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Two Pairs of Chairs

So far, summer has been knocking it out of the park with yard sales! Most recently, we’ve been on a very serious, very daily hunt for a pair of chairs. I’ll absolutely admit that we have a chair problem (I believe I need to use two hands just to make note of all chairs we have stashed in each room!), but the bigger problem is that while some of them will make a great side chair in, say, a bedroom, we’ve yet to find the perfect duo for the living room. Or studio for that matter!

I’ve been on a mission to find an affordable set of chairs for both spaces, especially with fall fast approaching – meaning, more family visits, more friends in town and holiday fiestas. Affordable is the key word, as our project list is forever growing, but at the same time, we refuse to settle. Never!

For a handful of months, we’ve been making the rounds on Craigslist, Krrb, Chairish and various Facebook groups. I’ve been trying to remain patient (ha!), and then two weeks ago, I received a text from Scott: There’s an estate sale in the ‘hood today! Go on your lunch break! I did, and I found chairs! Fast forward to this past weekend, and Scott came in from a coffee run to say: There’s a yard sale in the ‘hood today! Let’s go! (That Scott, always full of good news). And then? We found another pair of chairs for the studio. Hooray!

Want to see?

ONE. Our intentions for the living room are to have chairs that are comfortable and movie-watching-worthy, but not overstuffed or large. With the bold patterns already taking center stage (we’re looking at you, rug!), we preferred to keep the chairs the same (as opposed to mis-matched styles), and ideally, they’ll be in a soft, neutral color. I picked these up from the estate sale and stuffed them in our wagon:

chair-pairs-01chair-pairs-02

The current nubby fabric has got to go, but we have samples on the way! (We’re leaning towards a super soft gray, if only to liven them up with a pillow or two.) They’re not too small, definitely not large, but truly, just right. The Goldilocks of chairs! We put them in place for now (ugh, the overwhelming color palette is making me all sorts of itchy!), and they’re a great fit for the space and exactly what we had in mind (well, minus the scratchy mustard upholstery). They weren’t a steal, but at $240 for the pair (this is the part where we sigh and say, oh, Chicago!), even with new fabric and foam, they still give new chairs a run for their money. We love, love, love them.

chair-pairs-04

TWO. The more recent yard sale turned up these two, initially spotted by Scott who shot me his glance – you know the kind? Look! To your left! We took a seat, and while I’m not convinced the wire seats are the most comfortable (although Scott thinks so), that’s an easy fix with a soft cushion or pillow.

chair-pairs-05chair-pairs-06

They’re not real brass, but the imperfect condition was too cute to pass up! While I initially argued that the last thing we needed was more chairs, I imagined them in the studio and then shot Scott my glance. You know, the one that says, yes! He was on board from the get go, and we brought them home for $10. (Only later did I realize why they looked slightly familiar; they’re the curvy cousins to these guys!)

chair-pairs-081

Of course, the studio has a long, long way to go (um, baseboards? A rug? Door trim!), but we’re really enjoying the more lighthearted and fun vibe we have going on upstairs. And on a somewhat related side note, while we’re thinking the guest and first floor work rooms will be the next bigger projects we’ll tackle, I’m really looking forward to bringing the studio up to snuff. Perhaps we’ll squeeze in a few updates as they happen; I’m determined to make this space shine.

Anyway!

Our recent finds have officially forced us to begin combing through our furniture inventory, fine tuning what can go and what can stay. We’re being quite aggressive with it, too! What may have worked in our condo might not be the right choice for this house, and we’re finally letting go of some items that no longer make sense for us.

Clutter be damned!

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  • angela7.31.14 - 6:52 AM

    Absolutely adore both sets of chairs. I think the first, in a pale gray would be ridiculously cozy for TV watching. :)

    Angela @ Number Fifty-ThreeReplyCancel

  • Jennifer7.31.14 - 8:30 AM

    I actually really love the nubby yellow…but you’re right, it doesn’t work with the couch. Great finds!ReplyCancel

  • Laura @ Rather Square7.31.14 - 8:48 AM

    Love the shape of those chairs, and I don’t mind the nubby-ness too much either. Have you thought about painting the fabric? There are lots of tutorials out there… but usually the end result is a bit stiff, and if you want these to be comfy hangout chairs, maybe that’s not the best option. But it’s definitely budget-friendly. ;)ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.31.14 - 9:21 AM

      Great suggestion, but I think the fabric may be a bit too nubby for that… and we really want to make them great and durable for the long haul, rather than a quick fix :)ReplyCancel

      • Laura @ Rather Square7.31.14 - 9:28 AM

        Totally understand, especially since these chairs are going in your main living area and will get a lot of use!ReplyCancel

