Young House Love

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Vintage Gold Chairs In The Kitchen

Maybe we should change the name of our site to WCL (Wire Chair Love), because guess who found four awesome vintage wire chairs for the kitchen for $15 a pop? This girl (*points to self with thumbs, notices there’s peanut butter on one thumb, and licks it off while beaming at pretty new chairs*)

Gold AFTER Full Table Vertical

Allow me to paint you a picture of chair-finding glory. We’re walking into our favorite local thrift store (Love of Jesus on Midlothian for any thrift-lovin’ locals). We pop in there a few times a month just to see what’s up, and 9 times out of 10 we leave empty handed, so it’s not like we’re always finding amazing things, but on this occasion we saw these guys from across the room. Angels sang. Little hearts floated around them. And I broke into a run to claim them before anyone else could snatch them up right in front of me as I cried “nooooooo, stoooop, waiiiiiitttt, whyyyy??” in slow motion.

Gold 1 In Thrift Store

Admittedly, the limp plastic-wrapped covers weren’t doing them any favors, but we knew that with pretty seat cushions like these, those nice clean lines would be an awesome complement to our chunky wooden table.

Gold 2 In Thrift Store DETAIL

We’ve been aiming for a nice mix of rustic/modern when it comes to our eating area, but of course the old white chairs (from my NYC days 8+ years ago) were a little too small and spindly with our big chunky table. But we were happy to use them as placeholders until we found something taller and a bit more weighty.

Stain After Main2

The funny thing is that I’ve admired this photo of Jenifer Altman’s dining room, which has nearly identical chairs, just in a silver finish. I wish I could add the picture right here, but we don’t have her permission to post it on our site, so just click this link to see it. So nice, right? I love those spotted cushions too! Anyway, so now the old white chairs are chilling in the office. Since they’re versatile and good to have on hand for parties/extra dinner guests, I’m sure we’ll find some permanent spot for them someday.

We can’t believe the new chairs were $15 each, marked down from $25… which actually means they sat there a while and got overlooked (the thrift store lowers prices every week or two if folks don’t grab something). So how funny is it that I ran towards them fearing that someone would snake them out right from under my nose when they had been sitting there for a week or two with no takers and even had time to be marked down? And thanks to their low thrift store price, I won’t feel too bad getting some nice-ish (and super durable and food-friendly) fabric for the cushions I want to make.

Gold 3 Price Tag

But how did we get four big wire chairs home with only one small Altima on hand? Geometry, my friends. Somehow we got all four of them in the car with three of us in there too (one chair was in the trunk, two could be nested in the front passenger seat, and one was in the back to the right of Clara’s carseat while I sat back there to her left).

Once home, we dragged them all into the kitchen to see how they looked. It was LOVE, folks. We’re so glad they’re higher (it felt like the table needed something with some added height) and they tie in nicely with the rope chandelier thanks to their vertical lines (which play off the horizontal ones in the light kinda nicely, don’t you think?).

Gold AFTER Other Side

When it comes to their gold paint-job, we’re not sure if they’ll stay that way (if so, they at least need some touching up) – but a few other choices we’ve debated are something deep to tie into the stained lower cabinets (oil-rubbed bronze? charcoal? dark chocolate?) or something crisp (like white or even a soft mint color).

Gold AFTER Scratched Finish DETAIL1

We’ve decided just to live with them until we’re 100% sure that we want to change them (and 100% sure about what color we’d prefer). Should be fun to see where we end up. Any color suggestions?

And as for the cushion thing, I’d love to eventually make leather or vinyl cushions for them like Dana’s, but until then we’ve had luck with a folded faux sheepskin on each one. I know that sounds crazy (hello food trap?!) but since they’re awesomely machine washable and so easily removed (they’re just folded and tossed onto each chair) I’ve had luck just shaking out any Clara-crumbs (and vacuuming the floor where they land with the hand-vac) without even having to wash them yet. I wouldn’t use them for the long haul, but for now they work better than I thought.

Gold AFTER Chair Alone

As for the comfort factor, I’m not one of those looks-before-function ladies who would compromise on that when it comes to our eat-in kitchen. We spend TONS of time at this table, especially since we don’t have a peninsula with stools or anything, so virtually all of our eating is done in these chairs. Thankfully with our makeshift cushions on the bottom, they’ve been nice and comfy for the last week or so that we’ve test driven them.

Gold Clara Far1

They’re sort of reclined by nature so you don’t tend to lean back in them very much, but if you do it’s not uncomfortable – it’s sort of like leaning back in any spindle backed dining chair (like this) or a wooden rocking chair (like this). And if you add a pensive face, a la Clara, you’ll look like you’re thinking about something really deep. Like the meaning of life. Or how much you love marshmallows.

