The $60 Ugly Accent Chairs Find On Craigslist
I came across these vintage accent chairs while scouring Craigslist when Craigslist was a big deal. Way back in 2015, when Facebook Marketplace didn’t exist, good old Craigslist, or CL as we called it, was where you found vintage treasures.
The seller was selling it for $60, and I was giddy about the price. I mean, look how gorgeous they are. Brown, tired, stained wood, classic MCM green fabric, clean and sparkly!
I am kidding! They were dated and ugly. The original upholstery was trashed. I couldn’t care less about all of the ugliness because I was in love and could see past everything inside my head.
Look at those lovely legs, the parentheses details. Not to mention a classic barrel shape and those lovely brass rosettes. I was so happy to have them that I did NOTHING with them for seven years. Haha!
Big Living Room Needs A Lot Of Furniture
We moved into this house in 2021, and I was sloooow at decorating it due to the orange floor issue. Finally, after a year of trial and error, I could envision the living room.
I needed to complete seating arrangements, and one fine day, I remembered my Craigslist gems!! I knew these vintage accent chairs would be near perfection on the spot.
So I dug them out of my chair-yard, which is my graveyard of chairs. I wanted to add a splash of red because why not? So, I had my lacquer guy mix up a custom concoction.
I wanted a dark red. Not wine, not lipstick red, a deep red.
Vintage Chair Reupholstery 1st Edition
So, I decided to remove the back upholstery and leave it bare completely. I am not a fan of the armrest fabric concept because I think it is gross, so I got rid of it completely.
I went to my local Calico Corners and chose this deep red fabric. It was my “compromise” fabric because it was a much cheaper and safer option. It was $45 a yard.
What I really wanted was the $300-a-yard high-end fabric with wild colors. I settled.
These chair cushions were easy to redo. They popped out like dining chairs, so we only needed an upholstery-grade stapler.
I loved the monochromatic look and enjoyed it for a few months.
Vintage Chair Reupholstery 2nd Edition
I could not get the carnival fabric out of my head! Ugh! I mean, how perfect it looks with my chartreuse buffet?
I gave up, bit the bullet, and ordered the fabric that I wanted for $600 total. Yikes!!
I took out the perfectly good 1st upholstery job and redid them. Well, my husband redid them.
I absolutely love this gorgeous, colorful fabric with movement in it. It is truly resplendent!
I love them so very much that I sat across from them on the couch to admire them. Haha!
Accent Chairs Don’t Have To Be Comfortable
Most pretty chairs are not very comfortable. In fact, they are quite the opposite. That’s OK.
Their job is to make a statement and add drama to the room. They are not meant for reading a book on a Sunday afternoon.
I have my settee and my couch if lounging is what I desire to do. The chairs are meant to be perched on for a few minutes.
Sometimes, Eric and I will sit across from each other on these chairs for an impromptu discussion. That’s pretty much it.
I did add a thick pillow for back support and comfort. Even though the chairs looked the best without them, the pillows were very much needed because of the depth of the chairs.
Hence, it’s okay to have a few impractical and uncomfortable chairs. They are accent chairs. Let them accent. That’s what I tell myself.
My husband is trying to show me how short and silly they are, and they offer zero back support. Yes, I already know it!
Final Thoughts
Wait to buy the thing that you genuinely want. Buy once and cry once.
The fabric ended up being $680 vs. $600 because I redid them a few months apart. I wanted wild and colorful, so that’s exactly what I got after spending an additional $80 that I didn’t need.
Do you have vintage accent chairs around your house that you love?
