Separate but Similar
Cafe chairs are the most recognizable Bentwood pieces."But it's amazing how different they look when they're not the traditional ebony," Fritz Karch says. The repainted chair, opposite, makes the point. Chairs were manufactured in dozens of designs, so it's rare to find a matching set. Yet even a disparate bunch, below, looks harmonious around a table, once the chairs have been given a unifying color and matching cushions.

You'll need 1 or more chairs, sandpaper, primer, paint, and brushes.

1. Prep surfaces with sandpaper,and apply primer and top coats.

2. Sew or custom-order cushions.

How to Make the Cafe Chair Cushion
1. Make a template of seat out of kraft paper (if there's a lip around the perimeter of the seat, the template should fit inside it).

2. Using template, cut fabric for bottom of cushion, adding a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

3. For top of cushion, cut four 10-inch squares on the bias (the stripes should run diagonally across each square). Sew the 4 squares together so that their stripes align at each seam, forming a diamond pattern. Using template, cut a circle from fabric, adding a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

4. Measure circumference of template, add 1 inch, and cut piping using this measurement. Sew piping to bottom cushion fabric, right side up, lining up the piping's seam allowance with edge of fabric.

5. Sew top and bottom fabric pieces together, right sides facing and 1/2 inch in from the edge. Leave a 5-inch opening at back of case.

6. Turn cushion case right side out.

7. Using template, cut 1/2-inch-thick cotton batting to fit; insert into opening, and hand-stitch closed.