Dining Chairs

We made a trip out to IKEA yesterday, and we found some dining chairs:



I know what you're thinking. These chairs are nothing special, I agree. But they are incredibly comfortable, and finding something that my hubby and I could agree on was a bit of a challenge. They were $79.99 each which is somewhat expensive for IKEA, but much less expensive than other chairs we'd found.

We're going to do a little work on them. We're going to paint them and reupholster them in a fun fabric, so hopefully they will look better soon. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the whole process, seeing as I've never painted or reupholtered furniture myself before. This could be interesting, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

New Dining Chairs

We're on the verge of selling our Mies Van Der Rohe dining chairs:



because little P can't sit on them, we knock our knees into the legs all of the time, and P has now started climbing up on them. For a not so huge apartment, we need chairs that require less space.

I'll show you some possibilities later.

Dream Shell Chair

Now that we're back in our apartment and our kitchen is almost done, I am back in action.

Here is my latest desire:




It is the Eames-style Shell Rocker Chair from Modernica, and I absolutely adore it. I love the fiberglass shell chairs that the Eames' designed back in the 1960s and I've been drooling over them for quite some time now. It comes in 16 different seat options (colors) and 4 different base options (wood and metal), and it costs about $350. Not going to break the bank, but certainly not a steal. How fabulous will this look in our living room across from our new sofa?

Eames Design Classic

It's been a while since I've posted anything new - I apologize.

Today I decided to show you one of my favorite design classics by Charles and Ray Eames - the Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair, LCW. At $649, it is not a steal, but it truly is a gorgeous piece of furniture and one that could be passed down from generation to generation. It comes in walnut (shown below), red, and ash, and personally, I'm loving the warmth and richness of the walnut. A pair of these would look delightful in our living room.

Eames chair - highchair or torture device?

I came across this a few times yesterday:



What is it? It is the Eames Molded Plywood Dining Chair, DCM made into a highchair with a tray and two holes for the child's legs.



I am a huge Eames fan, and I love the DCM chair (above). If you've ever sat in it, you probably know just how comfortable it is with its molded seat and backrest. A design winner all around.

The highchair version, however, looks incredibly cruel to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the design and it is far better-looking than our Peg Perego highchair. The two little leg holes seem rather tight and I'm getting antsy just looking at the photograph. The adorable child doesn't seem to mind it one bit, but I cringe looking at how his legs are shoved in the holes right at his knees. I really do love beautiful design, but I wouldn't put my daughter in this for two reasons: 1) I don't like the idea of the child really being stuck in that position (or in any position, for that matter), and 2) I don't think I could get her two squirmy feet and legs through those holes without breaking a sweat!

Here are some other sites that have written about this:

-Eames Hack (a blog by one of the creator's of this highchair)

-Apartment Therapy (probably my favorite design blog)

-Design Sponge (another great design blog)

Uh-oh

My mother always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say then to not say anything at all. Now, I don't consider myself a mean person (actually, I think I'm pretty nice!), but sometimes I just can't help myself.

This post is a lesson in how design is not always good.



I came across this chair twice yesterday (once in the fall/winter 2007 issue of InStyle Home and once in the November 2007 issue of House & Garden), and I must say, I find it quite ugly. The design of the actual chair is okay - it has a nice round back with a single leg. It is the fabric that I find so awful. It is called the
Waterlily Patchwork Chair, and while I love waterlilies (Monet, anyone?) and patchwork (did you happen to see the Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibition at the Whitney a few years ago?), this fabric doesn't quite cut it. There is an overall color scheme of blues and aquas, but then there are reds, yellows, and black. There is too much contrast and not enough of a common element in the various patches.

To salvage this chair, however, I would like to see it in a traditional print (a damask, perhaps?) in an unusual and bright color scheme:



I love when traditional and contemporary design are joined in an unusual but clever way.