Have a seat!

If you have a fond appreciation for antiques and original wood, look away. I love old things, and sometimes enjoy items in their original state. But, I also think life is too short to make decorating choices based on what someone else says is 'right'.

We inherited a special table from my grandparents, but never had fitting chairs to go around it. Someday I'll show you that table and share a fun little piece of family history with you. Not right now. Right now we're talking about chairs.

If you stick around long enough, you'll come to understand my fond affection for a little place called Craigslist. I knew what sort of chairs I was looking for, and patiently browsed until I came across these beauties. We brought home all 6.

Here's the chair as it came to us:

The tapestry seats were worn and not quite our style.

Can I tell you how difficult it is to photograph fabric with a smallish polka-dot pattern? We sanded down the chairs and spray-painted them black. (Again, I apologize for the lack of in-process photos. This was a pre-blog project!) I re-covered the seats with a black and white polka-dot home-decor weight fabric. I love the completed product. We have these chairs in our eat-in kitchen, but they also work great with our black formal dining room set.
How do you feel about painting wood? Do you prefer to keep things as close to the original as possible, or do you like to take an unconventional approach by applying a coat of paint?