Young House Love

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Picking The Best Egg Chair For The Back Porch

Since I’m Genetically One-Quarter Egg Chair… (John described me that way in this post, and it made me laugh because let’s face it, it’s true). I’m also one-quarter dog fur (it’s always all over me) and one-quarter ceramic animal (no further explanation required).

How quickly this post got off track.

Anyway, now that we have a sofa and a coffee table on our back porch, the next thing on our list was a little more seating to round out that side of the room in the form of a comfy chair. Our first option was just to buy the $749 chair that matches our sofa. We liked that it would definitely tie into the color/look of the woven sofa without us having to worry that it would clash or look off. But we wondered if we would wish we went for something a little more fun and a little less matchy down the line, and it did take up a pretty big rectangular footprint, which might crowd the corner where we wanted to put it.

Brownjordanchair

Another contender was a hanging egg chair like this $498 one from Anthropologie, just because we thought it could be fun in a lounge-y outdoor space. But we questioned the comfort factor (without plush seat and back cushions, would it get much use?) and we worried a little about the kid-stunt factor (some of Clara’s friends are a bit more… acrobatic). Didn’t want any broken wrists on our watch – especially with the hard tile below. We also worried about the logistics of it holding enough weight to be safe since John the Builder actually had to reinforce the overhead beams on the showhouse’s front porch to accommodate the porch swing.

Anthro Chair

Then we talked about an egg chair that hung from a stand instead of the ceiling, like this $590 option from Joss & Main, but still didn’t fully trust that we’d want to constantly enforce the whole “do not swing on this” rule (would kids try to twist it around and ride it like a tire swing?). We also thought the futuristic silhouette might not go as well with our outdoor sofa. Although we did remark that Nuni & Nooni would love it.

590 White One

We also saw this one on Pinterest from World Market, which might have gone better with our sofa, but when we clicked over to see the price it was sold out. Oh well, it still had that hanging-on-a-chain-probably-isn’t-ideal thing going on.

Sold Out Chair

Then there was this one from Joss & Main, which was more like a boat than a chair, but it did look pretty cozy. It was too big for our space, and the $1500+ price tag was more than we wanted to spend, but if we ever have a  spare house in Bali to our name we wouldn’t be mad at a few of these out by the pool.

Big Boat

We kept saying things like “I wish we could find something that sits on the ground like the egg chair at the showhouse.” We loved everything about that chair (the color was great, it swiveled, it was super comfortable, etc). And although we checked every shop we could think of, as well as just doing some random googling, we didn’t come up with anything that really compared.

SHOOutdoor Egg Chair

It kind of reminded us of this one that Pottery Barn used to sell for $1300 a few years back, except that one was a little too warm to go with our cool brown/gray sofa, and it didn’t swivel.

Egg Chair Pottery Barn Palmetto

Then we realized we could try buying an identical egg chair to the one from the showhouse directly from GreenFront. We just had to see if they had another one in their store. And as we were telling one of the folks from the showhouse this story they said “why don’t you check with John (the Builder) to see if the showhouse egg chair is one of the borrowed pieces that he’s planning to return, because if so I bet you can buy it over the phone from GreenFront (around 50% of the GreenFront furniture we got was on loan and they were picking it back up after the show).

So we called John the Builder to ask about it, held our breath, and… he said we couldn’t buy the chair. Sad clown. But the reason he wouldn’t let us buy it was because the whole team wanted to go in on it as a thank you to us for working on the showhouse with them over the past year! We couldn’t believe it. We’re still doing that “no way just take our money” thing, so we’ll have to report back if we can sneak them the cash somehow (my mom is a fan of the “hide-it-in-their-purse” method, but most of the team is purse-less…).

Egg Chair Final

Doesn’t the wicker look like it was meant to be paired with the sofa? We’re so glad they work so well together. We also appreciate that the seat is Sunbrella fabric, so it should hold up to Clara’s bubble-solution-covered hands and Burger’s muddy paws. As for the side table, we decided it was a little too much wicker for us (you know my love of ceramic garden stools – especially to add color outside) so we sent it back to GreenFront with the rest of the borrowed pieces that they came back to collect instead of purchasing it – but it was nice to take a look at it first to be sure.

Now it looks more like this in that corner (we took this photo after the others in this post, so ignore the wicker side table’s presence and pretend you see this shiny red beacon of garden stool love):

Egg Chair Red Stool

But back to the chair. It has already been getting a LOT of use from this guy…

Egg Chair Burger

… and even some lounge-time from this guy…

Egg Chair Teddy

I’m getting in on the action too. Sometimes I find myself out there, just gently rocking with the baby in my arms while Clara plays with her water table (swivel action FTW). Definitely one of my favorite new spots.

Egg Chair Final Angle

So that’s the Great Egg Chair Hunt of 2014. Although when you pan out it’s clear that we still have the other side of the sunroom to furnish. I’m thinking a little bistro table under that second fan would be nice since there’s still room to walk around something like that. And of course we still need to build a box to cover those ugly wires that snake down the brick wall.