  • Kristy7.31.14 - 9:17 AM

    I have to say I love the first set of chairs- nubby fabric and all! They are just so festive.ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.31.14 - 9:22 AM

      They are festive, that’s for sure! But a bit too primary-color-overload for the living room we think! Perhaps if we had a neutral couch and a more neutral rug? We’ve never been huge fans of blue, red and yellow together. The shape of the chairs are perfect though!ReplyCancel

    • Kristy7.31.14 - 9:26 AM

      Call me crazy but I like how it looks all together. The colors in the chairs and couch are in the rug- I love it! But I like a lot of color.ReplyCancel

  • David Vargo7.31.14 - 9:55 AM

    I agree with Kristy. I really like the chairs nubbines and all. I like how they look with the whole package.ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.31.14 - 10:05 AM

      Hmmm… perhaps I should clarify ;) The fabric isn’t in the best shape, and the striped pattern has pulled in areas over time (which would drive my type A self batty). They also have the strong scent of perfume, and overall, we’d prefer a clean start!

      So happy you all are loving them and embracing the nubs though!ReplyCancel

      • Kristy7.31.14 - 10:11 AM

        Well darn! The chairs really are a fabulous style and I’m sure will look super cool in the fabric of your choice. Love the legs. You were so lucky to get two!ReplyCancel

        • Kim7.31.14 - 10:20 AM

          Ack, thanks! I almost couldn’t believe it when I spotted them. BOTH of them. We’d been on the hunt for so long!ReplyCancel

  • Catherine7.31.14 - 9:57 AM

    I absolutely love those chairs exactly as they are! But then again, I have bright yellow gold damask vintage chairs in my living room right now. :) I think some curtains could pull that all together but they would look amazing in grey linen as well. Any colour really! They are just fantastic chairs – what a score!ReplyCancel

  • Marie7.31.14 - 10:13 AM

    Can’t wait to see them in grey, will it be a velvet grey ?
    I really laughed reading the “you know the kind” part. And I love your new wire seats !
    It reminds me of those you have on the outside. Btw, what did you do with the furniture of your condo’s patio ?ReplyCancel

    • Kim7.31.14 - 10:22 AM

      Not velvet this time, as we don’t want velvet overload in the living room. We do have a bunch of durable Sunbrella fabrics on the way, and I am dying to get them in the mail! I think today, maybe…

      We still have the furniture from the condo, but it was an old Ikea set, and they are SO weathered at this point! We may end up putting them in a yard sale since we no longer have a need for it.ReplyCancel

  • natasha7.31.14 - 10:59 AM

    I love the first pair, they are perfect, and … just what I NEED!ReplyCancel

  • Per usual, I’m jealous of what you score at sales in Chicago. Great mid-century finds always get snapped up by dealers in St Louis! Both sets look awesome in your space. I can’t wait to see what fabric you choose for the downstairs chairs.ReplyCancel

  • Felicity7.31.14 - 12:22 PM

    Great scores. I have to admit, I actually really like the yellow upholstery and think it works great in your room.ReplyCancel

  • jenn aka the picky girl7.31.14 - 1:00 PM

    I love both sets, but I ADORE those wire chairs. Fantastic.ReplyCancel

  • Cara@theprojectaddict7.31.14 - 5:08 PM

    Love all those chairs especially the yellow ones. I even like them yellow. I so wish my husband would text me about estate sales! He is not in to them or collecting old furniture. If you have a sale I may have to make the drive although I don’t really need more chairs either!ReplyCancel

  • Jessie @triple7recycled7.31.14 - 7:50 PM

    I love that sofa in your studio! Would you mind sharing where it’s from?!ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.1.14 - 9:48 AM

      Thanks, Jessie! We got it on Craigslist years ago, but it’s the Loring Sofa from Room & Board. We’ve always loved the lines on that thing, and it’s super cozy!ReplyCancel

  • Jodi8.1.14 - 9:05 AM

    love, love, love both sets!!ReplyCancel

  • Deb8.7.14 - 9:49 PM

    Love those wire chairs, so cool! I’m out in the NW ‘burbs and need to find some good estate sales!ReplyCancel

  • […] Our chairs are back from our favorite upholsterers, and we couldn’t love them more! Although there was a bit of an outcry to keep the mustard fabric (and believe us, we have nothing against yellow), we went with our gut and stuck with a durable Sunbrella fabric in Frequency Ash. Not only was the original upholstery nubby, scratchy and well loved, it felt a bit too much like all the colors! when paired with our blue sofa and predominantly red/pink rug. […]ReplyCancel

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