Thursday, October 18, 2012

Dining Chairs

Four and a half years ago, when my husband and I first moved in together we had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: "Honey, our dining room has such a gorgeous view of the city.  It would be so nice to have people over for dinner parties.  Why don't we toss out the table and chairs that I've been using since I was 24 and get a new dining set?"

Him: "Why don't we get a ping-pong table and stick it in the dining room?  We'd use it a lot more."

Secretly I loved this idea and knew he was right, but I shot it down.  Two years ago we finally bought a new dining table and have used it approximately five times (but it looks beautiful!).  I have since thought about buying a ping-pong conversion top for it so we could brush up on our table tennis after eating dinner off of our laps, in front of the TV.  But if you tell him this, I will deny every word.

As you may know, dining furniture can be very expensive, and since our dining room gets so little use, we are still using the dining chairs gifted to me by my parents for my first, tiny studio apartment in Manhattan.  They serve their purpose, but they are old, tattered, and don't match.  It's time to class this place up! 

 



I did some research and presented him with a few upholstered dining chairs similar to the ones shown here:


Pottery Barn: Napa Dining Chair and Slip Cover
 

Ballard Designs: Gentry Chair


Wisteria: Louis XVI Dining Chair


And the chair we selected:


Restoration Hardware: Martine Dining Chair


Choosing a dining chair was a quick and easy decision for us.  Not only were we drawn to the nailhead detail and tufting, but the design seemed a perfect companion for our table, taste, and lifestyle. 

Now, how were we going to choose the fabric?  During the course of our interview I learned that my husband doesn't care for tan, sand, natural or white.  Instead, he likes grey, blue, orange, and red.  Light, neutral colors are my staple!  It was time to make some compromises.  We went straight to our local Resto and pulled some fabrics:



 
Our sofa fabric is shown bottom/center
 
 
We chose the Perennials Textured Linen Weave in "Fog" with "Brown Oak" finish on the legs.  The fabric is a mix of "grey" and "natural" so we both get what we want.  One could say it is the perfect compromise. 
 



My Satisfaction Level: 9
Husband Satisfaction Level: 8
Collective Seacrest Satisfaction Level: 8.5

(Note: The chairs have yet to arrive.  Satisfaction Level will be reassessed upon receipt.)