This chair is 53 years old. The back appears to be lower than yours, but you can see we kept the tufting.

We last had it reupholstered ten years ago.

Thanks, Longbranchstitch! Your chair is beautiful!. It's cleaner and less fussy than ours. Maybe the solution is "shallower" tufting.

When we bought it all those years ago, it was a green similar to yours! I’d keep the tufting - a good upholsterer will work magic with your chair.

Agree about the shallower tufting. With the right fabric, the chairs will be wonderful.

Here's a current tufted armchair from Rejuvenation Hardware...$2,750, so I guess tufting is still in style!

Thanks! I think that chair is a perfect example of what we should do--reduce the amount and depth of tufting to get a cleaner look. The current tufting is giving a kind of wrinkly-raisin vibe.

These are more like yours..vintage on 1st dibs for $3100!

Wow! I'd mentally ruled out leather, but maybe I should consider it. It looks really great on those chairs!

You may want to get a price quote on tufting and then decide to keep or not. ( not to insult you because perhaps that is not a consideration)

You can reduce the number of tufts, but not the depth of tufting. It's either tufted or not. It's the placement and height of the skirt that makes it feel dated and traditional. You also may end with an exposed leg too short / stubby for the look of the chair.

Bottom line? Better love it and the comfort before you expect an RH chair from it.

Keep the tufting, lose the skirt

Perhaps get a quote and ask about feasibility/options. For instance, wonder how the protruding rounded bottom will look without a skirt, so some reconstruction may be needed. Frame and legs come into play as well. Look for pictures of what you have in mind to show upholster.

Dissenter here, I think the tufting and skirt are what make it charming.

I’m seeing this look, especially skirted furniture, coming back big in well-known designer rooms.

I just ordered an olive green sofa — I’ll take them off your hands. :D

I’d maybe even play up the skirting:

ETA: Like Oly, I came across many for sale. One set:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/549458559/vintage-lane-club-chairs-gold-mustard

Great tufted design on these:

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/seating/swivel-chairs/pair-of-vintage-button-tufted-arm-chairs-barrel-tub-swivel-hollywood-regency/id-f_5902603/

Play up the character! There’s enough boring furniture out there. :)

Have you gotten a quote for reupholstering? My guess is buying new chairs would be less expensive.

Agree that new chairs might easily be less expensive. But these chairs are really comfortable--I haven't found anything under $2k/chair that I like nearly as well. It's hard to find modern pieces that are both cushy, and small-scale enough for our 50s house.

@JAN MOYER and @Maureen--great point about the leg height. I pinned the skirt up to get an idea of how it looks with the short legs exposed. I'll try putting it up on blocks to see if it would still be comfy with longer legs.

Thanks everyone for great advice! I'll get some actual quotes. And I'll do another round of furniture browsing with DH in tow. These are great chairs. I'd rather release them to someone who loves them than mess them up with an ill-conceived redo.

I thought the tufting in @Longbranchstitch 's chair just looked like buttons on the chair. The thing to consider is that doing tufting well is hard. You might ask your upholsterer about the price differential. And if you're DIYing it, be sure to practice so you know what you're getting into.

And remember that the foam in that chair is well past its life, it will be replaced and the comfort of that chair won't be exactly the same. It will be very pricy!

Reupholstering an old chair is probably as or more expensive than buying new. However, the quality is probably much better than what is made today, unless you purchase a very high end piece or have it custom made. So if it's comfortable, a good size and proportion, works in your space, why not reuse it?

Regarding the skirt, Jan is correct. It's the length and spacing of the skirt that is not attractive. Have the upholsterer do a waterfall skirt if you keep a skirt.

The foam may or may not be past its useful life. I have 2 chairs made in the 1970s that have the original foam and they are just as lovely and comfy as they were when brand new. I also had a client's sofa reupholstered recently. It is over 35 years old and the upholsterer re-used the cushions, as he said they were just fine. The client is thrilled.

Opinion on skirts: It is much easier to find cat toys when there are no skirts on the furniture. Also, a robovac will trundle nicely under unskirted chairs with high enough legs. Many current chairs and sofas are too low to the ground for a robovac to clean under.

