LOL Ikea. That's funny. I'd paint these chairs instead. Why throw away a good thing?

I would suggest a glass rectangle table, put two chairs against the wall, then the table with a chair at ether end. That would not inter fear with the door way. If you find the table with a wood base the same color as the wood on the chairs that would be great. Then I would cover the chairs in a silver gray Damask pattern. Then find a nice painting, with a big pop of red in it, maybe picture wine bottles put high above the chairs narrow in height but long. If you could drop a mediterranean light fixture above the center of the table you would be all set. My two cents

I think I would try a large canvas painting with some splashes of bright colors including the gold like the seat cushions, and some turquoise first before I painted the chairs.

A cost effective solution could be to paint the chairs in Annie Sloan Chalk paint, cover the cushions in a modern gray and white fabric and hang a large geometric pattern piece of art on the wall or frame a large piece of wallpaper. If you like an accent colour like turquoise you could add that in the art or cushions.

I like the chairs. No. They don't match. You can do some or all of these things. Add some lighting, it can be a floor lamp to illuminate the corner. Use peel able wallpaper on the larger wall including TEAL colours or mustard or white OR two of the aforementioned also you can choose to add some artwork on the larger wall but it should consist of mostly white. After this it should look more pleasing. If you desire to paint the chair ( which I would as it would look amazing ) I would definately choose white with either plain teal upholstery if no patterned wallpaper or some kind of teal based Paisley. Mmmmm that would be fabulous!

Oh and I would consider keeping the mustard if painting the chairs white. Outlandish but, visually entertaining

I love those chairs but I would paint them my favorite color and recover the seats. I'd leave the tabletop bare, and center the set in the room and bring the plant closer to the set. Then I'd add a big colorful piece of wall art.

I like the suggestion of turquoise upholstery and white paint on the chairs. To tie it all in you may try upholstering the seats of the bar stools to blend with the chair cushions. Also a large round mirror that you might want to paint and corner lighting would really pop the area. Love the chairs!!!

I'd paint the chairs a satin black to give them a more modern feel, then reupholster in something deliciously loud (grey velvet? or keep the mustard color if it matches your decor!), and add a swag lamp over the table.

Put white covers over the chairs, the kind that you tie a bow on the back.

As an avid furniture painter ... I'm on a roll right now ! Paint those babies .... An awesome bright teal or coral colour would be so fun and reupholstering those would be super easy so go to the fabric store and just buy what jumps out I would get something with a simpler pattern in whatever tones you want to paint them or in a Gray.

As for your walls, you just need some art work or buy some of the matching fabric if you reupholster your chairs and follow a Pinterest DIY on how to starch fabric to your wall as a faux wallpaper

Good luck! Look forward to results :)

everdebz I love your quote, Sometimes a chair gives you the feeling that you're `somebody. Where did it come from?

I'm going to use it for a title to an art work someday. Thank you, you inspired me.

Now back to the chairs in question. All of your suggestions are good ones and would work in another setting. The room has that 60's vibe and adding a touch of the 60's to the chairs and décor will tie the room together and it will look more like a home than an apartment that was decorated.

Even if your furnishings are eclectic the room will look put together if elements of a theme are throughout the space.

Pick a lively print to upholster the seats, paint the wood white & the caning black. Use a square of the upholstery fabric to lay across the table to tie the chairs & table together. Get a rope wrapped wine bottle to put a dripping candle on top. Find a cheap print of Italy on the wall.

It took so long to paint two chairs that I didn't get anywhere near the upholstery. Maybe this will help you decide. If you don't want to put them back on craigslist, I would probably go with white just to give them some relationship to the rest of the space.

White with teal seats:

I like the chairs also. I would paint them but I would lose the knobs on both sides at the head of the chairs. That would take away from the Mediterranean feel of the chairs. A fabric that coordinates with/ or adds a splash of a muted color would be good for the cushions.... Good suggestions above...

I think if you paint them white and reupholster them in your favorite color it will be fun and funky, go for it.

groveraxle how do you do it? Your computer skills are fantastic. I love the look, it is just as I imagined. Great job creating a visual.

I love those chairs. In my opinion, painting them white, leaving yellow cushions and getting a large art that has all the colors (blue, yellow, white, gray, etc.) will tie in the space very well.

I happen to like Mediterranean style, so I would keep the chairs as they are and use the white table in another part of the house. If you could find a black wrought iron table, which would have a Mediterranean flair to it but not be "matchy-matchy" with the chairs, you would have a great look. I believe pairing an iron table with the wooden chairs still would give variety to the space. Maybe painting the end wall a medium turquoise and the side walls light turquoise would give some life to the space and still go with the orange chair coverings.

Love grover's ideas and skills! I like the teal chairs,not white, so the white table' s shape is still visible. Keep the mustard seats!

My preference is white cause the details of the chairs show more [as opposed to color showing].

Adding color seems to detract from the details - considering there's another style nearby, etc..... less is more here....

The chairs definitely need a paint job. I'd do white frames and purple seats. It would look so good with the gray tones you like.

@Jean, I was inspired you could say by our original poster's passion for her chairs; she snatched them up! I said it in other words - the high backs, etc. seem a bit regal to me, a comfort of some kind. You're an artist, so I'm glad if you want to use that. Music is my art more so.