Gold Clara Close

So that’s the new kitchen view. Which beats the heck outta this one from about a month into living here.

Kitchen Before

Is anyone else trolling thrift stores for anything in particular? What are you searching for (or finding) lately?

Comments

  1. Mallory says

    I would have walked right on past those chairs because I wouldn’t have been able to see past the nasty, flat, dingy cushions! I like the gold, but I think a softer, more champagne-y gold would be classier and less dated looking than the brassy gold they currently have. I agree some other commenters – wait to make a color decision until your phase 1 flooring has been taken care of.

    I LOVE how you are able to see the diamonds in the rough and make everything come to together!

    Reply

  2. Rah says

    I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I’m not usually a fan of gold, but I like the chandelier/table/chair color combination. They provide movement, and your eye is drawn down from the light to the table to the harp strings on the chairs. Just really fun and pleasing to the eye. My two cents!

    Reply

  3. Sarah says

    What about a deeper, vibrant tone of the Nelson blue on the wall? Ya know, kinda like the blue bath tile you are trying to forget. Sorry. :)

    Reply

  4. karen says

    Please, please, please leave them gold. They are gorgeous and the shine does your room proud. Awesome find. I even love the sheepskin cushions. Great job!

    Reply

  6. Susan B says

    I usually just follow along, soaking up your awesome life, but this post inspired me to comment. I actually had the same “across a crowded room, love at first sight” experience with my kitchen chairs. I had been searching for just the right chairs for awhile but didn’t know exactly what I wanted until I saw them… 4 1970’s green swivel, rolling kitchen chairs. Sigh… Love. They were in the back area at a local thrift store and I paid $5 each for them (saw an identical set on ebay with 1 extra chair and a table listed at $350). They have a couple small cracks in the seat but other than that are in perfect condition…. and I’m still in love with them every day. Congrats on your chairs… oh, and your barnacle! =)

    Reply

  7. Trissi V. says

    I think the gold with the faux sheep skin folded for the seats is….wait for it….AWESOME!!!!!!! They look great with the table. I love faux sheep skin rugs…I bought our dogs each one for Christmas for the living room. Things wash up like magic and the dogs LOVE THEM!

    Reply

  8. Maggie S says

    What a great find! I do like the gold and have definitely become a fan of gold furnishings over the last few years but I like where you are going with your idea of painting them dark. Especially if you plan to eventually lighten the floors, I think the dark color of the chairs would really ground the space nicely. That way, the lower cabinets wouldn’t be the only dark spot in the room. A dark navy blue like Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy or Behr’s Nightshade might be a good option. This would ground the space a bit more while also tying in with the dark cabinets and blue walls. Just a thought from this interior design student :) I’m love how your kitchen (and whole house, really) is coming along!

    Reply

  9. Amy @ a new old house says

    Great find! I think a pop of color on the chairs would look great- maybe the green or blue that show on the shelf in the background of the photos with Clara?

    I’m on the hunt for a cabinet for our media room- something with doors to hide board games, DVDs, etc. I hope to drop by the Re-Store this weekend- fingers crossed for an awesome find!

    Reply

  10. Sharon says

    As many others, I love the monocromatic look of the gold with the gorgeous woods of the table & chandelier. Waiting to consider the floor and other changes would definitely be the way to go. I did not know you had not redone them at first. They look so good. You can add the beautiful suggested colors in new seat cushions. You will love the stories later on about these chairs. We bought wonderful thrift store finds many years ago and our children & grandchildren still love sitting in the consistently redone stools and the stories. I love that the gold is more muted and not brassy. You all are an inspiration!

    Reply

  11. Jen says

    Hi, I’m pretty sure those blue polka dot cushions are actually just pillows from Ikea. I have some just like that and am 99% sure I got them there.

    Reply

  12. Angela N says

    Wow! I really love how the chairs go with the room. I’m not normally a gold-loving kind of person but the gold just goes so well with the color scheme and feel of the room. I would keep them that color.

    Reply

  13. Liz says

    I like the gold, but I think they might be a little too “matchy” with the light fixture above the table. I think something darker might be better. Although, if you’re planning to do dark floors when you do the big kitchen reno, then dark chairs might blend in too much.

    Reply

  14. Jennifer says

    I am in love with your table and am thinking about purchasing one for our dining room. Do you recommend it for a family with little ones? I read that it may stain if juice or red wine is spilled on it. Have you had any problems with it? Thanks!

    Reply

  15. Jamie D says

    Hallelujah! These are so so cool, and I’m also on Team GOLD! I’ve been recently adding gold touches mixed in my house since I feel like it layers well with any color scheme and really is a bit elegant.

