There is something I adore about the juxtaposition of vintage pieces and a modern aesthetic. I’ve long admired those who succeed at seamlessly blending pieces that have seen a thing or two, with those fresh out of the box. As I play with my own version of this vibe, I chronicle bits and pieces here.

The recent acquisition of my grandparents 1950’s era maple dining table served as the inspiration for my latest project.

How does one blend a traditional, mid-century maple dining table into a modern home?

I knew three things when I started. First, the table would remain as is. A few years ago, I welcomed the coordinating hutch into our home, so messing with one meant messing with the other, and I was not about to open that can of worms. Second, I wanted a mix of metal, fabric and wood in whatever configuration of chairs I ended up with. That should be easy to find right? A metal-fabric-wood chair? Third, one of those chairs would be my Nana’s antique Queen Anne side chair, which was lacking purpose in an upstairs spare room.

I began where all great projects begin. The internet. A quick search for “old table modern chairs”, and my mind was blown. It doesn’t have to be one chair? Surely a dining set must match. No? It doesn’t even have to be one style? I can mix all the things I like together and have it still look cohesive? This began an eight week long artistic experiment that became my quest for chairs.

The next question was “What colour?”. Matching the colour of stain in the table would have proven impossible, and seemed a bad idea anyway. Had I chosen to try, I think I’d have lost the modern, bohemian feel that I’d decided to work toward.  Do I intorduce light colours? Dark? Should the chairs be patterned or plain? What colours even coordinate well with medium brown maple? I am not going to lie, I became a little consumed by this decision. I mean, chairs are not cheap.

In the end, and with the continued aid of Google, I settled on a colour mixture of silver toned metals, grey fabrics and white woods. Enter the chairs…

The Mid-Century Modern Inspired, Upholstered Parsons

The Iridescent Steel 1970’s-1980’s Inspired Spindle Back

The Antiques

Both of the chairs in this category where refinished (by moi) in flat white paint. They were re-upholstered in tone on tone silver brocade and finished with dark grey braided cord accents.

1. The Cameo Chair

2. The Queen Anne Chair

Three very different styles of chair, when paired with the dining table of my childhood and a few modern industrial accents, bring new life to a dining space that has long been lacking a style of its own.

(Pardon the dogs behind. He always knows just when to show up…)