I love the choice of the curvy, sleek, one piece chairs paired with that table. The two thrift store caned back chairs are very unique and the simple straight leg styling make them fit in with the table and other chairs. Its a great look.

Regarding the first set of chairs painted white and recovered in vivid fabric........No way.

I agree with dilly dally. No way does Queen Ann work with that table no matter what color.

It will be interestng to see how the cane back look with the one piece chairs, because the cane back are quite tall and the others quite short. I'm thinking they won't work together well. Don't like the queen anne with the table either. I could see a straight lined, upholstered chair or a contemporary taller chair with the table.
Diane

The cane back working with the sculpted chairs is not the deal breaker. I just thought they "might" work, and if not, for $20, they would be a good refinishing project and I could probably find a spot somewhere else. I thought they looked like if "redone right" they could be a fun chair.

This was something else I had considered and might work ok with the cane back chair.

Love the set up in the attached link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mix and Match Chairs

The Verner Panton chairs are more comfortable than they look, I just ate in a restaurant that had them.

palimpsest - did you feel like you were sitting in a hole? did they seem a little low at all?

This is sort of a continuation of your April post. If I remember correctly, your kitchen is more contemporary with very clean lines. I personally would find a chair with clean lines too. There isn't much color going on in the kitchen, so I do agree with you that a bold fabric would work well. If you bring some color in with the fabric, I'd suggest carrying the color into the kitchen, maybe window treatments, wall art, towels, or modern cushions leaning on the back of the stools. Just brain storming here.

I am not a good reference, I am only 5'4''. The seat height is 16-1/4" which is slightly lower than normal. I asked one of the 6 footers I was with and they said it felt a bit low.

that's what i'm afraid of. we're all short, but i'm afraid we'll feel like we can't reach the table. these are a craigslist purchase, so not like i can return them. maybe i should just buy 2 for the ends, which won't be used that often. ugghhh....

how tall is the table?

30 1/4" high.

30 1/4" high.

A good rule of thumb is about 12" difference between chair height and table height and the Pantons would give you 13-3/4". Mid century dining tables are a bit lower. I think the Saarinen dining table is about 28-28.5" tall.

Darn...so it may be like i'm sitting in a ditch. I'm supposed to be picking these up Saturday morning. What to do...what to do...

For the cane-back chairs, add fat 4" foam cushions to the seats, covered in the same fabric as the upholstery, and stitched down at the back. The backs are high enough to absorb the additional seat height...and there is nothing worse than sitting at a nice table feeling like a five-year-old. And you can't mind your manners if your elbows have to stick out to your sides like wings, which is what happens when the chairs are too low.
I wouldn't paint them...I would scrub the frames and carefully take down any shiny finish with solvent or sandpaper, and then give them a coat of matte varnish.
And I am voting against the one-piece chairs, because I think they will obscure the strong architectural lines of your wonderful table.
I'd look for something more like this, which you could paint gray or white with strong upholstery, if you like.

Brownysmom - what do you mean by "covered in the same fabric as the upholstery"? I'm replacing the off white fabric that's there.

I have been wondering if those 1 piece chairs were just going to hide everything about the table that I like. I do have an outdoor "farmhouse" table that I could use them for. I do love them!

I had actually thought these chairs had an interesting shape. But they only had 3 side chairs and 2 arm chairs. Couldn't figure out how to get the arrangement to work.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vintage Chairs

I would for sure get the vintage chairs for that table, sounds like you already have a plan B) for the 1 piece chairs! Do you know anything about that style?

I also really love the cane back chairs, what a find.

You could combine pairs: two vintage arm, two vintage side, and two cane back chairs. Lucky that the "spare" is a side chair, you can completely OdDball that one chair (for another room, maybe?) or do it in a coordinating fabric.

How about a Thonet cafe chair for the long sides of the table?
{{!gwi}}

these??? Too many choices!!

Decided to get the 1 piece chairs and if they don't work with this table we'll put them outside on our deck with our farmhouse table. I actually think they might work better there. More of a contrast of modern and rustic.

Here is a link that might be useful: More Chairs

mahlgold....last set of chairs posted are great. If I were any where near NY I'd buy them. They are comfortable, too. And that's a good price fora table and six chairs.

I envy you folk in the northeast/midwest with your access to vintage mid-century stuff. It wasn't very popular here in the South...even though much of it was made here.

You should cruise on over to Design Within Reach and take a look at their stuff...and the prices. Great designs...well-crafted...and much of it is pricey.

You may get some style ideas if you look at the "collections" page as well...

Here is a link that might be useful: DWR dining chair section

What I mean is, you upholster the seat as it is with very little mounding, and then make separate box cushions in the same fabric, which you attach to the back of the upholstered base. A curved upholsterer's needle makes this simpler to do.
The link shows one put together this way (I'm not recommending the chair...just giving you an idea of how it looks.)

Or you could simply build up the seats with a foam cushion wrapped in batting, and upholster the whole business in place. But it's hard for us amateurs to make them look smooth and have them match exactly. Do you have an upholsterer who could do that for you? I can't imagine that it would be a very expensive job.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chair with cushion over upholstered seat

I thought these were interesting.

