The question
I want to reupholster two carved-wood slipper chairs that belonged to my husband's grandmother in a bold print to match our modern decor. Are prints appropriate for tufting?
The answer
Reupholstering your husband's heirloom chairs will get you bonus points, especially since they were his grandmother's. And your modern decor will be enhanced by updated antique seating. For pure drama, my suggestion would be to lacquer the wooden frame in high-gloss white and recover the chairs in white leather.
This would be ideal for tufting, since the best fabrics for tufting are plain and textured. Another approach would be to leave the wood alone and pick a modern graphic print that is large enough to, when tufted, still read true. (Stripes, on the other hand, tend to look strange when tufted, so I would avoid them.) Even better, use a solid-coloured fabric on the seat and inside back of the chair and go for gusto with any bold pattern you like on the outside back of the chair, which is never tufted. Just remember that if you have blown the bank on the outside-back fabric, make sure that the chairs float in the room so that your guests (in-laws included) will actually see it.
Follow architect and interior designer Dee Dee Taylor Eustace on Twitter: @ddtaylorddd. Have a design dilemma? E-mail style@globeandmail.com.