Craigslist Chic

One thing the blog world has taught me is that you really don't ever need to buy brand new furniture again. Sure, it'd be nice to be able to go to Crate and Barrel and pick out a brand new dining set, but if you are young and broke like us, then you know that's not realistic.

But thank god for Craigslist. I've taken to browsing my local craigslist just for the heck of it... and sometimes I get great ideas. I thought I'd share this one with you.

See gorgeous inspiration photo:

(where is this from? Please let me know).

See those striped chairs? They are so fabulous. If you read my blog, you know that I love the mix of modern and traditional, and these chairs are a great example.

On the Orange County craigslist, I found this table and chair set:



Sure, you may think this set is pretty awful, but I see past the 1993 office conference room vibe they currently have.

I think they have great modern lines and the two cushions would be perfect for upholstering in a navy striped fabric. I would try and sand the wood down to see if it's stain-able, and stain the wood to match the inspiration photo. If that's not possible, then you could always paint the wood a nice almost-black brown color. I've found a great one from Valspar:

Fired Earth - Valspar 6011-1

The closest fabric I found was this Winston Outdoor Domino fabric from Calico Corners (It's a bit pricey for me, but I didn't search too hard):

The entire set on Craigslist is only $60, I'd probably try to bring it down to $50. I wouldn't use the table, just the chairs... but the table could always be painted white and used as a craft table.

Maybe I can convince my husband to let me get them (fat chance)? He complains that the current dining chairs we have now are too uncomfortable....

On a side note, I didn't get the Craigslist find that I wrote about on Friday... I am still in communication with the seller but not sure if I'll go for it.