Updating Home Decor: Dining Room Makeover

I bet many of you are in the same boat as me right now. In preparation for holiday gatherings, I’m hoping to give my dining room a makeover with some new decor and furnishings. Since I’m on a tight budget, though, I’m willing to go with just some comfortable new dining chairs! That’s not too much to ask, right? I think it’s a worthy investment since me and my husband spend so much time here: eating meals, playing board games, doing homework, etc. Plus, the chairs could be moved into the living room for extra seating when we have people over. Seems like a no-brainer to me :)

Image courtesy of ikea.com

I’ve settled for functional furniture in the past, but this time I want something that showcases my sense of style as well. Despite all the wood dining chair options, which would be perfectly fine with some good cushions, I am loving all the cute upholstered dining chairs that are out there. And luckily there are plenty of stylish and budget-friendly choices available in the $100-$200 per chair range.

World Market has really improved its furniture offerings over the last few years, and it has some great upholstered dining chairs such as the Hayden Dining Chair and Tufted Chair:

Hayden Dining Chair

Image courtesy of worldmarket.com

Image courtesy of worldmarket.com

Both of these chairs are in those fabulous gray/shadowy purple hues that are huge right now. Purple has always been my favorite color, so I’m excited that it’s growing in popularity in such a sophisticated way (The Color Marketing Group has just declared 2012 the year of “Boyz-n-Berry”, and plum features prominently in Target’s Fall Home Collection.)

Pier 1 Imports‘ upholstered dining chairs have also caught my eye:

Image courtesy of pier1.com

I just love the nailhead details, and the upholstery is just the shade of red needed for the perfect red-and-gray color scheme I’ve been dying to try. How chic would this be with a gray lacquered dining table?

When checking out the Home Decorators Collection from The Home Depot, I was suprised to find no fewer than 10 fabric options for its basic upholstered dining chair–at no extra cost:

Parsons Side Chair Classic in Fleur de Lis

Image courtesy of homedecorators.com

Ditto for Ikea’s HENRIKSDAL Chair, with upholstery available in several hues and patterns and chair legs in four different finishes too:

Image courtesy of ikea.com

Decisions, decisions! Which chair do you think I should choose?