    I also have a few chairs (MCM style too!) that I need to repaint. Would you mind telling us how you spray paint (or paint) furniture that has thin spindles like your new chairs? I think spray paint is probably best but it seems to be wasteful and tough to get every inch when you have such thin parts of the chair. Love you YHL!

    Reply

  16. Tricia S says

    I love the chairs. If you hadn’t been so aggressive with the wall paper stripping and painting, you could have picked up the braided rug they were sitting on. It would have coordinated perfectly! Seriously, those chairs are beautiful. The higher backs are a good balance to the mass of the table. I’d really discourage you from going with a darker finish unless it is bold. I think a matte metallic gold or a very pale color would look great but ORB or similar will look clunky. BTW, I think Clara is wistful because she knows a couple of those chairs painted navy blue would look great in her room :)

    Reply

  17. Melissa says

    Im another for team GOLD! They add such warmth and tie into the chandelier and burlap light fixture plus compliment the lower cabinets. They add a touch of glam to the space. What a great find. Im jealous!

    Reply

  18. Paula M. says

    Someone may already have suggested this, but if not: another way to go with cushions would be to use outdoor-friendly fabric cushions for the chair bottoms.

    I bought some pretty turquoise ones for a pop of color some years ago; got them cheap on sale (most typically found after summer, I assume) for the metal chairs that sit around a Moroccan mosaic table in my breakfast nook.

    Definitely need a cushion of some kind on metal chairs — especially when the air is cool and skin touches metal …. wheeee!

    (Of course, one of my cats now thinks she “needs” to be on one of those chair cushions as soon as I sit there, but that’s another story! ;) )

    Reply

  21. Leah says

    I think gray would be cool for those new chairs, but you know what else would be fun?? Red! (maybe…???!!!)
    Anyway, GREAT find, you guys – and I love the way they “fit” around the pedestal base “feet”!
    YaY!!
    Leah: )
    P.S. It definitely looks like Clara is in deep (pillowy-soft) thought about marshmallows…; )

    Reply

  22. Marianne says

    Another vote for gold/brass touch up. I think it keeps your kitchen light and modern and ties together well with the chandelier. I think ORB would be too dark… and wouldn’t stand out as much with the dark cabinets in the background.

    Now I’m feeling motivated to find those cesca chairs I’m holding out for.

    Reply

  23. Marie says

    Love the chairs! Can you please share your method of washing the faux sheepskins? I tried to wash one recently and ruined it :(

    Reply

  24. Colleen says

    I’ve never commented before but these chairs (gasp!) have driven me to make the effort.
    You guys, I’ve been an admirer of your work for a few years now and I’m a professional Interior Designer! Let me tell you that these chairs are NOT good. Not good, my friends! They are not doing anything for your space and are detracting from the value of work you already accomplished. Please reconsider!

    No hard feelings.
    Still gonna stalk you guys. :)

    Best.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, thanks Colleen! We might decide we hate them someday but we’re very much smitten with them now. They’re definitely not the most universal choice we’ve ever made though!

      xo
      s

    • Jackie says

      I agree and disagree. I think the chairs are pretty bad-ass and am definitely a fan. That said, all of these elements don’t appear to be working together successfully right now- and I don’t think that can all be attributed to the floor. I like the table and chairs and I like the table and light fixture but I don’t like the table, chairs, and light fixture.

      Congrats on the thrift store find, these chairs are awesome – you have to start inserting the word ‘vintage’ as smugly as possible from now on though ;)

    • Molly says

      Interesting. I’d love to hear from the professional’s point of view exactly why these chairs are so gaspingly bad and just what it is that makes them detract from the value of other things.

      I personally think the chairs are FANtabulous, and had I been there, I would have been trying my hardest to distract/*gently* trip the pregnant lady so I could sneakily snatch the chairs away from her.

      I think it’s all a matter of opinion and taste. But if there’s truly some reasons why these don’t work, I’m curious to hear them.

  25. gayle olson says

    Leave them gold! If you paint them they will look like cheap wooden chairs and not anything unusual. I like the fluffy contrast of the sheepskin, I think a print would look like grannie’s old house.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So far I just wiped them down with a damp cloth with some watered down Dr Bronner’s soap and they seem clean enough, just not perfect in those areas where the paint is chipped. As for the faux sheepskins, they’re washable, and we’d love to replace them with fabric that’s durable for table spills (like something indoor/outdoor or vinyl/leather so we can wipe it down).

      xo
      s

  28. Chris T says

    So glad to hear about another thrift store in RVA to hit. Not looking for anything specific, but always love to wander around and see what interesting items I find.