Egg Chair Final Pulled Back

Here’s a wider shot from further back. You might notice that we parked our dining chairs around the table just because we thought they’d get more use out here in the nicer weather (they’re outdoor chairs so they ain’t afraid of no ghost rain). The jury’s still out whether it’s a temporary move for them, but Burger has already been found lounging on their plush seat cushions, so that’s one vote for them staying outside over the folding chairs that were there before.

Egg Chair Full Deck Dining Table

Are you guys shopping for any outdoor stuff lately? Are you one-quarter garden stool? I might be too. Hey, maybe we’re related.

Psst- For more what-we-considered rundowns like this one, here’s one about doorknobs, one about kitchen lights, one about rugs, one about dining tables, one about sectionals, one about washers & dryers, and one about our outdoor sofa.

Comments

  2. Mary B says

    I hope you are checking out One King’s Lane today! Your chair is obviously from Lane Joint Venture – The Raymond Waites Summer Garden Collection. It is not listed on sale today – but most of the other pieces in the collection are! Just FYI for anyone interested. There is a swivel chair without a hood (but a generous back) for sale!

    Reply

  3. Melanie says

    LOVE that new chair! I have total chair envy. The porch is really coming together. Have you put any thought into adding an indoor/outdoor rug? I feel like it could, in the words of the Big Lebowski, really pull the room together in the sofa area.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Definitely interested! I wondered how they’d hold up (would they get gross in a covered area instead if being out in direct sun) but a bunch of people in the comments said theirs are doing well!

      xo
      s

  4. Jen @ The Decor Scene says

    So jealous!!! Love how your deck is looking. I wouldn’t want to move from that area. We need some new outdoor furniture but it might have to wait until next year for that. Will be shopping around like you. Such a good idea to really think it all out and get what you really want and that it will last for a while. ;) And what a nice crew to work with that they wanted to buy that for you guys. So sweet!!!

    Reply

  6. Karen says

    Everything old is new again – welcome to the 70’s. Somewhere I have a photo of my sister’s “new” living room furniture with chairs so much like this. She is 15 years older than I. So there’s that.

    Reply

  7. Joana_JW says

    Egg chairs are all time fun; just loved the one in white! They are wonderful, comfortable, elegant and different. I love the concept of using them for perfect interior and exterior. Thanks sharing fun :)

    Reply

  9. Charish~J says

    Wooden Egg chairs are simply stunning. I find it the best place to take pictures and I think the compliment the entire setting in a much lively way. I like the hanging one more than anything :)

    Reply

  10. Liz says

    I love the dining chairs outside. After a great summer meal on the porch, I just want to sit and linger and chat until it turns dark. Those chairs are perfect for that purpose!

    Reply

  11. Christan says

    Just wanted to say that while I check your blog obsessively for new posts, I am glad you are taking a step back and enjoying your family! Its lovely to see people so happy with their lives.

    Reply

  13. Caroline Josef says

    Yep! Just bought 2 carts full from target! They had 50% off all patio furniture so we snagged $600 worth for $300! Such a blessing in our new house (and totally worth living ghetto for a little bit while we kept our eye out).

    LOVE the egg chair. Overall I’m not a huge fan of them. I think the ones hanging look weird and the ones with the stands look like a baby swing. But I LOVE the one you got! Totally worth all those hours right?! ;)

    Reply

    • Paula says

      Did you get the Cartwheel? They had an additional 10% off all clearance patio with Cartwheel :)

  15. Shelia @ House of Highlands says

    Hi Sherry and John!
    I LOVE your home! I love this post because it was a walk down memory lane…I used to own one that hung from the ceiling – oh the memories! It was in my “tween” bedroom that I shared with my sister – it was so much fun – I read books in that chair, I’d sing into my cassette player in that chair, I’d talk on my blue phone in that chair…and I’d daydream while looking outside of my bedroom window while swinging in that chair!
    I think your choice is perfect for your family! I hope you enjoy it!
    Shelia
    http://www.houseofhighlands.com

    Reply

  17. Jess says

    How crazy that you were serendipitously gifted a chair that was a perfect match for the couch you already purchased. It’s nice how things work out sometimes. The covered porch is coming together nicely.

    Reply

  18. Alexandra says

    looks great, but i have a somewhat silly question…what are you going to do for the winter (or for some severe storm…)? close up the room? move the furniture

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Everything is outdoor friendly (our table out on the deck has been outside with those chairs and umbrella for almost two years!), so we’ll bring the cushions inside and leave the rest where it is.

      xo
      s

  19. Ann says

    We love our outdoor patio… but let me offer some words of advice – you will definitely want enough comfortable, casual, seating for 3-4 couples. We have learned that this number seems to be the number that will congregate, and it is nice to have that seating available. Because of our wonderful outdoor space, our house is where all of the family’s congregate after kids events, and for family gatherings, and i wouldn’t have it any other way. Just something to think about when filling in the other half of the patio…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      There are actually some bricks missing where the cords lead down to that electrical hub, so no amount of paint will hide that hole in the wall. We might just build a box over that area and paint the cords though! Will keep you posted :)

      xo
      s

  22. Tarah says

    Love the egg chair! By the way, Pier1 Imports has a miniture egg chair to hold your cell phone. I saw it today in the store and immediately thought of you!

    Reply

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