Yep, you can go out and buy cheaper new furniture but multiply the price times 2 because they will only last half as long as your new upholstery job. I'm a huge fan of spending the money to reupholster old furniture. Just make sure you find someone who is really good. And, when you do, the will likely have an opinion about how much tufting is needed and why.

Can you pin up the skirt and post a pic of the naked legs so we can see?

Commenting to follow, mainly, but will add another vote to keep tufting and keep skirt, but perhaps investigate whether or not skirt could start a little higher? As someone with a modest 1950s built home I completely agree with your thought process- if its comfy and fits the style and scale of your home, its a keeper- even if reupholstering is a more expensive venture at the moment. Agree with @Kendrah about the quality of what you have being greater than what you can easily find to replace it. The right new fabric, well cared for, can easily last longer than you may even want it to! : )

Thanks, @Diana Bier Interiors, LLC and @Hope Stewart! Starting the skirt higher looks like a great option. Leaves us in a better position to convert to a swivel base too, if we decide to do that. The foam is definitely shot, and the springs might need to be replaced too. It's ok. I had a channel-back chair rebuilt from the springs up a year ago, so I have a rough idea of the cost. It's worth it, for all the reasons others have already stated.

Here's a picture with the skirt taped up.

I like the exposed legs! I think the tufting is interesting, but it's probably a personal preference.

Your chair reminds me a lot of the Taylor King Alexander chair. I noticed it when I was looking at their chairs and it seemed really similar. They are tufted, but the tufts seem bigger (fewer buttons).

https://www.taylorking.com/furniture/alexander-chair/?category=chairs

I would simplify the details on the chair.

Thanks Beverly! That example looks perfect.

A good upholsterer will tell you what is possible and not. If the leg is one with the frame? Leave it alone......

As to skirts: Yes, they are certainly "back" ( Jilly )

But it's a figment of imagination that they really were ever "gone" . That's the internet, an online mass market. How high can you make one? As high as the wood on the frame of the chair. ........Unless a waterfall from the deck.

Fabric makes a big difference. I recently covered two of these. Hickory Chair, UNUSED, found in consignment for 300.00 apiece. In a truly awful stripe. But at a split second glance I could tell it was a "very good" chair, so I flipped up the seat and lo and behold..............HICKORY CHAIR!!!?? Are you kidding me??? I almost threw myself on the pair. To die for comfy to boot.

Probably a retail (custom) delivery rejection from someone who made a fabric error. I was very set on eliminating the tufts. But then I saw it in plain (as I was planning in a deep jewel green silk velvet). Yes.....I kept the tufts: ) And they are positively gorgeous in the room.

That is a beautiful chair! In a deep green velvet, just wow.

It was indeed WOW. : )

Trying to find a decent pic.....aurrgghhh!!!

Haven't been back to get any decent ones ! Shoot. look back to the french doors lol

No wonder I never add photos.......

Traditions refined · More Info

Traditions refined · More Info

Wow. Beautiful, but if this thread wasn't about chairs, I wouldn't really notice them. Just a small part of a glorious whole. That's an amazing space.

Lovely rooms, Jan. I so want those animal print pillows for my living room.

Well Jilly...........you best hurry up before I change my mind: ) or get a couple more and wipe them out: !

https://www.chairish.com/product/4694319/contemporary-handmade-velvet-tiger-print-throw-pillow-down-feather-insert?gclid=Cj0KCQiAi8KfBhCuARIsADp-A57ny4RQpUO5g0Imv2TAclhnn0P_8GCW7lMETMpc2JW5fEOapq6sSmwaAqkkEALw_wcB

ps and there are two fewer as I just bought TWO more lol

Ha! 😄

Thanks for sharing the link! I bought a velvet green sofa — I’d love one of these for the middle section. They’re gorgeous!

So there ya go!!! Honestly, they look great on any green......on white. Pretty great , I agree.

Looks great!! Did you have to change the foam for the cushion?

Wow - looks great!! Did you have to replace foam for cushion?

Yes. The chairs were made in the 60s, the foam was shot. The upholsterers did some frame repair on the second chair as well. Next step is recovering a vintage ottoman that a friend just passed to me--it looks perfect with these chairs, but it has battlescars too.

In the end, I'm glad you decided against the skirt.

Very nice outcome. Could you tell me what the new fabric is? It's a very beautiful color. Thank you.

The fabric is Clarke & Clarke "Alvar" in Aegean.