My Search For Dining Chairs

I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect dining chairs for at least four months now, and I still haven’t found them. I know I want fully upholstered end chairs, but then I need eight side chairs to coordinate. I’ve been keeping an eye on my local Craigslist, but the chances of finding eight matching dining chairs that I actually like are slim to none, and I don’t want to do the mix-and-match thing in my dining room. I’ve also searched local furniture stores with no success at all.

One problem is that I haven’t really known exactly what it is that I want, or what I’m looking for. It was just one of those “I’ll know it when I see it” kinds of things. The second problem is that while I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, what I did know is that I will almost certainly want custom paint and/or fabric on my chairs. So paying for brand new chairs knowing that I’m going to turn right around and add new paint and/or fabric just seems like such a waste to me. That’s why I had hoped to find a deal on Craigslist, but that’s probably not going to happen.

Anyway, now that I have my all white dining room, and I can finally envision how furniture and fabric will fit into it, I think I finally know what I want. It looks something like this…

green chair with black and white fabric covered seat, via Nine Red blogvia Nine Red

Yep, I’m pretty sure I want dark green chairs with seats covered in black and white (minus the gray and taupe) fabric.

green chair with black and white striped fabric seat, via Rain On A Tin Roof blogvia Rain On A Tin Roof

Y’all know I love my green, black and white color combo, and I think it’ll be perfect for dining chairs.

So I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I’ll have to buy all new chairs, but I don’t want to spend a fortune, so I’ve been searching Overstock.com for some interesting chairs at decent prices. I’ve actually found a few that I think might work quite well.

I like the simple design on the back of these chairs, as well as the turned front legs. I can’t stand the finish on them, but of course, I’d paint them. And $137 for two chairs seems like a very good price to me.

dining chairs - simple living burntwood dining chairsvia Overstock.com

I also really like these, and they look like they might be a bit sturdier. They have a more country look to them, but I think that’s because of the white paint and natural linen colored seat. I can’t imagine them looking country in an emerald paint finish with black and white seat. These are $163 for a pair.

dining chairs - tribecca home shayne country antique white beige side chairsvia Overstock.com

These are probably my favorite, but they don’t have upholstered seats. I know I could upholster them, but it’s just so much easier (and cheaper) to reupholster seats that already have foam and batting on them, rather than having to buy all new foam and batting, and turning a wood seat into an upholstered seat. They’re the cheapest at $125 for a pair, but I’d make up the difference in foam and batting, so the lower price really isn’t an incentive to buy them. And I’m also concerned about the backs looking really busy with three or four of those chairs lined up on each side of the table.

dining chairs - tribecca home mackenzie country black dining chairvia Overstock.com

I’d love to find something with a very simple but sturdy design, but all of the simple designs I find have a very decidedly country or craftsman look to them, in my opinion.

dining chairs - tribecca home carlingford buttermilk country dining chairvia Overstock.com

But then again, those might not look country at all once they’re painted green and have black and white fabric on them.

Anyway, that’s the direction I’m heading for my dining chairs. Now it’s just a matter of finding the perfect chairs that I can paint and reupholster. Are there any other websites that you know of that have really good deals on dining chairs and other furniture? I always head right to Overstock.com, but I’m sure there are other online stores out there that have equally reasonable prices that I’m just not aware of. If you know of any, please share!

 

 

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91 Comments

    1. Wayfair is my go to as well. I would also try allmodern.com I think it’s the same company as wayfair, but they’re more contemporary.

  1. I would see if there’s a Used Restaurant or Office Supply store near you. I’ve never been in one myself, but I know they exist. I imagine they’d be a great place to get a bunch of quality chairs that match and a decent price. You might also try finding an auction house that buys-up furniture from closed businesses (if such a thing exists…it must).

    Another option is unfinished wood places. The one we have up here is https://www.millstores.com/
    I wouldn’t call their prices cheap, but you never know.

    1. .i agree that a used furniture place or restaurant/hotel supply might have what you want in the quantity you need. Love the idea of green chairs with blak and white fabric.

