Monday, April 14, 2008

Dining Chairs, Part I

We are still using the hand-me-down chairs we got from Michael's parents right after we got married. They are working just fine for us right now and will definitely last us through to the end of law school.
Michael is well aware that the next place we live will have a big, beautiful table and tons of chairs, so I can throw all the fabulous dinner parties I want and can finally invite more than two other people without having to bust out the lovely (!) folding chairs we have stored in the basement.

So, since this will be a big purchase and since I've been waiting on this one for five years, I have a lot on my mind, as you can imagine.

I most likely won't want a coordinating table and set of chairs. I think I want an antique table. Something big, long and farmhouse-y, but with clean lines. Nothing too rustic. Tables are for another post though. This post is about chairs.

I most likely want the chairs to match. Although I have toyed with the idea of something like this. Similar but different styles and shapes with matching paint treatments.

There is something to be said for going the more traditional route. Like this dining room from the movie, "Something's Gotta Give." Those built-in shelves and the platters are stunning. And get a load of those french doors and the transoms. sigh...

These are a few of the more traditional dining chair choices I've come across online. All very neutral, but that's easy to fix with a little fabric and/or paint. Michael's term for it is
"makin' it fancy." I know he's making fun of me because it takes every ounce of self control in my body to not paint or reupholster every piece of furniture we own. It's something I'm working on.

Also, as a side note, I really like this dining furniture site. I'm especially crazy over these Stanley chairs.

Okay. Back to the chairs.

These Kendall slip-covered chairs from Williams Sonoma Home are versatile and easy to care for.
These are beautiful and on sale. I really like the nail head trim and the black is nice.


Can't put my finger on this Queen Anne style. I either love it or I hate it. TBD.

This colorful ones are from Pottery Barn.And this lovely little linen number is from Wisteria.

Also from Wisteria. I would paint the frame though.

Beautiful and from (surprise!) Wisteria.

A great price point and an easy way to replicate a really expensive look, like in this designer room. Love the drapes here!
I'd like to think my style is traditional with a twist. Here are a few of the chairs that I feel like fit into that category.

Metal chairs would stand up against the forces of my kids for sure and I like the style of these. The cushions make the chairs less cold looking/feeling and the cushions can be thrown in the washer when they get dirty. Though, I'm not really crazy about the sound metal chairs make when they are getting pulled in and out.

Those chandeliers are killing me. I am so in love with black shades.


I am such (SUCH) a sucker for tufted chairs. And that contrasting piping? wow.Same story with this chair from Anthropologie. These might be a little hard core though. Plus, honestly, that beautiful light linen would be destroyed by my girls in about two seconds flat.
These chairs from West Elm are intriguing. Not the immediate choice for me. But for some reason, I keep thinking of them as a possibility.
Here's a much more expensive version (of sorts) of the chair above, from Grace Home Furnishings in LA. And I spy some of my coveted imperial trellis fabric on those chair covers...

I don't really want the traditional bentwood chairs in my dining room but I like these ones from Pottery Barn. It's bentwood with a twist.


I am so, so in love with the shape of these bamboo style chairs from Williams Sonoma Home. Not totally loving the paint treatment. It's a little too tiki for me. But...


As Grace from Design*Sponge proved here, a little red paint makes everything beautiful.
Speaking of red, this chair is from a french furniture company called Grange (talk about eye candy). I saw an ad for these Napoleon chairs in Elle decor and I fell in love.
Grange does have a showroom in New York City, but it does make me wonder what it would run me to ship a bunch of furniture from Europe this summer...

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