    Reply

  29. Jennifer Laura says

    I LOVE these! Not what I would expect you guys to go for though, so I’m really excited! I love the gold and vote for you to touch them up. As for the cushions- maybe a navy leather…although a red would also be very pretty.

    Reply

  31. Christy Niebaum says

    Would love to see a pop of color in the kitchen using those chairs. I really liked that teal color you guys used on the stools in house #2’s kitchen. Maybe something in that family? I also love the idea of mint green. Great find, guys!

    Reply

  35. Karen says

    I love your quirky taste, Sherry! But… maybe it’s my age, I dunno, but GOLD = 70’s. Those chairs are outta the 70’s, no? Love the decade’s music, just not the design… lol.

    Also, did the table come with the chairs?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s so funny how polarizing the gold is! There are so many votes for keeping it that it actually surprised me though (that might be winning). Wish I embedded a poll! As for the table, it was being sold separately, which was nice since we didn’t have a need for it. Might still be there if someone’s in the market!

      xo
      s

  36. Crystal says

    I love the chairs! I love gold a lot but I think a pop of color would be cool further down the road. That is the fun thing about these chairs…they only cost $15 and you could re-spray them a thousand times although that does feel reminiscent of your parsons chairs so be careful! ;)

    P.S. I know you guys said you wouldn’t always drop in on Wednesday afternoons but I’m always checking just in case. Have you stopped those for now (I totally understand)? Just asking because it save me a lot of distraction from work! lol

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Crystal! I think for the next few weeks at least we’ll be crazy busy with showhouse stuff so they’re not very likely, but we’d love to bring them back when we have fewer balls in the air! In the meantime, maybe you’d like YHL Forums or our Projects page/archives for stuff you might not have seen? Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  38. Marie says

    When I hear how excited everyone gets with a great thrift store find, I almost feel sorry for people with the cash to do whatever they want, whenever they want. They are seriously missing out on the thrill of the hunt and the joy when the search pays off!

    Reply

  40. Christine says

    I love the gold, too! But I also know that if there’s a color that could improve on the gold, you guys will find it, and then I’ll think… oh, that IS better! Here’s an idea that I don’t think anyone has suggested yet: How about taking them down to metal and clear coating them? Sort of, “industrial sleek” to go with the rustic table?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s a fun idea too! We think they were originally silver or chrome (not sure if it’s shiny silver or sort of a matte silver, but the scraped parts hint at that). Actually the ones we linked to that we love (not sure if that site’s back up) are chrome and they’re really pretty!

      xo
      s

  41. Molly says

    P.S. Do a poll post! Maybe on a few different topics: chair color, keep/lose blue bathroom tile, which color we liked your old kitchen…I don’t know, might be fun. Obvs, you don’t have to do what we vote for; we’re not the boss of you.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so funny since I said in a few comments that I wish we had added a poll! We’re on the same wavelength here, Molly! Since we crashed on Monday/Tuesday morning, John’s worried about adding something like that just yet, but maybe we’ll have the guts to try it out next week. It’s always so interesting (and surprising) to hear from everyone! For example, it sounds like the majority loves the gold as-is, which we never expected!

      xo
      s

  42. Martha says

    I was just re-reading this post (because it’s the end of the work day and who doesn’t love pretty pictures?) and wondered . . . are ya’ll getting a new vehicle with the bun on the way?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think we’d love something a little bigger (just because dog crate + stuff for 2 kids when you travel can be tight) but I’m not sure when we’ll make our move. Haha!

      xo
      s

  44. Jamie B. says

    Ahhh, lovely. I think the gold ties in with the different wood tones in the kitchen really well. ORB would blend in too much with your dark lower cabinets, I think, and those chairs deserve to stand out! I’m sure you’ll come up with something perfect, though. :)

    Reply

  45. Nicky at Noth My Mother says

    Oh wow! I found a (chrome) version of these chair on the side of the road about a year ago. I snaffled it as my first ever great find, but it’s been sitting up in my garage ever since getting rustier waiting for me to have the guts to do something with it. I think it might be time!

    (As an aside, I wish we had ORB spray paint here. I cannot find it in our hardware stores, just gold and silver.)

    Reply

  48. Klas says

    How does a round table work for so few people? Doesn’t it feel like you’re sitting really far away from each other, across the table?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We use the table really casually, so we might scoot Clara between us for dinner so we’re all close, and stand up and push the chairs back out. Sometimes we leave the chairs right where they are, and we can still all hold hands for grace – even with Clara’s small wingspan – so it probably looks further away than it is. It’s just nice to have a big table since we can pull up four extra chairs to seat eight whenever family or friends come over, but since we’re only a family of three the rest of the time (soon to be four, but he won’t be in a chair for a while) it seemed weird to always have 6-8 chairs to juggle, ya know?

      xo
      s

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