Who doesn’t want high style paired with budget prices?  I shopped for a dining room table and chairs with a client this weekend, and the chairs we chose cost about $3000 for six.  They are FABULOUS, of course, but not everyone can afford to spend that much money on dining or kitchen chairs.  Which got me thinking about some of my favorite bargain chairs from IKEA. Let’s start with my current favorite – a modern take on the classic black windsor, this stylish dining chair would look great at a rustic farmhouse table or a metal industrial dining table. IKEA PS 2012 for $89 This is another classic with an x-back that would work in both traditional and contemporary dining rooms – it’s a lot like one I used in a recent dining room design. IKEA Ingolf Dining Chair $59 Your grandmother’s ladderback dining chair now comes in a new finish – weathered gray pine.  And it’s a cutie – it reminds me of one of the chairs out of Goldilocks and The Three Bears!

IKEA Kaustby dining chair $39 If you prefer something a bit more informal and contemporary, these lovelies might do the trick in your dining room or kitchen. IKEA Preben dining chair $119 Great paired with an informal wood or glass kitchen table, this is simple and perfect in white. IKEA Gilbert dining chair  $59 This one’s a bit more playful and would be a fun addition to a sleek, modern kitchen. IKEA Vilmar dining chair $39 Last but not least, this acrylic kitchen chair takes up next to no visual space, making it a no-brainer for a small room. IKEA Tobias dining chair $79 Which one is your favorite?  Have you had a good experience with IKEA dining chairs, or do you have a source for other bargain finds?One of my favorite things about living in Europe is that we’re officially in the land of IKEA! In the past we’ve almost never lived within a reasonable driving distance of one, but here in Germany there’s one only an hour away.

Yes, it’s still a bit of a hike when there are three little wild things involved (I’ll always regret not developing my passion for IKEA before becoming a mom). But all in all, a one hour drive is doable. Most of our furniture is more traditional, but now that we’re no longer in our 1800s era Victorian it’s been easier to start adding some modern pieces to the mix. We honestly don’t shop a lot- especially for big items like furniture- but lately we’ve had a couple of true needs when it comes to functional, kid-friendly stuff. The first was this POCO bar table that we use as a standing desk for our laptop in our living room; the second is a set of IKEA’s “Tobias” chairs! At first glance, they are, um, modern… But before I make my case for why they’re so great, first let me give a little backstory. We’ve had traditional white cloth-covered chairs (see a photo of them in this post on the old blog) since Thane and I moved into our very first house together in Hawaii back in 2008.

Our neighbor was getting rid of the whole set, plus a massively heavy “Italian” dining room table that was not very easy on the eyes, a china cabinet, and a few other things. But as newlyweds without a single piece of furniture to our name other than a mattress on the floor, we felt like we were winning the lottery!electric lift chair nz Overall, the white cloth chairs were great. dining room chairs birminghamThey worked especially well in our last home, and even though I’ve always wanted to recover them with new fabric, they stayed clean much longer than expected. table and chair rentals suffolk county nyAt least until Silas started sitting in them. rustic oak table and chairs ebay

Asher was surprisingly gentle on them in his toddler years, but Silas is a different beast. And with Finn coming right up behind him, and another little one behind Finn, there was only so much longer that white cloth chairs were going to hack it. strong (photos courtesy of Pinterest, via Decor Pad, Nancy Mitchell for Apartment Therapy, Lush Home, and Arianna Bell.)buy occasional chair australiaBut paired with a wooden table, a patterned rug, and some white or metallic accessories, they’re quite versatile! vintage barber chair headrestAnd Silas could literally eat his spaghetti right off of them and it wouldn’t matter. bean bag chair cover canadaBut as much as I liked them, the real hurdle was getting the thumbs up from Thane. chair and a half shabby chic

He’s all an American, meat and potatoes, football loving, Lazy-Boy recliner with a built in cup-holder kind of man. So there was absolutely no way he was going to go for these chairs. But, since we just happened to be in IKEA a few weeks ago, I thought what the heck, why not take a shot in the dark? I pointed them out and then anticipated the usual; big bean bag chairs targeta cursory glance, a comment about how ugly they were, and a mocking laugh, all delivered within the time span of ten seconds while continuing to proceed towards the closest exit (the whole goal of a man in IKEA). So when he actually stopped, pulled one out, sat down, and said he kind of liked them, I knew I was either dreaming or trapped in an episode of the Twilight Zone. You know what did it? The fact that they rock and recline just enough to be surprisingly comfortable, not to mention their virtual indestructibility.