Seeing red

I think I may have mentioned on Facebook last week that I went a little chair-crazy.

After painting the house grey, I was ready for some color. Specifically, some bright and shiny color. And, since we're in the middle of re-doing our backyard (more to come on that later in the week) and had no furniture to go out there, AND since Black Friday/Cyber Monday were upon us, it seemed like destiny.

It was time for new chairs.

As if I needed confirmation, our old leather parsons chairs sold on Craigslist in about 27 seconds. Within five minutes of the old chairs getting picked up from my house, the UPS man dropped off the new beauties pictured below.

So, as you can tell, it was obviously meant to be.

Of the 16 chairs I bought (you read that right, and yes, there are only four butts in our family), only 10 have arrived thus far. We've got eight of the ones you see in these photos, plus two red director's chairs like these. The red director's chairs will be perfect for chilling outside.

The other six chairs are on their way here via Greyhound.

I know. I'm full of surprises today. Did you know that you can have eBay and Etsy purchases shipped via Greyhound?  I didn't. It's way cheaper than the usual shipping methods.

Anyway, the other six chairs (the ones coming on the bus) are old school chairs. Not old-school, as in old-fashioned. Although...they are that too. They're actually Heywood Wakefield chairs that were used in schools starting in the 50's. They are industrial and funky but not worth much so I've got a fun revival in store for them. A revival which will involve the color red. Once they're finished, the school chairs will hang out inside the house -- four at the table, one at my desk, and one at my sewing nook. These other lovely ladies will go out to the patio. 

But for now I'm totally enjoying them inside the house.

I had some serious concerns that these chairs would feel too cold. They are, after all, metal and my house is usually about 65 degrees. They are a bit chilly for the first few seconds, but after that they warm up nicely. And, actually, they're surprisingly comfortable. I can sit in the one at my desk and get sucked into Pinterest for hours at a time, just like I did in my cushy leather parson's chair of yore. And for Scott, whose back sometimes aches when he sits in a chair that is too soft, these are just right. 

The only person in the family who is unhappy about these chairs, actually, is Callie. Callie, our seven year old, doesn't like change. But, she LOVES bright colors and shiny things, so I thought she'd be into these chairs. To my surprise, when she came home from school and saw them in the kitchen she burst into tears. 

I know. It's crazy that she even thinks her unsolicited decorating opinion matters outside of her own room, but for some reason she does. She doesn't like the chairs because they're metal. I don't know why -- that is the only explanation she'd give me. For the first few days she refused to sit in them while we ate, but she did give in last night and sit at the table with us. I guess they're growing on her. Or she's tired of standing while she eats.

So, now, the 411 on these chairs. I settled on these because they were the cheapest. Period. They're not locally made, they're not antiques, they're not supposed to last for a million and one years. But they were only $169 for four chairs and no shipping charges. And their reviews were very positive. Go Overstock. Overstock calls them Tabouret Stacking Chairs.

Others I looked into were the Tolix chairs at Pottery Barn ($269 each), the Marais A chairs from Industry West ($145 each), the Emeco 111 Navy Chair ($260 each), and the Goodform Navy Chair (price varies).

I also searched Craigslist for something similar. I almost lucked out and bought nine Toledo drafting chairs for only $20/each from someone who obviously had NO idea what he was selling, but I was too slow. I even offered to pay over the asking price, but he'd already promised them to someone else. Someone who only paid the asking price! I pined over those chairs for about two weeks (I may have moped around a bit and then even cleaned my house in reaction to losing them) before I bought the Tabouret chairs. I know, they're completely different from the Toledo chairs but I just needed something...bright. And happy.

So for now, these shiny red chairs are brightening my days. When they make their way outside (I have to build them a table first) you'll be the first to know. And when my old school chairs arrive and begin to undergo their revival, you'll hear about that too. And then when I have a party and invite the entire city because I've obviously got seats for everyone...well, I just might keep all the chairs to myself, actually.