  2. I love the white backed ones, painted in green with the black and white fabric – they will look fabulous! I love that the circular design mimics your music room doors a bit! It’s going to be a fantastic room, whichever chairs you use. I can’t wait to see the finished project!! You amaze me every day!

    1. I thought that too (although I’d be tempted to trim out those tiny wings at the top).

      When I saw the first photo of the green ones, I saw the motif as well… BUT (and this is a REAL question, not a rhetorical one) how much is TOO much when it comes to repeating motif themes. Is there a suggested number of times when you say to yourself…”done”?

      1. I don’t know that there are any rules regarding such a thing, and I think that repeating design elements is a good thing and gives continuity to a design, but on the other hand, I do think you can go overboard. The circular design is actually the very thing that makes me hesitant about those chairs. I already have the doors, the green fabric (which I haven’t decided how I’m going to use), and my chandelier that repeat the circle design. I’m not sure that I need any more repeats of the semi-circle design. Any more might look like I’m trying to put circles on ALL of the things.

    2. That was my thought exactly! The back pattern is just a subtle repeat of the dining room doors, and the green will be a tie in to the kitchen, so the second chairs seem like the best of those options to me!

    3. Exactly what I saw first…’oh look, a nod to the music room doors!’
      And the green references the green in the kitchen.
      Not too busy, sturdy looking…perfect!!!

    1. I have these in the counter stool version. Currently stained, but I will paint them for my next house. They are quite sturdy. My only reservation is they will need to be well primed, as the poly on them is pretty slick. I’m guessing with a sprayer, the job wouldn’t be too daunting?

      1. A sprayer should make the job fairly quick and easy. When I painted those spindle chairs a year or so ago, I dreaded it, but the sprayer made quick work of it.

      1. Yes, I was going to say that the second Overstock chair looks like the sliding French doors. That would seal it for me.

  3. I love that first chair, it is gorgeous! I also like that it looks more like a rich green stain, as opposed to a dense paint color. I don’t even know if that makes sense. Anyway, I want that chair immediately.

    1. My friend has the chair in the bottom link you posted, the ingolf. They are really pretty in person, and they seem to be good quality. And, this month they are the Family Member special, which means they are only $39 each!

  4. Also look on Amazon under unfinished dining chairs. They have a few. I’ve bought a few unfinished prices from them and they have been really sturdy and good quality and cheaper because they aren’t finished.

  5. Too bad craigslist is a bust for your dining chairs. That’s my “go to” up here in Seattle. What about a furniture consignment store? Or WorldMarket?

    1. World Market has some great prices on solidly built chairs. I was pleased to see they sent me a 20% off coupon after I’d left some chairs in my cart but didn’t move on it for awhile. I’d also contact estate sale companies and consignment stores with your request for 8 chairs and they’ll let you know if they get anything appropriate in.

  6. Do you have Everything But The House near you? EBTH.com I have found some great deals there. It is an online auction site. They ship but I like saving money and just searching locally. Love the direction you are going.

  7. I love the picture of the second chair with bold green, cane back chair with the black and white stripe fabric. Try Ebay I got a set of used chairs for my dining room for $120 for 6. I then used a site called UShip to pick up the chairs in Florida and deliver for $140 delivery. I have used UShip for multiple EBay items including a console from NC, a china cabinet from Brooklyn, a Bar from Ohio, and the chairs. It’s great!

  8. Try World Market. My daughter-in-law actually found chairs at Walmart! She wasn’t shopping there because of price, she just happened to see them on line.

  9. I really love the green used on the first chair. The white ones are a beautiful style. You’ve had many great suggestions where to look and none I can add.

  10. Why not buy a couple of super cheap $5 chairs off Craigslist or at a thrift store in a variety of styles and paint and upholster them the way you want. Then you can see what works before you make your final purchase.

  11. I see what you mean, Lindsey, about the chair looking stained green rather than the heavy look of green paint. I too like the first chair colors, minus the taupe, but I love the design of the second chair..I would love to have over the top chairs like that at my dining table, especially if I were going unconventional colors.

