Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 229 Comments

A Curvy Armchair For The Kitchen

Chairs are definitely one of those high/low things for us. In the low category we have our $30 thrift store egg chair…

Egg Chair Now2

… our $32 stools from a school supply website…

StoolPaint Detail Two Backs

… and our $35 secondhand office chairs just to name a few.

Office With Us In It3

And then in the “high” category (although I guess that’s all relative since some folks might spend more) we’ve also invested in a few of the chairs. Like the $230 leather chair from Target that we have in our office (which used to live in the master bedroom of our first house)…

Art Update6

… the $199 armchair in the corner of our bedroom from Joss & Main…

Bedroom Chair Corner

… the two $118 Dolce lounge slipper chairs from Target that used to live in our first house’s living room and den (and now hang in our guest room)…

Guest From Doorway

… and our new kitchen chair!

Chair Ottoman1

Surprise! We couldn’t resist free shipping and a price of $298 (originally $498) through Joss & Main, and we thought it would work well in that corner of the kitchen, which used to sport a too short, white Ikea chair (which we actually found at a thrift store). Why did that corner sport that little white chair? Why, for a great well-thought-out reason of course. Just kidding, it was because we shoved it there “just for now” after we moved and there it has sat for the past year and a half. It’s a great little chair, just not for that spot. But more on that in a sec.

Alang 2 Plug In Light11

It’s hard to make out all of the details in those far shots, but the new guy has great clean lines, a bit more of a tailored look, and some nice modern tufting on the back of the cushion.

Chair Detail22

Along with some pretty sexy little legs going on.

Chair Detail1

Here are the reasons we thought the new chair would work well (we tend to think purchases like this to death before clicking “buy” – just to be sure):

#1. It’s a nice dark color, which makes it easier in a room full of food and sticky kid fingers

#2. It has a nice tall back, so unlike the too-short white Ikea chair that used to live in the corner, you’d actually see the top of it from the other side of the room. See how the old too-short Ikea chair went missing the kitchen reveal a few months back?

Kitchen Other Side

#3. The curvy rounded shape looks pretty not only from the front, but from the sides, which is nice because with two doorways surrounding it, you definitely see the sides (so they should be just as good-looking as the front).

#4. It’s such a neutral color and clean-lined shape that if it arrived and didn’t work in the kitchen for some unforeseen reason, we knew we could easily use it in another room (the undone playroom or even the office or bedroom if we pulled a little musical chairs action an switched some things around).

Thankfully when it arrived it was perfect. We love the dark color in that corner to ground things, tie into the darker floors, and keep a room full of white counters and cabinets from feeling too white-washed. The color and fabric is actually extremely similar to the dark gray fabric on Karl the Sectional in the nearby living room, so that’s an unexpected but awesome “tie” between those two rooms (and that color/fabric has been awesome with a kid and a dog in the living room so we hope to have the same luck in the kitchen). Now we can actually let Clara eat Jammy Sammies in the chair (they’re sort of like fig newtons with peanut butter and jelly in them, so we always cringed when she carried one into the old white chair and pretty much held our breath the whole time).

Chair Ottoman1

The best part? We can actually see it over the peninsula thanks to the taller back, so it no longer looks like we have a weird empty corner from across the room.

Over Counter1

So it’s a nice little upgrade in form and function that has us loving our cozy little fireplace zone a lot more. Oh and the ottoman in front of the chair is from Marshall’s a while back (it used to live in our first house’s master bedroom, so we’ve had him a while).

At first we tried the white pouf that seems to travel around the house…

Chair Pouf1

… but it was a bit low and the taller ottoman is pretty much the most comfortable thing ever because it’s like you’re in a recliner because your feet are way up instead of just semi-up. And see how much higher the back is? It comes up over my shoulders! So you can definitely see it over the peninsula now. Hootie hoo.

Chair Sherry1

Don’t mind that weird hair that appears to be growing out of the top of my ear. I’m 95% sure it’s not really doing that.

