Sunday, January 23, 2011

On the Hunt...


I'm in full blown new apartment decorating mode (when I'm not at school, work or packing) and my latest focus is bar stools! I have a real kitchen, finally, and need bar stools. Sounds simple right? Have you ever looked for bar stools, though? Not so easy; there are some TRULY unattractive bar stools out there. Above, is a stock photo of my new kitchen--let's be clear, I would NEVER choose those stools, but that's the basic look of my kitchen. Take a look at my top picks.

BAHA. Totally kidding. How do you look yourself in the eye selling that chair?? Okay, let's get serious.


I LOVE these from Pottery Barn--they have a beautiful rustic quality and the stain is very rich and nice. The only problem? I want them to have backs on them.


Same issue with these. I love them and they remind me of those stools from art class with an industrial quality, right? No backs though...so a no-go.


Then, I saw THESE French Bistro chairs in House Beautiful and fell in love. Unforch they're about 200 dollars each...I'll have to scout out some on ebay or something. Any suggestions on where to find these for a good price?

Here they are in backless version. I still love them. This is truly one of my favorite kitchens--designed by Nancy Boszhardt.



I also stumbled upon these, Breuer Counter Stools, which took me down memory lane. A family friend had these in their kitchen growing up and I'm oddly drawn to them. Nostalgia, probably. I remember them being very comfortable, though.

So as you can see, it's slim pickins for attractive bar/counter stools. I mean if you want pay $500 for that guitar stool above, I judge you, and please seek help. For everybody else, please help! Any good suggestions? Sources that I'm not aware of? After this hurdle, I have to work on carpets.


Alicia B.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why do you want the stools to have a back on them?

Decor Arts Now said...

Hi Alicia,
Larry finally got moved out of intensive care today! And I finally started to read my favorites blogs again(including yours)! I hope to post on my blog very soon!
Now onto bar stools. Honestly, I think a more contemporary stool would work well with your kitchen.
I like this one from Calligaris. At $171 and free shipping it is well priced.
http://www.bar-stools-barstools.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=1358
Xo, Lynn

Emily Amy Gallery said...

I totally remember that last stool from my childhood too. There's nothing wrong with a little nostalgia in the room...I bet you could even paint them whatever color you wanted too!

Alicia B. Designs said...

Lynn, I'm SO happy to hear that ! I was (as we all were) very worried but Larry pulled through! SO AMAZING! He must have a great supportive family :)

Thanks for the bar stool idea. I think I'm going to have to see some in person before I decide.

So glad you're back!

xoxo

Air Purifier said...

Those French bistro chairs were adorable!! I don't like bar stools without backs either, I love the ones I have. I got them at some generic furniture store, they're metal with fabric cushions and a metal back with a stencil of a coffee cup. You've probably seen them, I found them in a few other stores, but they're cute and not too expensive. What did you end up going with?