The Simple Solution For Ruined Chairs

When we first purchased our house, I was going through a very gray phase. I had seen some cool homes that were very monotone and I liked the idea of purchasing neutral furniture so that I could add any color through my decorating. I figured, if I had gray furniture, I could add some colorful rugs, throws, pillows, etc. and swap them out for the seasons. But I mean… everything I got was gray. And I mean EVERYTHING. Couches, chairs, curtains, even the wall colors! It was never-ending and earned my home the nickname “50 Shades of Gray”. I couldn’t even be mad at that nickname… I’d earned it and within just a couple of months, I started to hate all the gray in my home. 

I sat there for 3 years, dreaming of a day when we could re-decorate. Getting all new furniture wasn’t in the plans so I just had to wait. In the meantime, I loathed my home and my furniture, especially my dining chairs. You see, we have 3 cats who were very well behaved in our apartment. They never scratched anything. However, as soon as we moved into our home, they decided they loved to scratch. Their top choice? My brand new (very grey) dining chairs. Within a few months, they went from pretty, fancy-ish chairs to destructed Western chic. My cats had shredded the edges which looked like bad fringe. Some of the chairs even had the foam sticking out! 

Once again, I planned for a day when I could replace the chairs I had JUST spent several hundred dollars buying. And every time I would walk by that table, I would think about it. One day, I was perusing Amazon for a couch cover since our dog Lexie had been getting our (gray) couch super stinky, and that’s when I stumbled upon these awesome chair covers. I was so excited- I could get new chairs, without having to buy new chairs?! WHAT?!! The price was right, the style was perfect, and now I just needed to pick a color. 

Oh, I forgot to mention the reason why my house was gray. You see, I went through a period where I was afraid I’d regret picking something in a specific color. I vividly remember it starting one time in college. I was trying to figure out which awesome iPod nano color I wanted, only to settle on the gray one because I was too afraid I’d end up regretting the blue. It only got worse from there, as I always picked a neutral color from then on. It was almost a way that I hid myself and my childish nature. The truth was that I loved colors, I just lacked the confidence to pick one.

Fast forward to the chair covers. I didn’t know which way to go. Did I choose gray again? But ugh… how about aqua blue, like the rest of our home? Meh. White? Taupe? Nothing in my house is taupe. So, I bookmarked it and put it aside for later. Here’s the thing- these chair covers are easily removable and affordable. So you know what I did? I BOUGHT THE FREAKIN PINK ONES. I thought they were so pretty and I imagined my husband being annoyed but I did it anyway. I figured, worst case, I can buy another set later to replace it with. I thought the pink would be SO cute with all my holiday decor!

When the covers first arrived my husband was a little confused by the pink. But, once they were on, he said that it already looked so much better than before. No longer did we have shredded chairs that informed everyone that came to our door that we had 3 naughty cats. Instead, we were classy folks again.

These chair covers are machine washable, easy to put on, and come in so many colors. They’re really affordable (about $8/chair) and so soft! I no longer have to worry about guests coming over and dripping on the chairs, or having Hailey wandering around with her sticky fingers. If a cat lays down on the chair and covers it in fur? Eh, that’s ok too! I feel like I not only got a new look for my dining room, but I got some peace of mind too. If one cover gets horribly ruined, I can replace it. Much cheaper than if a chair gets ruined!

I love our “new” dining room now. I’ve been covering our black Ikea table (that I also hate!) with a sequin tablecloth which is breaking up some of the darkness over there too. Slowly but surely, I am making changes to our home with a small budget. Although I may dream of having my amazing, Pinterest-worthy home some day, I can make small steps to improving the one I have. I guess from seeing everyone overhauling their furniture regularly, it made me feel like that was the only way to get a new look. Turns out, I could find my own way. A much more affordable way ;)

PS- You can find the DIY table runner here and the floral pumpkin DIY here!

I do plan to go back and smooth out some of those wrinkles, since I think I pulled them down a little too much which left a bunch of excess at the bottom. But overall, I’m SO happy with how they look! And, I love that I can give my living room a new look with ease.

So what do you think of these chair covers? Will you be getting a set for your chairs? They’re honestly great for cat owners and parents!