    I stained a Duncan Phyfe table with lots of water damage for my daughter in black rather than painting it black. Turned out absolutely gorgeous! Fixing to stain an antique hutch to match.

    If I were going to buy new chairs to redo it, I would pick the white ones, I think they will be stunning in your colors and won’t look country at all.

    I like Wayfair and Joss and Main as well.

  12. Kristi, you don’t live too far from the Colony where the new Nebraska Furniture Market is located: http://bit.ly/1L6yr2Z
    Expect to spend an entire day there as it is HUGE and there are tons of furniture options to look at. IKEA is not too far from there and you could do both on one day…stopping at Cheddars for lunch. 🙂 You won’t be disappointed!

  13. We have the Ingolf chairs from Ikea in our dining room. We tested them out and had the parents try them out for comfort too. 😉 We really like ours.Easy to assemble, so easy to paint. Since you assemble them, you could easily measure and get them upholstered. They are the “family deal” this month if you joined the Family program. Not a bad drive from Waco to Roundrock. Glossy green would be stunning. NB: these with the arms do not fit larger adults. We got the armless for that reason.

    Have you checked World Market? http://www.worldmarket.com/category/furniture/dining-room/dining-chairs.do?c=4.14.100194&pp=191&sortby=priceAscend&sortType=1

    I would check for Hotel furniture sales places. We ran into someone with a nice upholstered chair from a hotel liquidation that was redoing it. New stain, new fabric… They were eying my ReStore lamp, so we swapped sources in line in paint department. Restaurant supply is another good option.

    Estate sales?

    Raw furniture/unfinished furniture places? They might work, but they can get pricey depending on your finishing choices.

    ReStore for Waco and Austin? Sometimes they have orphaned dining chairs.
    http://wacohabitat.org/restore/
    http://www.austinhabitat.org/shop-restore This one moved to Ben White….

  14. if you decide to go with one of the above, my vote is for #2. I can see this in green with blk/wht. Gorgeous!

  15. Kristi, do the chairs have to match? One look I have seen in magazines and online is to have the host and hostess chairs upholstered, as you plan to do, then use mismatched side chairs united by a common look as well as the paint color and fabric you plan to use. I love your idea of green chairs and upholstered seats.

    Have you selected the style of upholstered chair you plan to use at each end? I mention this because the height of the chair will make a difference in the height of the side chairs. For instance, if you were to use a high-back wing chair style then you probably wouldn’t want a very low-back side chairs. Just a thought.

    Do try Amazon for chairs. They have increased their furniture line. Other places to look online are 55 Downing Street (55downingstreet.com). Also, Lamps Plus has everything you can think of including furniture (lampsplus.com). I have found some great prices on these sites.

    Of the styles you have shown in your post, my favorite style is the French style though this example has a very low back but I really think that style would look great in your room. As your photo shows, while it is a formal style, the painting and fabric keep it from being too stuffy and formal.

  16. Google cymax.com, i bought chairs from them and they are sturdy and inexpensive. Btw, i love the green with black/white cushion!! Good luck

  17. I love chair option #2 for $163/pair. They aren’t bulky or too plain in design. In fact, I think the intersecting section in the middle plays on the design of your sliding doors in the music room. Once they have new paint and upholstery, they would not look country at all.

  18. Goggle a few words as a description, then when the suggested items come up, check out the pictures for suggestions for potential items/ sites, check those out, and then click on the google “images” tab and sort through the companies that carry more items in that are similar to what you’re looking for…Thats how I shop online…

  19. Anytime I am looking to save some money(alright, always) I head to the local auctions. There are always at least one or two every month and since a lot of them are estate sales you can usually find at least one or two dining room sets or just chairs. I have bought a beautiful table and six chairs for $200.00! That would probably be your best bet. Good luck!

  20. I, too, am in a search for new chairs but for my kitchen. I am frustrated in that so many that are affordable are so light weight. Unfortunately I’ve had a chair such as that broken by a visitor before so I really have to make sure that I get some sturdy chairs. They cost more but they will last longer for us. So…because of that I’m afraid to buy from online. I rather check them out in person. Best wishes with your search.