BTW...I did buy the 1 piece chairs. We are putting them outside with our farmhouse table. I'm so excited because now our outdoor furniture will work much better with the inside spaces!

Here is a link that might be useful: Chairs

The posting has already been deleted.

Would the circles on these compete with the "X" of the table base? I'd obviously change the seat cushion.

Here is a link that might be useful: Circle Chairs

what about these chairs with new fabric on the seat?

Here is a link that might be useful: Chairs

what about these chairs in the link? does the natural colored fabric work?

Here's the kitchen:

Here's the table:

Here's the room where the table is and the b/w striped rug is in front of the fireplace. The table/chairs in this pic are no longer there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Natural Chairs

I think the last ones are better than what I have seen so far, because of their simplicity.

do you think the natural colored fabric works?

I had started to think that white might be the way to go. But could get messy quickly. Here's one from Ikea that I like.

I don't think you are EVER going to put chairs with that table in that room. I think we've looked at every possible chair option, style and material at this point. Do you actually use that table? Have you considered simple black benches, two long and two short? That's what I'd do, but I don't like shopping for chairs so much!

malhgold, why don't you take and post a NEW picture of the room? Showing what you have in there now.

Awh come on. I've been looking longer than her.

I was wondering why you don't use the woven chairs you have posted in that last picture with your previous table...sorry if I missed that somewhere...but I think those might look nice.

What about these?

Here is a link that might be useful: West Elm Stackable Chair

I still love the idea of breuer chairs in there....just classic and smart.

If you have to change chairs, I do agree with jjam, breuer chairs would be a good match with the table and your floors.

I would REALLY like to see some pictures of what is going on in there right now...pretty please? With sugar on it?

Here are current pics. The reason this seems to be taking so long is that I'd really like to try and find something on Craigslist. I have plenty of chairs in my house, but none that I feel are right for this table. So feeling a little guilty to go out and pay "retail" for something I don't "really" need. Thanks for sticking with me. I really do like the natural fabric chairs I posted in the link on Friday, just not sure about the fabric color. And I'm probably moving the leopard print chairs to another room. I don't think they work in this space, as many other GW'ers have said previously. In that case, I'm thinking about a small sofa for the back half of the room in front of the fireplace.

bumping this up with the new pics...

Thanks mahlgold! I think you are right...all upholstered chairs are going to work better than the one's you've got there now...

I think they will too.

Eventually you will have to take into consideration what your time is worth. Is spending hours looking and/or getting something cheap that you have to change more worthwhile than buying a new chair at $100 a pop?

Maybe, there are lots of intangible rewards in the hunt and in helping to create the product yourself but at some points it becomes a matter of diminishing returns.

are both of these chairs from Restoration Hardware too vintagey and/or french to work with the table??? I've always loved the cane back chairs in the first link and there's pretty good pricing thru September 20th.

Vintage French Cane Side Chair:
http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod60076&navAction=push&navCount=5

Here is a link that might be useful: Madeleine Side Chair

I like em. Theyre wood, theyre simple, and the X reiterates the table base while being curvier and different enough that its not too much.

If I remember correctly, someone (Amysrq, maybe?) posted here recently that the Madeleine chair was very uncomfortable.
Dee

I don't think so. Looks too French and looks too fragile. I think the color is good though. Why not wait until you get a sofa in the room? I would just use the rattan ones for now.

the pasted in link above is a different chair. I think the pic shows the wood a little dark than in real life, but it is definitely darker than the madeleine chair. Guess I'll be taking a ride over to RH to check it out. Maybe they'll have 1 of each so I could take them home and try them out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cane Back Chair

As usual, I have to be different...but I like those chairs you have posted in the last picture. :-)

It's the hard wood X-backs at PB (and the like) that I find so torturous. The little French X-back is more comfortable to me. It is all very personal though. Years ago, we went chair shopping at DWR and every single chair there was uncomfortable. It was kind of amazing.

So, I love the little French X-back but I do wonder if it will feel diminutive next to that table. The cane back looks like it would be bulky enough, but I don't like it quite so well. Do you have a RH near you? It would be interesting to bring one home and post more pics...

Here's a modern twist on the cane back chair. Sort of like what brownysmom posted months ago way up in this thread.

amysrq - I too thought the madeleine chair might look a little small with this table. I do have a RH near me, so I will head over there to take a look at the chairs.

Starting to think i should just cover the seats on the chairs I have in there now and call it a day for a while.

Here is a link that might be useful: Modani

malhgold, how've you been? Haven't seen your posts in awhile.

Take those arm chairs near the fireplace and stick them on the ends of the table, just to see the size of a chunky arm chair there. If that looks good, then I would suggest you put something like that at the ends and put smaller chairs on the sides. Do your barstools come in chair height? maybe you could use something like that?

I think the RH style really fits with this table.

I also think that you could use a great upholstered bench in front of the fireplace-this way you can sit facing the fire or the kitchen. Maybe one of those benches with the ends that come up on both ends so you can lean on the sides. Geez,that's a crazy description....sort of like a couch without the back.

What's going on with the tiles?