On the Hunt: Dining Chairs

Yes, for any of you who may have read this previously – I’m reposting an earlier post from before the blog went public. I’d love to hear your opinion on my options!

I love our pine farmhouse table (pictured above. And yes, that’s an original Eli line drawing in my notebook). While the style is more traditional than I would normally choose, I love the patina and functionality. We bought it from a friend a few months before we got married. (Who, incidentally, I don’t think even cashed our check….? If not, thanks Penny Hunter!) This friend is a few stages ahead of us in life – when we bought it, she had two elementary aged sons who had loved on that table. Some her boys’ marker stains are still on the top, and they make me smile every time I see them. The stains have more than doubled now that our own small boys regularly color at the table, and I love that this piece of furniture has stories to tell. I have that same feeling with all our vintage furniture…but that’s another topic for another post!

Our friend threw in eight ladder back chairs, saying we’d probably want to replace them since they were just some cheap chairs purchased without thinking much about it. We agreed. Of course, 11+ years later the chairs are still gracing our table – not so gracefully. They regularly tip over, often with a child on them (don’t worry, no one’s been seriously hurt…), they’re strangely sticky on the seat, and not at all comfortable to sit in for longer than 15 minutes. So, I’ve been on the hunt for far too long to find the perfect chairs to strike a modern balance with the table’s traditional style. Time to pull the trigger.

Check out some of my inspiration below.

I want molded plastic Eames-style chairs. Actually, I’d like the fiberglass version because I love the muted color and they just seem higher quality than plastic. $375 a pop is not something I’m interested in though, so knock-off molded plastic it is. I’ve heard they’re comfortable and hold up to sticky hands and art projects. I love the idea of combining mid-century with farmhouse style (both of which show up regularly in our house.)

I’ve thought about mixing multiple colors to keep things light and fun. How amazing is the dining space from The Faux Martha? (She has the fiberglass version…sigh.)

Here’s another example with brighter color chairs.

Then again, you can’t really go wrong with the mix of warm wood and white.

I also like the look of a mix of black and white. Our current set up has the end chairs in black, the rest white, and this combination works well for me.  Neutral, but the black throws in some contrast. I couldn’t find an exact inspiration picture, but Chris Loves Julia’s dining space mixes black end chairs with lighter chairs for the rest of the table.

The black Windsor style end chairs are lovely. I’ve seen them pop up in all kinds of colors around the Web, but I like them best in black.

Maybe I’ll go that route instead? Too much traditional style to mix with a farmhouse table? I’m also worried the paint will scratch off the seat with busy boys. Are they comfortable to sit in for lazy meals? Of course, the above pic has the Windsor style chairs mixed with a mid-century table…the exact opposite of what I’m thinking.

But wait! I found this gem – a rustic wood table with Windsor(ish) black chairs. And the chairs are padded with leather, making them comfortable and crazy young boy proof.

So many choices…what would you choose?