lesson learned after many trials and errors. The good news: it ends happily, so let’s jump to the fun part.
But first, a quick flashback to the long and winding saga of the original Craigslist chairs:
- We found $25 Craigslist chairs with a wild hotel-style fabric and bought them despite disliking the upholstery.
- We bought inexpensive slipcovers from World Market. They were too big at first, so we shrank them in the dryer to make them fit better.
- We dyed the covers a mocha color so the chairs wouldn’t clash with the built-ins and trim.
- They looked fine for a short while, but the slipcovers got baggy and messy after a week or two of washing. They could be refreshed by washing, but that was more upkeep than expected.
- I tried painting one chair with textile medium — a big fail.
- I tried spray-painting the slipcovers; the look was sleeker but the patterned texture still showed through, which wasn’t ideal.
At the end of that spray-painting experiment I wrote that we were still on the fence. The treated chairs were better than the painted green disaster and slightly better than the baggy slipcovers, but they still felt like a temporary fix. The takeaway: $25 Craigslist chairs can be a gamble when the original fabric and scale don’t work with standard slipcovers.
After months of grinding through fixes and getting increasingly frustrated, we accepted that those chairs just weren’t working. Rather than keep trying to salvage them, we decided to sell them and let someone more skilled in reupholstery have a shot at restoring them — the frames are a classic shape, they just needed new fabric.
Now for the new chairs: we found a great deal — $62 each — and we genuinely love them as-is. The idea came from rethinking scale: why the need for eight small parson chairs? Why not six larger, cozier armchairs around the table? We still have extra seating at the nearby peninsula and could add a kids’ table in the office for larger gatherings. Six comfy chairs felt right for our space.
I wanted woven or wicker-style chairs because fabric can be high-maintenance with kids and food. Most wicker armchairs were expensive, so finding an affordable woven option felt like a win. The catch: these were actually outdoor chairs, heavily discounted at end-of-season clearance. Buying two sets sight unseen felt risky, but it was low-risk because they were returnable at a local store, shipping was free with the store card, and we got an extra 5% off with that card.
We ordered eight knowing we’d have two extras to sell or use elsewhere. Many readers suggested keeping the spares for outdoor use, but after trying them in a few places they felt forced, so we opted to resell them and recoup some cost.
When they arrived we were thrilled. The chairs are cozy—comfortable enough to sit cross-legged and draw with our daughter—and the seat height is perfect for the table. They feel like armchairs, which makes homework and long dinners more relaxed. They’ve already passed the Play-Doh test.
John even managed to relax in one on the first night. They’re also practical: designed for outdoors, they include durable seat cushions that handle spills and wipe down easily.
One of the best perks is that these chairs can go outside and be hosed off if necessary. They also give everyone their own armrests, which makes the round table feel even more comfortable and communal.
We’re relieved to finally have dining chairs we love after nearly two years of experimenting. The woven chairs pair nicely with the slatted wood stools in the kitchen—the combination adds texture and warmth without being too matchy. It’s been a long run, but the Chair Olympics of 2010–2012 finally ended on a high note.
We spent far less than the $1,000 we feared we might need to replace all the chairs, even after the earlier missteps. Between these chairs and our new kitchen stools, we feel like we’re “turning a corner” in the house — refining rooms we use daily with more texture and natural tones, while still keeping the pops of color we love. It usually takes us a year or two to settle in, so this feels like the start of a more confident phase of home-making.
What oops moments have you had lately? Any furniture switchouts or upgrades in progress? We’re curious to hear about other small wins and lessons learned while making a house feel more like home.