Our new dining room chairs

27 November 2015

I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings!! Between our birth class, visitors, travel, big work events, Articles Club, birthday parties, our church family group, and showers, November has been an exceptionally busy month. I am so grateful for a few days off work and without activities to relax a bit — and tackle a few things that have been on my to do list for weeks!

One thing I did accomplish this month, though: finally pulling the trigger on new chairs for our dining table!! It should be well known around these parts that I tend to agonize over home decor purchases, especially ones that come with a large price tag. (For proof, see here, here, and here.) Though I think I have a strong design sense, I can’t help researching every possible option, and then second guessing everything a few times just for good measure. I’ve been researching and debating options for this space for about a year now, so it definitely felt good to finally make a decision!

You can see where we started thanks to our most recent home tour:

colorful-dining-room

Our former chairs were given to us for free (yay!) from a friend’s parents when we moved to North Carolina, more than six years ago. Though I liked the general shape, they were lightly dusted in glitter and fluff (the chairs had been in their craft room!) and they didn’t work super well with our wood floors. Here are a few of the things I considered as I looked for replacements:

— Between the teal upholstered bar stools close on one side and the tan sofa close on the other, there were a lot of surfaces with which to coordinate.
— I loved the idea of at least some upholstered options, but was having a really hard time getting over the idea of keeping them clean.
— I couldn’t decide whether to go with a color (probably blue or green) or something more neutral, like white. Would white chairs with a white table be too much white? Or maybe I should go with black, but would they be too dark with our floors? What if we added a rug under the table down the line?
— I loved the look of bistro chairs and thought they’d be durable and practical, but worried about their trendiness and whether I’d like them long term.
— If not a bistro style, should I go with an Eames style, a Windsor, a industrial type metal (too cold?), or a cafe chair? And should I get different accent chairs for the ends???

These thoughts and more looped through my mind for months, accompanied by some of this inspiration:

black-dining-chairs

clean-country-dining

ambersmp_074$!x900

white-dining-chairs

green-dining-chairs

blue-dining-chairs

bistro-chairs

gray-dining-chairs

From top to bottom: Design Sponge, i suwannee, Style Me Pretty, Alice Lane Home, Scandinavian Apartment Ideas, Style at Home, La Dolce Vita, Design Sponge

When I just couldn’t seem to come to a decision after months of deliberating, I finally sent pretty much all of the above in a big messy email to my sister-in-law, pleading for help. Even just the act of writing down all of my options was helpful, and once I had her opinion, too, I felt ready to make a decision: we were going with white Windsor chairs. I did consider a few Wayfair options, many that were 50% of the price of our final decision, but in the end the reviews made me a bit nervous, as I want these chairs to last for a long, long time.

So, what did we decide on? We went with the Willa chairs in white from Crate & Barrel. I snagged them at 20% off during a dining sale (yippee!), and bought them in two installments to soften the budget blow a bit. I also had them shipped to the store, so there was no shipping cost.

white-dining-room-table

We have been super happy with them so far! I think they play nicely with our antique table, and they definitely brighten the space. I also like that the set is a neutral base so that seasonal decor can be layered on top. We’re still considering adding upholstered chairs to the ends (maybe these?), but for now, I’m calling it a day.

…except, of course, that now I have my sights on a bed for our master bedroom. I currently have about 20 different styles and options pinned. Maybe you’ll hear from me in two years :)

Anyone else in my same boat with home decisions?? What do you think of this one?

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Erin
November 27, 2015 8:03 am

We also have the Willa chairs, but in black (our table is a dark espresso-type stain), and after 2+ years they are still going strong. They’ve worn well and do not mark our hickory floors. Also, they’ve stood up to booster seats for our nephews, so we’re feeling good about them handling our baby boy (due to arrive in March). Good job, Em!

Natalie
November 28, 2015 10:36 pm

Looks great in your place! Good choice!

Hales
December 1, 2015 11:01 am

My husband and I are upgrading from 680 sq ft to a little over 1200 sq ft this month and we are starting to plan long term purchases for our larger space and future home. I like the idea of buying things that will last and grow old with us.

The chairs look great! Can’t wait to hear what else you have planned!

Em
December 1, 2015 2:54 pm

So glad to hear it, Erin!! And how exciting for y’all, Hales! :)

Marget
December 2, 2015 12:02 pm

I think you chose beautifully!

December 21, 2015 9:21 pm

Beautiful, beautiful chairs you chose!