When we bought the house we are now actually already living in (yay!), the previous owners left some stuff when they moved. One of the things they did not seem worthy of taking with them were these brown chairs.
Now, I agree that they are rather a sad sight to behold as they are now (so I guess I can understand why they did not think they would fit in their brand new penthouse), but I do think these chairs have potential. Just imagine them with a fresh coat of paint (I am thinking either 4 different pastel colors, or white). They would be as good as new! So repainting these chairs will be my project for the next couple of weeks!