Anyway, the new chair is my new favorite spot to read magazines and then get interrupted by Clara about a minute into it and end up reading her board books. Haha. At least Snuggle Puppy is more fun for the hundredth time when you’re kicking back in a comfy chair with a nice big ottoman. Seriously, I’m working on a theory that a good chair can make almost anything more enjoyable (and there are far worse things than reading board books for the ten millionth time). Maybe dentists should get nice big plush arm chairs with overstuffed ottomans? Could be nice…

So that’s the first little upgrade in our cozy fireplace corner. We actually have a few more plans up our sleeves for this perennially ignored corner of the room that we’ll be sharing over the next few days as we chug along. Until then, what is the chair M.O. in your house? Do you have the high/low thing going on too? Any recent chair makeovers or upgrades going on? Oh and as for where the old white chair will go, we think he’ll be perfect in the sunroom with our white daybed when we finally tackle that untouched-since-we-moved-in space. Someday…

Psst- Check out our river adventures over on Young House Life (where Burger’s stick-chewing abilities are unmatched).

Comments

  3. Lindsey says

    Ooooo… I love him! I keep scouting J&M for an entryway niche chair, but just can’t seem to pull the trigger on anything yet! Do I really want a bench instead? Ugh, decorator indecision. I love your handsome new fella though. Super sharp.

    Reply

  6. Martha says

    That is one gorgeous chair. I’m trying to think about what we spent on chairs in our house. (By the way, you all have a lot of chairs!) I think our high/low would have to be $4 for a windsor-ish thrift store find and $50 for Le Bleu Chair, also a thrift store find. Excluding dining chairs our only other chair was free.

    Reply

  10. Pam the Goatherd says

    Sexy legs, indeed! I gasped a little when I scrolled down to the pic of the new chair because it looks so nice in that corner!
    In our small house we don’t have a lot of room for big comfy chairs so my hubby has his charcoal grey leather recliner that his mom gave him for a birthday present many, many years ago and that’s it. We don’t do a lot of sitting around here, so we really don’t feel a lack of chairs.
    However, I did score a really great steal when my daughter spotted an adorable swivel rocker at an estate sale that I snatched up for $5!!!!! I believe that the bright orange vinyl upholstery scared every else away from it. But it has fantastic bones and all it’s padding and the swivel/rocker mechanism is in perfect condition, too. I’m going to re-upholster it in some feminine, purpley fabric and put it in my sewing room.

    Reply

  11. Missy G. says

    Love the chair! And just needed to comment on that 3rd-from-the-bottom photo from over the peninsula… y’all are really working on your Nikon skillz!! Haha. Seriously though, that photo looks like it’s straight out of a magazine!

    Reply

  12. Jennifer says

    I don’t know if anyone’s ever asked this, but I always wondered: what does the artwork behind the new chair say (the one with the big P on it?). I always liked it, but couldn’t read it! Haha.

    Reply

  13. Courtney S says

    Nope – all our chairs are FREE hand me downs, and inherited. Right now we have two rocker/recliners that were grandpa’s – one in the baby’s room and one in the living room. I would love to get a smaller pair of slipper chairs, though. Something I can slip cover so I can change them when it strikes my fancy!

    PS…I hope my house looks as cute and cozy as yours someday! You inspired me to start a frame gallery on our big empty wall, even though my husband thought it was a crazy idea until he saw your pictures!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s from Urban Outfitters. We love them, overstock, local outlets, and clearance stores like Pottery Barn Outlet or Joss & Main for rugs. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  15. Claire says

    You have a white and beige rug in your kitchen! How is that still clean?

    Strange questions but….. do you allow shoes in the house? Can’t see in the photo.

    Nice chair by the way!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, we have a no shoes household. We also have door mats near every entrance (since Burger doesn’t wear shoes, it helps grab little leaves and stuff off his feet). We weren’t sure how the whole light-colored-rug thing would work out, but so far, so good…

      xo,
      s

    • Amber says

      I actually find that the darker rugs show dirt worse than lighter rugs! We have two dark gray rugs in our kitchen that we’re constantly vacuuming. Ha :)

    • Courtney S says

      I thought that was just a Minnesota thing! Everyone in MN takes their shoes off when entering a home. If you go next door to Wisconsin, they all look at you like you’re crazy!

