The dining chair dilemma…

Despite my excitement on finding eight of these Duncan Phyfe style chairs on craigslist seven years ago, they have proven to be super uncomfortable and not very practical. 

When I designed the table, in another house, I used ladder back chairs. Sadly, when we moved into this house, I gave the chairs, each one with $55 velvet cushions, to a lady we knew, then she passed away and the chairs were sold.

I already had this bench from World Market, so I used that and we bought “leather” parsons chairs form Target, which turned out to not be leather, but “bonded” leather, and they did not last long. 

I was excited to find this set of chairs with the damaged table on my local craigslist, so I recovered the seats and restored the mahogany finish.

They looked fabulous, and it was nice to finally have enough chairs for everyone.

I still used the parsons chairs on each end for something comfortable when my parents came to eat with us.

Since then, I’ve made different slipcovers…

…and covered the upholstery with burlap.

I also recovered the bench, and made more slipcovers.

And then…I ripped off the burlap and went back to the original upholstery. And while I liked how they looked, they didn’t get any more comfortable. 

Now, it seems like all the kids use the table for homework, etc., and my husband uses it for working on his laptop, and everyone hates these chairs.

So…I put them up on craigslist, and hopefully have a buyer on Monday.

Of course, what do I replace them with?? This is a question I have been asking for years actually, and have pinned many different ideas and styles. I need something not too large or bulky, and something that will coordinate with my black iron and chestnut table. 

Last week, I saw an article on Apartment Therapy about the popularity of these chairs from Amazon, so I had to check them out. 

It seems that everyone loves them, and they come in multiple colors.

I have, for years, and I mean like 25 years, wanted to have the same chair in different colors around a dining table.  Rich jewel tones would be perfect. 

I would definitely stain the legs dark, dark walnut or paint them black.

But…

I also like this Eames-style look, and love the color. Again, legs would have to be darker for my taste and my table.

I have been looking at these for a while, but this is definitely a more specific style and look. I love that the legs are dark walnut, and the black ties into the black iron on my table. 

Then there are these. Sigh. I love these, even the light pink color, but again, very specific and not very neutral.

And then I found these — and complete with black metal legs. 

Of course everything has to be very low budget, and the best quality I can get on a low budget. 

So, I really am no closer to finding something than I was before, but I’ll be rid of the Duncan Phyfe chairs — hopefully.

What do you think — any favorites in these?