That bare far wall is just begging for one of the cool new photo murals…but instead of putting the mural on the wall, put it on a piece of thin wood then hang. I think something like this would look neat - There are some really interesting wall papers out there. This one happens to be from Rebel Walls :)

Here’s one more…this would visually open up the area...

I would pick something with a lower back and more contemporary and clean lined look. Something lighter that would balance your table. Someone mentioned Ikea, they have a lot of reasonably priced chairs. The Ghost chair would add an edgy look!

Good luck!

Lots of comments that don't answer the original question!

Love the chairs. And the eclectic mix. My fave suggestion is white paint on the chairs. But if you want to keep the original look of the chairs, just scatter some baskets and bamboo-y accessories around and go for a slightly tropical/beachy look. If the cushions are in good shape, you may want to keep them for now; it's a fun retro color, and a good place to start if you want to go a little beachy.

I'd paint the chairs white, and go with a neutral tan/white gingham on the seats. Then I'd put some kind of wall-mounted plant hanger on the wall behind.

If you love the chairs paint them; I would suggest a bold color and a patterned fabric for the seats. Don't forget to add artwork to the walls! An over sized clock, a print you love or a collection of empty frames are all different directions you could think about :-)

Sandy, time for me to ask how the kitchen cabinets - are they all dark? - relate to your thoughts on the chairs....

Hi Everdebz, yes, the cabinets are all dark.

Lots of great feedback here. I'm beyond greatful for each of your input, ideas, and mock ups. With so many ideas, I'm still unsure about how to proceed :(. I need to decide on if I will store them or paint/upholster them. Do you think a bright emerald green and dark velvet grey would work? Most have recommended teal/turquoise and that was my natural thought bc teal/turquoise is the reoccurring pop of color throughout the apartment.

Is it just me, or generally is emerald a more a conservative color - and turquoise more sporty/casual? A photo for fun:

Any use in a question: if a green accent wall would give oomph behind your chairs [I like white chair idea] --instead of merely green on chairs....lots of chairs in that area: make the wall the focus - if only I could see it photoshopped....

possibly the dark cabinets need color for bright/light feeling.

I would not do bookcases, not your style. Ck IKEA for art, or a tall floor mirror 6' wide dark frame. Not expensive. Just center and lean on wall. You have room for 2. Would add depth. But, I still say chairs not working. To high and not your style. You sound young and starting out. Be more funky industrial .

Emerald and dark gray:

You all have been so helpful!!!! I spent all morning painting and here's the result. I went with white and I think the chairs look amazing in the white. Do you agree? Now I need to choose the perfect upholstery.

Flipped your picture. They look great! Let me see if I can do a side by side before and after pic.

Here it is.

I've been playing with your space. I'm sure it's too busy for most, but I just wanted to see if I could incorporate several styles throughout the different "rooms." I think I got a pretty good mix of mid-century mod and Mediterranean, with a sprinkling of industrial. I lean toward an eclectic (and messy over-decorated) look, mostly because I like a little of everything. Style purists would probably hate this!

In real life, hopefully it would look a little less cluttered.

(The wall color and your new chairs are unchanged.)

Well, crap. Now I look above and see you've already painted them!!!

They look awesome!

I like the white!!! [what Nancy just showed - if I'm seeing correctly there's a bit of distressed surfaces and muted colors, all which wouldn't 'take the mix too seriously' - I could've enjoyed that too]....

I love them.

Nancy-- your skills and design eye for an eclectic look for her are awesome! Even though she already painted the chairs, your mockup is helpful. Agreed that even though the photoshop/ cut and paste look choppy, you give me a wonderful sense of how to make eclectic work beautifully.

the chairs really stand out as the odd man in this otherwise modern, clean lined space. that doesn't mean that you can't make them work. first hang a pendant light over the table to define the space as a DR. go to ikea...they have some great pendants that don't need to be hardwired for very little investment. since you can't paint the back wall, consider some really great oversized art prints or a wall sized decal (check out etsy...a silouette of trees decal could be stunning here) to draw the eye in. now for the chairs. if you are good at DIY you can do soooo much with these chairs! personally i'd opt for painting them in either a glossy white, black (spray paint....lots of coats!!) or in a fun, accent color. reupholster the seat for sure in a modern looking printed fabric that you love. you can even cut out the caning if you want. but if you don't want to leave the back open, trace the shape and use some luon (very thin wood) and upholster it and put it into the opening.

For apartment dwellers there is a neat trick that works for the wall which is starching material onto the wall using cornstarch. It will come off easily and the cornstarch will wipe off. (Just put some in a bucket with water and soak the fabric, wring then hang.) That allows you to put the same or a coordinating pattern on the wall that you cover the seats in.

Another option is to color just the turned portion of the spindles to match the fabric.

I agree with you about liking the chairs, which are a Mediterranean design. However, I do love your painting the chairs white to match the table, for all that the table is a more modern and casual style. As for the chair cushions, I would suggest you choose an accent color you really love and have the cushions upholstered in this color. I believe the dining area will look more interesting if you can add wainscoting below a chair rail. If this is not feasible, perhaps you could add just the chair rail and paint the lower wall a bold version of the accent color to provide contrast and then paint the upper wall white. You could add some large, framed wall art or large, framed mirrors to the walls of the dining area.

Sandy, it's been a long time. If you get this, how about a new photo? :)