  21. Before you make your purchase, it might be a good idea to visit a furniture store to “try on” (i.e. sit on) dining chairs. There are many differences in how a chair will feel to your body. Personally, I found that a higher back with a vertical slat/s is much more comfortable than a lower back that, say, hits me mid between my shoulders and waist, and/or one having horizontal slats. You are searching for the perfect chair — seems to me you should be sure what type fits/suits best before making that purchase. Kudos if you’ve already done that homework.

  22. I find amazing “finds” in furniture and building materials at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore. I googled for one in Waco for you here http://wacohabitat.org/restore/. Their inventory changes daily so I usually go once a week to see what they have. You never know what you’re going to find!

  23. I love love the first white ones, painted in your green w/black & white will look amazing! Also, I’m short as well, so I don’t like tall backed chairs. They just don’t fit me right. But I DO know that whatever you do is gonna be marvelous!

  24. There is a consignment furniture store at Bosque and Hwy 6. It’s a pretty big store, you might find something there.

  25. Try estate sales also. Not all of them will have that many matching chairs, but you may find some great deals. The estate dealers in our area put most of theirs on the web along with pictures of items for sale. Google estate sales in El Paso; you may find a central site that lists all or most of them.

  26. All the sites that everyone has suggested are the ones I was going to suggest myself. I have one question, though. I thought you were going to use some type of colorful floral fabric on the dining chairs? Am I mistaken in thinking that that was your original plan? I seem to remember you showing some really beautiful fabric and painting that sideboard in your entry the tangerine color based on that fabric. I really loved that fabric and was excited to see it in that room! I love the white chairs, like a lot of the other posters, and think they’d be beautiful green. I think they would be gorgeous! You might try to see is there is a model home place or staging place that is trying to sell some of their inventory. That is one more place to look at for some chairs. Like someone else suggested, come up to the Dallas area and try Nebraska Furniture Mart, Ikea and The Dump. I’m sure you would be able to find the perfect chairs at one of those 3 places.

  27. Try wayfair!
    Also- type green chair black fabric in etsy and scroll down to the wingbacks! How perfect would these be for your head chairs? And don’t you have free blue leather chairs needing reupholstery?

  28. I like all the chairs except no. 2 and I do think that it would be too much work to pad a hard bottomed chair. But all the chairs you showed are nice and would look really good painted green with B&W cushion. Would you have to strip and re paint or could you paint over the already existing finish?

    1. I wouldn’t have to strip them, but I’d just have to give them a quick sanding, and then a coat of oil-based primer before painting.

  29. I received a Pier One catalog in the mail today. Their spring dining event that only happens once a year is going on…15% off. They have a gorgeous upholstered chair at one end of a farm table and wood backed side chairs in one of their pictures. Looks like I can’t post the picture I took of the catalog page but I’m sure you can find it at http://www.pierone.com. It might provide some inspiration! I love how your dining room looks and can’t wait to see it furnished and finished. Your work is amazing!

  30. Have you considered investing in two nice chairs for the head (s) of the table and then maybe making two long benches for the sides instead of 8 extra chairs? Absolutely beautiful color ideas also!

    1. I’m not really a fan of the bench idea. I like being able to lean back and relax and talk with people after a meal, and I really don’t like the idea of people being trapped in the center of a bench if they need to get up during a meal.

  31. I commented earlier and wanted to go back and add some questions to it. Unfortunately I cannot find my post. Maybe it got blocked. Anyway, with all the changes you have made, I have difficulty remembering what your dinning table will look like. For some reason I thought you had settled on an industrial look similar to some at Pottery Barn or WilliamsSomoma. I must be mixed up on the table look and size, since most of these chairs are more traditional/country looking. If you are going with industrial, I would go back and look at the chairs that are being shown with these tables. Then I would do a google search for industrial style chairs.

  32. The problem with upholstering a wooden seat is that once you add enough foam and batting to make it comfortable, you’re likely to end up with a seat that’s too high.