  16. Megan says

    We just bought that same chair from Joss & Main for the fireplace corner of our living room! Great minds think alike!

    Reply

  18. Briel K. says

    I love it! It looks so comfy and like it would be a great reading chair (or sitting and watching the kiddo chair). :)

    Reply

  19. Frances Favela says

    I really admire your family’s style! I am determined to make our first house look great, but I’ll tell ya I’m totally intimidated by even picking out the color of a rug for our living room. I’m just not crafty/ designer-esque like that.
    Any pointers on getting started decorating and not feeling completely overwhelmed. You guys seem to decorate with such ease!
    I LOVE your blog, you guys are a constant inspiration!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw Frances, rest assured that it took a while for us to even figure out what we liked- years even! And sometimes we still get things wrong. The best method we have discovered to keep things moving and keep inching towards a room we love is to not be frozen with indecision (that gets you nowhere) and to just do things one small and manageable step at a time. So if you want to pick out the living room rug, it might help to figure out the wall color you want, then pick out a pillow or some art that you adore, and then look at the tones in that item to see if it’ll help pin down the right rug. Just go one day and one step at a time! Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  21. Bella says

    Very pretty chair :)
    I actually took it upon myself to find everything I need for my new apartment second hand, not only for money reasons but also for environemental reasons. E.g. I found a perfectly good 2 year old Ikea Ektorp Sofa for 100 euros instead of 300 which would be the normal price if I were to buy it at Ikea :)
    But a good mixture of old and new is always good. You guys are the best example for that. Actually I found a really cool video about an eco-designer who designed her apartment trying to create as little of a footprint as possible which is awesome. Just type in trashkea on youtube and you’ll find her :)

    Reply

  23. Amber says

    Do you ever have shipping issues w/ them? Every time I order from Wayfair, it is a HUGE disaster that I don’t plan on using them anymore. Sucks because they have such cute stuff, but every order is literally a customer service nightmare. :(

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! We never have had any issues. Things just get left in our carport for us (we don’t sign for them or anything). Maybe it’s harder if you’re in a more urban area and they can’t just leave things for you? What is the problem? Are the wrong things shipped or do you miss them and not receive them?

      xo,
      s

    • Amber Gilstrap says

      I’ve had both problems actually! They once shipped the wrong item (and initially told me to just keep it, but then came back later and said no, then yes, then no, then yes, then no … disaster) and another item took a hideously long time to arrive and every time I called was given a vague answer. It’s super frustrating because, like I said, their stuff is super cute! We live in burbs with a large porch and deck, so they def have places to stash things.

      Anyways … happy you’ve had so much luck with Joss & Main! Love the new chair! ;)

  25. Stephanie says

    That chair is gorgeous.

    Pretty much everything in my townhouse is low right now. I’m cheap. Haha.

    But I’ve managed to get some pretty good deals. Mostly because I am a persistent HomeGoods stalker. I will go into any homegoods, anywhere. If I see one, I’m in! I do that with Marshalls too. It’s how I managed to get jeans for $7 once.

    Reply

  26. Kate says

    Oooooh, like the chair!

    We picked out a new chair this weekend, a glider for our upcoming nursery. I love gliders but had been planning to stay away from them due to the cost and the fact that they don’t really work outside of a nursery, but we found one that looks a little bit nicer/more tailered than the normal ones, still very comfy and a fairly resonable price, and my husband has already said he wants it to live in the living room instead of the nursery because it’s so comfy, lol.

