On the hunt: Upholstered Arm Chairs for Dining

I’ve been on the hunt for the right solution to our current problematic set of Eames Eiffel knockoffs.

They are constantly needing a tightening of the screws below, but recently one has slipped completely off and is now basically a rocking chair for one of the little squiggle butts that joins us at our family table for dinners. Additionally, we occasionally like to sit around the table for a long long night of board games with the kids and adult butts grow weary of these hard shell plastic seats in no time.

As a result, we have pulled in my midcentury mohair club chairs and they do the trick. They are SO comfortable and our crew often calls dibs on the arm chairs quickly. But Sarah said no bueno, and while I’m often inclined to disregard her directive (just kidding), she’s right… they are too big visually. We need something in a similar shape, but a bit more petite to compliment the beauty of the table that Heffe Ikea-Hacked for us after the glass top was broken in our move.

This past weekend, while taking in a fellow design blogger Amber ‘s most recent client install post, I was struck by the dining chairs. I texted “where?” to Sarah, and naturally she responded right away with a link to them on Wisteria’s website. She must have the entire internet of things memorized. Respect!

I balked at the idea of spending $1400 for a set of 4 for a minute and then began my usual search and research for other similar options so that I could better understand the price point and the features that I most liked. My lucky stumble was a “similar enough” version from Target for $199 per chair, that I believe I can easily and inexpensively have slipcovers sewn up for.

Sarah and I had a chat about the current status of the dining room, the proximity of the leather bar stools and the lack of drapery on the windows. She mentioned that I might consider a wishbone chair or a classic shaker style dining chair. But after looking around, we agreed that an upholstered arm chair would bring in a much needed soft texture into the mix. Knowing that I can easily switch out the slipcovers from a neutral to a bold pattern makes the room feel versatile and exciting.

Though we will be compromising just a bit on the finish of the legs and the overall ratio of dimensions between arm and back height, paying $759 for 4 chairs (because they have a 15% off discount for online orders) instead of $1400 seems MUCH more reasonable.

Of course, before we pull the trigger, I’m wont to hit my thrift store circuit, in case the thrift store gods shine on me and I miraculously stumble upon a set of vintage Milo Baughmans for $30 each.

I’m always motivated by a deal.

The graphic below provides a look at the various options that I found while looking. I’d love to hear from you if have any sources for upholstered arm chairs that I missed while searching.

on the hunt slipcovered arm chairs by the estate of things