  33. I was at the Flexsteel outlet store in Starkville MS several times and they always had lots of wood/upholstered dining chairs priced low. I would see if thete is an outlet close.

  34. Have you looked at the website https://www.estatesales.net
    It is sort of like ebay or craigslist, but it shows details of estate sales in your area and there are pictures. They have dining sets at almost every sale and most people are willing to break up the sets. You can preview what they are selling on-line and I find they are well made pieces that just need a little love.

  35. I’m not sure what’s in your area- but where I live there is a regional chain of stores that sells finished wood furniture and upholstered couches/chairs/etc, some built locally, some built in-house, as well as plenty of catalogs that have imported stuff and American made from national brands. They also sell unfinished wood which is what I love about them- they have all their finished stuff on the main floor and then down in the basement they have unfinished stuff- and they custom build. I bought a bench for my mudroom and 3 counter height stools from them- unfinished. But anyhow that might be a source of good solid chairs that are alterable. Just an idea. 😀 I’ve found it a neat resource for unfinished items. Sometimes great options you don’t see anywhere else.

  36. As others have mentioned try Habitat Re-Store. I’ve had a lot of success shopping at our local stores in Sarasota, Fl- beautiful furniture and stock changes all the time. Although when I lived in PA the furniture selection was poor and didn’t turn over much.

  37. I truly like them all….but….the. Ready white ones are FABOSOUS! I think they’d be awesome in your green paint with black and white seats!
    Good luck deciding!!!!,

  38. I can get used chairs in my area for less than $10 a piece. If you can get used chairs – how about buying a few styles you think you “might” like and painting them. Once you find the style of chair you like best, you could purchase new chairs in a similar style to actually use. Time is a factor, and of course you have to find similar used chairs…but after reading your blog for so long – i know you like to sample different ideas!

  39. My favorite shape is the white country with linen seats. I could see them in the green finish with a graphic b&w seat, or painted black with with your floral fabric as the seat. Either way, the chair back nicely references the music room doors.

    I do agree with other posters – study dining chairs are you usually easy to find used.

  40. Texas Antique Market begins later this month; 3 years ago I picked up 6 solid oak dining table chairs for $200 total at the Warrenton site (far east, south side of road). Mine have a 9×9 upholstery area but if you’ve been, you know you never know what you’ll find. Well worth your 2-hour trip

  41. The double woven “s” chairs that don’t have upholstery I like best. You need some curves. Too many straight lines are expected and boring. The chairs also look comfortable for “bigger” people sitting in for a long time playing games on a week night. A social life!!!!!!

  42. I’ve read EVERY. SINGLE. COMMENT!! I like to check out other peoples suggestions for future reference.
    I really, really like (especially for YOUR house) your first option. Love, love, love! the finish on the first chair (not so much the second chair’s finish)
    At first, I thought the white chairs (your second option) could work – I’m one of those people that can have a hard time envisioning something – but then I noted the turned front legs, and the curvy top of the chair back, and I’m wondering if it wouldn’t STILL look a little country with that feature. I ALSO was trying to remember what you had decided on for your table. Also what is your latest plan for the end chairs? (Other than being completely upholstered) If memory serves, you were planning to make your own table with inspiration from Restoration Hardware? My point is: what kind of legs is your table going to have? I think the Wayfair link that one of the earlier posters provided, has a style MOST like your first option. I also REALLY liked the ones from the Pier 1 link.
    Finally, I’m jealous of the people that find good stuff at their local Restore. The ones in my area have junk and they’re WAY overpriced. Seriously I can’t believe they actually get people to pay the prices they ask.

    1. The table is going to be a farmhouse table with turned legs, with a light to medium stained finish. For the end chairs, right now I’m planning on using some wingback chairs that I have and upholstering them, and then reworking the legs so that they’re taller and less bulky.

  43. Have you looked on Chairish.com? They have good deals on vintage chairs. You will have to pay shipping, but that would still save you more than if you bought them new online. You also can make an offer on the price listed.