Dining Room Chairs...

Once the table got all settled in our dining room all the places where we could buy chairs popped into our heads.

Local thrift store- out of the question. I’ve yet to find a local thrift store that is worth visiting on a regular basis.

Target? Out of our price range and for most options we’d have to order sight unseen.

Pottery Barn outlet? Possibly, but that is almost two hours from our house and we might not find anything. Or the wrong amount of things ( ie- one perfect chair only in stock)

Ikea? We both work a cool (less than with no traffic) 20 minutes from TWO Ikeas. ( I feel spoiled, as there is a third just over an hour away as well) Good contender.

Home Goods? Definitely worth checking out, there are a few within a reasonable distance away.

Home Goods got scoped out first. Almost immediately we found a beige mirco-suede parsons chair that seemed like it would fit the bill. The chair was a go until we sat on the chair. Despite being really comfy, the chair felt cheap. And even with my small and light frame I felt like it was unsteady while sitting on it. Boo. I don’t want to pay $70 a chair for crap.

Upon further exploration around the store came a dark wood frame chairs that had leather seats We sat in them. We liked them, although not as comfortable as the other ones, but much better construction. I felt like I wasn’t in danger of busting the chair at any moment. Still wasn’t thrilled about paying $70 a chair, but after doing some research it seems like that is a pretty good price to pay for chairs! (Who knew they were so much money?!) The chairs found their way into our SUV and later, into our home. Here they are with the table.

We had some time between our evening plans and decided to squeeze in a quick stop at Ikea to see what they had to offer in the chair department. This is when the chair conundrum started. I found the Henriksdal chair, which was comfy, nicely made, and fit the upholstered look I really wanted. Even the chair cover I liked was on sale, which made the chair the exact same cost as the ones that were currently chilling in the back of our SUV. Here is an example of the Ikea chair, except we'd get the one with dark legs.

However, Pete wasn’t sold on the chairs. Admittedly they weren’t as well constructed as the wood/leather ones. Plus, he is worried about how well the upholstering will hold up with use. Especially when we do have a dinner party (which happens once a never)or with children at the table. I pointed out that we’ll be able to wash the slip covers or buy new ones. And that we’re years away from having to worry about children ruining the chairs.

We're also slowly searching around, more like keeping our eyes open, for a bench for one side of the table. I like how benches add more seating and uncrowd the table and the line of sight. Crate and Barrel does have a matching Pacifica bench, but the retail price is $399.

Way way out of our comfort level of spending. Especially when the table was only $449! Maybe I'll stalk down the outlet more this summer for the bench, but unless I come across it on great sale the Crate and Barrel Pacifica bench is going to be a no-go. I'm also eyeballing these CB2 stools. Five year old me would spend hours on them spinning around.

So now I don’t know what to do. I’m caught between the more practical choice that we do already own, but I’m not even sure if I like the chairs with the table. I think I would grow to like them more? Or, the chairs could get returned and we pick up the Ikea ones. Which I do like better, but seem more “delicate”. (If that makes any sense…) Should I just go chairless and wait to find something that fits EVERY criteria? Affordable, well made, upholstered and mutually agreed upon with the Husband?