Shopping for Dining Room Chair Covers
Shopping for new chair covers can provide you with an easy and effective way to give your dining room a new look and feel. Dining chair covers give you lots of options, from simple seat pads to dainty ruffled chair skirts to full-length slip covers. You can even buy multiple sets and switch them out for seasons, holidays or special occasions.
Find Your Style
Before embarking on your chair cover shopping trip, give some though to you decorating objectives. If you're after a romantic room, you might be interested in flowing white linen slipcovers or ruffled, vintage rose-print chair skirts. On the other hand, tailored, bright stripes and abstract prints have a contemporary vibe. Fabrics such as canvas and sheeting are casual, while brocade, satin and velvet have a formal feel.
Measure First
Unless you're having your dining chair covers custom made, measure your chairs carefully. Measure the overall chair height, seat height and seat width, and the height from the seat bottom to the chair back's tallest point. Do your chairs have arms? If so, measure their length and height as well. Write your measurements down for reference.
Gather Up and Go!
Now it's time to gather up your goodies and get shopping! Bring your chair measurements with you, as well as any paint color cards, fabric swatches or carpet samples you may have. Head out to your nearest department store, bed and bath store or mass merchandiser. If you find chair covers you like, carefully check their measurements to make sure the covers will fit your chairs, and compare the colors to your swatches and samples to see how they'll look in your room.
Online Shopping
If you've shopped around town and can't find what you're looking for, check out online retailers. A quick internet search brings up many online options, and you may find more sizes, styles and fabric options at these specialty retailers. Some even offer matching window treatments for a completely coordinated look, fabric swatches before you buy, and detailed measuring instructions for the best fit.
