Remember when we found those Parsons chairs on Craigslist for $25 each? We always pictured them in a cheerful apple green, and even tried a hair-dryer paint experiment that didn’t go anywhere. Eventually we accepted that slipcovers or reupholstering would be the practical route.
After a long back-and-forth about the pros and cons, we landed on slipcovers. We loved the idea of being able to toss them in the wash, and we didn’t want anything fussy or floor-length that would push our dining room from casual to formal. Our search led us to a clean-lined, mostly-fitted silhouette with a short skirt—the sort that shows off a little leg without being too dressy. We originally admired an older Pottery Barn version but it wasn’t the right color, fit, or price, and it wasn’t available anymore.
More digging turned up an off-white set from World Market with the same basic silhouette and measurements that were much closer to our chairs. They weren’t the apple green we wanted, but dyeing has never scared me (I even once dyed my wedding dress), so off-white felt like a good starting point.
I hesitated when I saw the original price—$60 for two—so I kept the product tab open and waited. When a World Market sale email dropped, I refreshed the tab and found a $20 discount: $40 for two, or $20 apiece. At that price, buying ready-made slipcovers beat the cost and hassle of DIYing eight custom covers, especially with the potential for mistakes and mismatched results across multiple chairs.
I told John about the deal and he surprised me by suggesting we buy ten instead of eight. His reasoning was practical: extras would cover any dyeing mishaps, and if we didn’t need them we could return the two extras to avoid shipping fees. So we ordered ten. With shipping and tax the total was $232, bringing the price down to about $23 per slipcover, and we could potentially recoup $40 by returning the extras.
Delivery took what felt like forever—probably about two weeks—and the moment of truth came when I slipped an unwashed cover onto a chair. It was a bit loose. Tailoring was technically possible, but outside my skill range for a confident DIY. Instead I decided to experiment: wash one in hot water and dry it on high to see how much it would shrink.
That’s when I noticed the tag: “dry clean only.” Who sells slipcovers that are dry-clean-only? The whole point is easy, regular laundering, right? Despite the warning, I went ahead and machine-dried the cover on high. I figured I’d risk a little shrinkage rather than consign our dining chairs to professional cleaning indefinitely.
When the cover came out of the dryer it felt warm and snug. Sliding it onto a chair revealed a nearly perfect fit—slightly loose on the sides, but fitted everywhere else. The tiny imperfection actually worked in our favor: the relaxed, lived-in look fit the casual vibe we wanted rather than making the room feel too formal. It was one of those rare DIY miracles where a risky shortcut paid off.
One obvious bonus is the covers’ thickness: they block the busy chair pattern underneath, even when sunlight streams on the chairs by the window. That immediately calmed the visual noise in the dining room. We still plan to dye the slipcovers apple green eventually, but for now the off-white is a big improvement over the original upholstery.
Before dyeing, we’re considering painting the walls a soft gray. That way we can be sure how the off-white covers will work with the new wall color before committing to dyeing them. The off-white does read a little dingy next to the crisp white trim and built-ins, so wall color could influence whether we go forward with dyeing right away.
All told, this project taught me two things: patience pays off when hunting for the right option, and sometimes a little defiance of instructions—done cautiously—can yield surprisingly good results. For now we’re enjoying the cleaner, softer look in the dining room and plotting the next step: paint first, then dye, unless we decide the off-white works perfectly with the new wall color.
Pssst—Who watched the new season of Jersey Housewives last night? Thoughts on the new girl versus Teresa? I always get a kick out of Momma Manzo and her boys bantering in that kitchen.