I agree! When I got the catalog and took a look, I thought...what the hey!?! Not only was the stuff weird and unappealing, the catalog was a mess and barely readable. Whoever published/printed their catalog used WHITE print against LIGHT backgrounds...I couldn't read what some of the product descriptions and prices said! Yet someone at RH had to approve the catalog before it went out. I hate to say it, but that person should be fired. That was a total dereliction of his/her job duties to let that catalog go out like that. I've been to our local store several times this year. They renovated it, repainted, redesigned it, etc. NOW they don't carry much of what is in the catalog. The clerk will have to order it online for you (no shipping fees that way). I couldn't take a look at some things I had seen in last year's catalog, because the store doesn't have even a sample sitting out (like task lamps). They did have samples of most of their drapes, and that's where I bought my velvet drapes. They were clearly of a superior quality to Pottery Barn's and others that I'd seen. But they had to order them for me; they didn't have enough panels in the store to cover my window (and this was a basic camel velvet that I'm sure they sell a lot of). All their furniture is too large for my small house and my taste. I threw away the catalog, and I look at their stuff online. I figure that they are trying to become lean and mean in these recessionary times, hence the small inventory in the store. But there's no excuse for that horrible catalog. (BTW, the task lamp I bought and the velvet drapes are absolutely beautiful and high quality. They cost a pretty penny, but at least I got my money's worth. I couldn't be happier with them, and with their customer service, which is top rate.) As for their weather-washed huge furniture, another poster mentioned it was a Swiss style or something. Maybe. But furniture from Sweden, Norway, etc., is usually small scale with simple lines. The RH furniture was enormous, with round feet, large bulky posts, besides being that unattractive gray. I can't imagine that style will sell much. It certainly doesn't suit me. But then, I probably wouldn't buy furniture from RH to begin with, because of the price.

I have not used this stuff, but looking really quick at their website, it looks promising. My first choice would have been satin polyurethane because it's waterproof. A dining table needs that. The Monocoat website does show in their table of test results that it's resistant to water and water based spills. So I would be willing to use it in this kind of an application. I just can't endorse it from experience.

IMO you need some real color in the space and I would do chairs in a color not nesessarily yellow but definately a color . A robins egg blue would be another choice, have a little fun . BTW the best thing to avoid fading is solar shades the allow the view, keep out the heat and the UV rays.

You have been shown three attractive chairs in three very different settings. Which setting is most like your room or your room as you envision it in the future? Which chair is best looking in your eyes? That's how you decide.