I Can't DIY Dining Chairs: The Hunt For Replacements

image via Overstock

If you've been around here for a while you may remember the extreme disdain I have for the dining room table and chairs we have in our eating area. I will first say that dear friends were kind enough to give me this set years ago. I will also admit that the wife, my dear friend, hated the set as much as I do, but at the time I was grateful for the gift. I never anticipated I would still have it six years later. But with all the constant changes in plans over the past few years it didn't make any sense to buy something new.

When I inherited the table and chairs I immediately reupholstered the chairs with fabric I had on hand. I picked a fairly neutral yellow color which sorted of blended in with the light wood to make the whole set seem not quite so offensive to the soul. A lack of contrast made the entire set less noticeable which was just what I wanted. Push the chairs in, put some eye-catching display on top of the table and shazam not so bad.

I've been excitedly watching bloggers creating their own dining tables for a while. I wrote about some of my favorites including these from Stylizimo and Talkin' Chow Playin' House. So I've been toying with this idea for a while. My only hesitation was the cost of new dining chairs. DIYing dining chairs just seems like a bit of a stretch.

As of the past few weeks, for some reason ALL the seats on the much hated dining chairs are coming unscrewed. The seats are falling off every one of the chairs and the screw holes are so stripped out that it's impossible to screw them back in. To me this in an announcement by the table itself that we should be done with it. (I do realize I could go to the hardware store and get some kind of adhesive, etc. that would fix the seats, but I prefer to think otherwise, haha)

image via Terrtry

I have narrowed down my plans for a table which I'll show you soon. I am strongly considering something like this or the one below. I am considering using either these legs or the ones from IKEA seen here, which Nina and Kara also used on their tables. I'm still looking at a couple of retail tables as well. We'll see what I decide for sure in the coming weeks. But I do have an image of a table in my head that I am liking.

However the bigger issue is chairs. Sure I could DIY a kitchen table for less than $80 but I couldn't see how I could add chairs for less than several hundred dollars. And so I waited and budgeted. I think by the end of the year I'll be ready to make a decision and make things happen.

I would like to incorporate a bench or maybe two benches and then two chairs on the ends. We don't use much space for just the three of us so it would be great to have bench space on the sides to save some money and space. It would be so each to push the benches under the table and totally out of sight when we need to, in the tight space we have in the dining area. Here are a few chairs I am liking from Overstock. I'll share another post with benches soon.

Chair 1 (above): Emerson Wood Dark Vintage Dining Chairs. I like these because they are very much like chairs we had when I was younger, although not quite a sturdy looking. I'm not sure how comfortable they would be and unfortunately there aren't any ratings yet. I might want to paint the metal parts silver. Hang on, we're just getting started.

Chair 2: Julia Zig Zag Grey Dining Chairs. These are a little trendy but since I've pretty much done nothing with chevrons or zigzags in my home, it wouldn't be bad to bring in a bit. I like the gray tones. Well, here's a turn of events. I just pulled this photo a few days ago and now the chairs are nowhere to be found on the site. So I linked to the Julia chair, different fabric though. Maybe they will reappear soon. I guess that's a sign that Julia is a popular girl.

Chair 3: St. Thomas Indoor Wicker Washed Out Brown Winged Back Arm Chair. I like these if I could have two on the ends of my table. I think the color and style would go really well in our home. I am trying to lighten up on some of the woods and wickers, we have a lot of very dark brown now. This would complement in a nice contrasting way. I am thinking of doing the table in a lighter wood, so if I did, that would be great. It would be a little tricky to find benches in the same shade that would work, but maybe it's possible. I'm just not sure how comfortable these would be.

Chair 4: Wishbone Chair With Leatherette Seat. I would very likely reupholster these seats, but I love the shape and the light colored wood. Would be a nice combination with a very simple table. I was surprised how positive the ratings were for this chair. My only concern is how the front legs stick up beyond the seat. You can see the hemp seat version at the top of this post.

Chair 5: Orange Parsons Chairs. I have liked the idea of a dark brown table and orange leather or microsuede parsons chairs for quite a few years now. I'm not sure I'm still loving it. But these would be a nice punch of color around a dark table. I have orange everywhere in my house so they would tie in easily and be nice and basic.

So that's my first roundup of dining chair options for the new table. I think I will start construction on the table in early December. Until then I'll keep revisiting the dining chair and bench options. It's good to have some time to work things out. Do you have a favorite of these or another dining chair you are gaga over these days? I'd love to hear about it.