Bookworm Cottage Style

I had always planned to move the black and white bistro chairs from our dining room to our outdoor dining area, as part of my effort to zhush up our tiny little backyard. But first, I had to save up for some replacement indoor chairs. 

There are so many natural colors in the dining room (wooden table, wooden barstools, wooden coffee cabinet, jute rug) that brown wooden chairs felt like too much. I needed some contrast. The Anthropologie Oak Farmhouse Dining Chairs in black were my first choice, but at some point last year the cost per chair nearly doubled overnight from just over $200 per chair to nearly $400 per chair. Not gonna happen. I ended up finding these super affordable solid wood chairs from Bed Bath and Beyond ($295 for 4 chairs at the time when I purchased!) which are a nice dupe for the Shay Dining Chairs from Pottery Barn. I assembled them myself (at 8 months pregnant!) in less than 15 minutes per chair, and the wood is really sturdy and nice. I’m so impressed with the quality for the price!

Because the chairs read a little more modern, I wanted to add some softness and lean into the traditional roots of the Windsor chair style by adding a patterned cushion. I ordered these cushions on Etsy in the 15.7″ round size in Green Stripes II, Blue Stripes, and Yellow Stripes. I am so happy with how they turned out! If I had an unlimited budget, the plan would have been to source custom-made cushions in something like Lost and Found or Espadrille. (See more of my favorite fabrics here!) But honestly, these Etsy cushions were exactly what this room needed.

One day down the road I’d like to get a slightly bigger table that accommodates a leaf for hosting holidays, but I’m not in any huge rush, and am very content with where we’ve landed in this space. Now that the old bistro chairs have moved to the backyard, stay tuned for a backyard update in the months to come!