You guys don’t miss a thing. Last week’s post about our apartment’s holiday decor quickly stirred up interest in two new side chairs.
They’re the Baylor club chairs from Grandin Road. They retail for $499 each.
I came across two of them at the Grandin Road Outlet in West Chester, Ohio. {If you’re ever in the area you should totally check out the outlet. Ballard Designs and Frontgate outlet stores are in the same building, so you’re sure to come across something.}
They were exactly what I had been looking for: upholstered, compact and simple. I knew right when I saw them that I wanted them. But there was a young couple scoping them out first. They were walking around them like they were herding them. Then they proceeded to sit in them and talk about where they would put them in their house. Oh no! In my head I was talking to the couple saying, “Don’t buy them. Don’t buy them. Don’t buy them.” I was patient. Eventually, they moved on and I moved in for the kill.
The chairs were marked down to $249 each – 50% off the retail price. After sitting in them and looking them over, I found nothing to be wrong – no tears, no stains, no missing parts, etc. {I’m guessing they were returned to the company by a customer who didn’t like the color or size.} I quickly emailed Handy Hubby a few pics along with the price tag. I staked my claim while I awaited HH’s response. I plopped myself down in one chair and put my purse in the other. HH liked ’em and he said he trusted whatever decision I made.
That was it. They were mine. $500 for two club chairs is no killer deal but I didn’t feel bad using some of the money we had earned from selling off a lot of our previous furniture when we downsized for something that I knew would be perfect for the Underdog’s living room. These handsome chairs are just one good example of what can happen when you choose quality over quantity. They will be one of the main seating options in our future living room and will get a lot of use.
Without pillows you can better see the tufting detail on the back.
I love that detail. It kicks up the plush factor just a notch. The upholstery looks like linen but is actually a heavier, slightly nubbier fabric that should hold up well for our family.
Other than the tufting and linen lookalike fabric, I love the straight lines of the chairs. The footprint is modest. The arm design is non-froo-froo. And have I mentioned that these new guys are crazy comfortable? They are. They’re like sitting in a snug – not too tight, not too loose – hug. Every time HH sits in one he says, “I really like these chairs.” They have HH’s manly seal of approval.
Finally, the last little characteristic about these chairs that makes them even more perfect for us is their mobility. The two front legs on each chair are decked out in casters. Which means you can pick the chair up at the back and easily swivel it around when necessary. Why is this good for us? Well, my plan is to place them opposite a sofa {which we don’t have just yet…more on that to come} with their backs facing the fireplace, flanking the hearth and angled in towards the living room. The sofa will face the fireplace and TV that will be mounted above the mantel. On the rare occasion that we need more seating to face the TV {we don’t watch a lot of TV…especially when company is over}, we can spin the chairs around to face the fireplace/TV. Easy as that.
The only con that I can come up with for these chairs is that the seat cushion is not removable…i.e. you can’t flip it over should it get stained or damaged. A reversible seat cushion would have been nice but it wasn’t a necessity. We enforce a ‘no food/no drink {except for water} in the living room policy’ in our house to avoid spills and stains.
Hopefully, that answers the big “Where did those chairs come from?” question. I’ll keep you posted on other furniture purchases as well. In fact, a main piece is set to be delivered later this week!
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor