Happy Monday, Friends! Since moving into our new house we have been searching for a set of captain’s chairs for our dining area. We purchased a gorgeous table and set of chairs from the previous owners but still lacked two chairs for each end of the table. Guess what we found yesterday? Come see!
My husband and I bought this beautiful oval dining table and chairs from the previous owners. The table is a double pedestal, and made of reclaimed wood. It is wonderfully rustic and beautiful at the same time. This is the top of the table.
The table measures an impressive 8 feet long by nearly 4 feet wide. There are no leaves in the table but it comfortably holds 8 chairs and I”m thinking we can squeeze in a few more at the holidays.
Originally the table faced in the opposite direction due to the existing light fixture. But because we had a few favorite pieces of furniture we needed to fit into this space, we had to flip the table so it faced vertically in the room. (as seen in the picture above-we already turned the table) Then, we changed out the chandelier to better suite the space. (and our style-you know me and my crystal chandeliers!) We brought this chandelier with us from our former house simply because we love it and couldn’t bear to leave it.
Here is how the dining area looks currently along with the new ceiling medallion and chandelier. I tried a blue arm chair I had as a captain’s chair, but it wasn’t very comfortable. AND, I only had one.
The chairs we purchased from the previous home owners are a set of 6 French Louis XVI style armless chairs. Our goal was to find two French style captain’s chairs to match. Of course that proved trickier than one might imagine. I envisioned two tall wing chairs with a linen fabric and the same distressed finish as the table. However, because the view from the table overlooks the golf course, my husband wanted something more low profile. Impractical me thought, “just move the chair out of the way when you eat…” Obviously that wasn’t a consideration. For him. Plus, the chairs I wanted were about $500 each. (Aren’t these pretty? via Walmart. Yes, Walmart.) The search continued.
In the past few weeks my husband and I made several trips to the furniture outlet stores in Hickory and I scoured antique shops, eBay, Facebook and Craigslist. Originally I wanted captain’s chairs with arms but often the arms won’t allow the chairs to fit snuggly under the table and the chairs stick out in the room. This dining area is not that large to begin with so I agree, smaller scale chairs are more practical. Sigh.
Yesterday we decided to take a quick trip to Hickory despite the fact that two of the stores we wanted to visit are closed on Sundays. As soon as we walked into the Kincaid Outlet store I spied two of these beauties. The chairs have a similar shape as our existing chairs but a taller back and larger seat giving them a nice contrast. The chairs are very comfortable and once we found out the price, we snatched them up! Similar chairs run around $200 each and up. These beauties? $50 each!!!
Note the similar carvings on the chairs and the same double welting. Although the wood tone and the fabric are completely different, I think the two styles compliment each other nicely!
A side by side comparison of the two chairs. The chair on the left is one we already own and the one on the right is one of the new “captain’s chairs”. Both chairs are quite comfortable too!
So for now, we have our captain’s chairs! I thought about trying to white wash the wood on the new chairs to match the others but now I see them in place, I love the contrast. And for $50 each, it’s perfect! These chairs are a nice size that will allow us to pull them into the great room or onto the terrace when we need extra, comfortable seating.
And my husband’s favorite part? Well, aside from the bargain basement price, the backs of the chairs sit low enough they don’t impede his view of the golf course! Which is very important. Some of my very favorite pieces, such as the antique sideboard and china cabinet are in this room. Now I think it’s perfect. Bring on the holidays!
I’ll share a bit of my secret thinking- If I find something MORE perfect later, I can always sell these and get my money back! But since chairs are one of the things I love second only to chandeliers, I have a feeling these will be keepers. Another thing checked off of my to-do list! Now we are officially ready for the holidays and can easily seat all of the “adults” at the dinner table!
So, my fiends, if you are on the lookout for that something special, it’s out there! Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day and week. Let’s chat soon? xo Dell