    Reply

  27. Hilary says

    I LOVE your new chair! Sadly for me, a pair of the white, cheap IKEA chairs are the “pricey” ones I’ saving up for. Boo :( Sigh, life on a teacher’s salary…. haha

    Reply

  28. Laurie says

    I am grooving on a gray linen chair from Kirkland’s. It is on clearance for $100 and I have a $25 off coupon so $75 for this baby yet I am agonizing over where I would use it. I have been thinking about putting a chair in the corner of my kitchen by a window but wasn’t sure but now that I see your handsome gray fella in your kitchen I am thinking just maybe…..and really? $75? Why is this even a debate? I should just go buy it. Today. For $75 I am sure I can find a spot.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We now have a light in the center of the zone (in the ceiling) so we don’t need a floor lamp anymore. A wall one could be fun though so you never know!

      xo,
      s

  30. Karen says

    I love a lot of things Joss and Main feature but I’ve never ordered anything because I wasn’t sure about their return policy. I get even more scared to order a “big” item like this because even if I can return it…what a hassle! Do you ever have concerns about that when ordering from there?
    oh – and I should say – it looks awesome so of course no return needed for you! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think if we see something we’re nervous about (if we wonder if the color might be wrong or we don’t have another place to put it) we definitely get nervous and might not click buy. Maybe the key is knowing something is neutral enough to work in multiple places in your house and being sure the color isn’t too “specific” that it could clash or be a game breaker.

      xo,
      s

  32. Sarah@SBrandesDesigns says

    Love it! I would like something EXACTLY LIKE THAT in a chocolate brown for our living room (although I think the hubby would insist on holding out for something that reclines, & our living room isn’t big enough to accommodate an ottoman…). Our new rule for furniture is that all of it needs to go together, even if not in the same room because our lesson learned from moving from a house in RI to a very small apartment in CA is that just because two pieces don’t reside in the same room right now, doesn’t mean at some point they won’t *have* to (our bedroom looks like such a mismatched mess right now, but its only for a year so I try not to cringe when I look at it)

    Reply

  33. Kara J says

    Before our son was born, my husband and I tackled reupholstering a chair (for the first time ever!!) for the nursery. It’s my favorite chair in the house now. And now I won’t stop bothering him about reupholstering a pair that I have for our master. Can’t wait! But it’s true…a good comfy chair can be the difference between a good day and a bad day (esp. when you are still nursing a little one).

    check it out:
    http://familyjulius.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/a-place-to-sit/

    Reply

  34. Carla says

    I have a feeling the egg chair will find its way out to the sunroom or the patio (in a warmer color) someday. But your new chair in the kitchen is perfect. What a great choice for that cozy corner. Such a nice, strong anchor. And it helps calm all that dang white and sharp edges you’ve got going on in the kitchen. Your kitchen feels very yang. The chair provides some yin and helps create more balance.

    Now I’m looking forward to the chalkboard in the kitchen. I just made one for our kitchen from a reclaimed vintage frame. It turned out really pretty!

    Reply

  35. Kara says

    Quick question – do you know/remember where that cool, modern flat “bowl” on the kitchen peninsula came from? I’ve been looking for something like that for our dining room table. Thanks!

    Reply

  36. how2home says

    Really like the fact that you guys have different variations and styles of chairs around the place :) High end to low end, best of both worlds. We are currently looking for inexpensive and budget friendly chairs in Toronto. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Anyone have TO chair tips? Maybe check if there’s a few secondhand/thrift places and some low end stores like HomeGoods (I think it’s called HomeSense in your area) and Target, etc.

      xo,
      s

  38. carrie says

    I don’t think I have ever posted even though I have been following your blog for the last few years. . . . but I had to today! Have you seen the new chairs at World Market? Just happened to see this particular one and I may be wrong, but I immediately thought that you would like it with your dining room table. :) http://www.worldmarket.com/product/lime-ella-side-chairs%2C-set-of-2.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

    It might just be the cheerful color that made me think of you, but it made me thankful for all the things I have learned through your blog – thank you!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I WOULD FAINT FOR THOSE. Sadly we need eight and at that price it’s just not in the budget. Oh well- maybe I can find secondhand ones and use them as inspiration.

      xo,
      s

  39. Ash says

    LOVE the new chair! Such great lines. I feel like Joey Tribbiani would look at that chair, cock an eyebrow and say “How YOU doin’?” Or I could be watching too many “Friends” reruns these days…

    I’ve got a chair that I’m going to attempt to DIY-reupholster (if it fails miserably I’ll have it professionally done – but I have a few friends who have done similar things so I’m hoping to bribe one of ’em to help guide me). It’s a recliner from 1964 that was my dad’s back in college and it is SOOO COMFY. That sucker naps like a dream. It was originally a burnt-orange color (with wood side-pieces/handrests/crank-thing), and reupholstered about 20 years ago in my mom’s preferred color of baby blue (gack). I’m planning on a soft burgundy color! Any tips??? They don’t make slipcovers for this style of chair! :D

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, yesss! We got a Chandler and a Joey reference in the comments today! Any Phoebe or Ross tie ins? Monica? Haha.

      As for the chair, a soft burgundy sounds awesome! I would just bring home some fabric swatches to see what you like! Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  40. Meghan says

    I love the new chair! I think it looks very similar to the chair on the front of the new Ikea catalog. I was very disappointed to read that it was from 1951 and not for sale. I like how this one is a good mix of modern and vintage looking! I’ll have to keep an eye out for one like it :)

    Reply

  42. Katie says

    I have a soft, tufted spot in my heart for armchairs, and I love a lot of Joss & Main’s offerings … But how do you know whether the armchair will be comfortable once you receive it? What do you look for in a chair description when you’re ordering online without having sat in it first?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I try to look things up on wayfair.com or overstock.com (a lot of things they sell pop up there too) and that way I can read if folks think it’s comfy! Hope it helps.

      xo,
      s

  45. Shevon says

    Nice chair. Love the garden stool, too. Mine was similar and actually in the garden. Luckily I found it at Goodwill for $4.99. Woot! Woot! But, a couple of weeks ago a big storm threw that heavy thing across my driveway and it shattered. Boohoo. I’m on the lookout for a new one.

    BTW, love Snuggle Puppy. My fave Boynton is Belly Button Book.

    Reply

  46. lindsey @ a pear to remember says

    Lovvvvve your new chair oh mama! And i couldn’t agree more about excitement levels sharing a positive relatio ship with one’s posterior our mid-centuryapple green chair was unwanted during Grandma’s recent move’ and it is the star of our home. So cozy, opening bills is almost a delight!

    Reply

  47. Lesley says

    Don’t tell the leather club chair in the office, but it only got 2 comments when you announced its arrival (technically one, and a response from you guys), while this chair is heading to 200 comments…

    But as Elizabeth alluded, chairs should not take themselves too seriously.

    Reply

  48. maribel says

    totally unrelated but this weekend I scored at Ikea as is section a pair of very awesome curtains for $5 total. I saw one panel for 2.50 and figured maybe i can make pillows or something…I walked around and to my luck saw another panel. I dont know how much they were priced originally, the least I’m thinking is half off for the both. They are super cool, and super long….oh I scored on a bed skirt as well turned out to be a king but it will work. Go As Is section….

    Reply

  49. Annegirrl says

    Love the new chair.

    I have been searching for months now for the perfect chair and still haven’t found it. I need something that would be comfy to curl up in to read a book with a high back and arms, small enough to fit in the small corner of my craft room, and it needs to be a bright color because there is entirely too much brown/tan/rust going on in that room. I’m looking for a nice bright teal or purple to tie in with a hanging quilt my mom had made years ago with some of the coolest looking fabric ever. I could never afford to re-upholster and doing that myself would be a serious mess so a fixer upper chair isn’t an option. My eyes are forever on the lookout for that perfect chair. Craigslist, consignment shops, and yard sales call to me every weekend.

    Reply

  50. Ally says

    $herdog, it’s like your butt is torn between two lovers…

    Will there be an EGGIE or SCHMEXXY sit-in today? :)

    xox

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *