One purchase I have been less than happy with is our tolix dining chairs.
These chairs are under three years old, and I was sooooo excited to buy them. I saved up for them for a while, and a set of six weren't cheap. I will admit that I like the industrial metal contrasted with a farmhouse table, and they are light and easy to clean.
However.
They are uncomfortable. I realize that millions of French bottoms sit in them daily, but I hate sitting in them for any length of time. The kids don't like sitting in them either. Every member of this family fights to sit in the three shield back chairs at the table. Originally I just used the two shield back chairs at the head and foot of the table, but I brought in the third spare chair because the tolix chairs are just so terrible.
As my original post noted, I still wish I had gotten the white chairs instead of metal, and they scratch at the least provocation. Most irritating is that I got the gunmetal color instead of the white because I was afraid that the white would chip, and figured that the metal color would be impervious to chipping. HAHAHA. Gunmetal is a painted on color, and lo and behold, I was right, the paint chips. Should have at least gotten the white I actually wanted.
We went on vacation at a VRBO house in Palm Springs last Christmas, and that house had a formal dining room with an Ethan Allen table and chair set. It was supremely ugly with 1980's fabric upholstered chairs. However, those ugly, frumpy chairs were SO CUSHY. We sat in them for hours. The Mister said "how come we don't have chairs like this?" My answer: "these chairs were probably $550 apiece when they were new."
Since then I have been searching craigslist for a set of six chairs with upholstered seats that are easy to recover, for under $300. I'm not the only who does this, right? Every evening I sit down and search for a full size headboard, a set of dining chairs, a bench, and see what rugs have come up for sale. For six months, no chairs.
In any event, since I have six perfectly usable if uncomfortable tolix chairs, I figured perhaps the interim measure would be to make the tolix chairs more comfortable with cushions. I spent an inordinately long time looking for inexpensive cushions that would perfectly fit the 14x9 seat (that should have been my first clue that my generously sized bottom would find a 14x9 inch seat uncomfortable). Pottery Barn used to carry tolix chairs and accessory cushions, but has apparently discontinued them. These cushions are available on the Industry West website currently for $19, but I didn't like the "screw on" cushion.
I eventually gave in and just bought clearance cushions that did not remotely fit the dimensions of the chair.
The Mister's verdict was "these cushions make the chairs marginally less awful. No, wait, they don't." Two of three children said "eh, they are kind of better, I guess," and the third child said "I still hate these chairs."
These chairs are under three years old, and I was sooooo excited to buy them. I saved up for them for a while, and a set of six weren't cheap. I will admit that I like the industrial metal contrasted with a farmhouse table, and they are light and easy to clean.
However.
They are uncomfortable. I realize that millions of French bottoms sit in them daily, but I hate sitting in them for any length of time. The kids don't like sitting in them either. Every member of this family fights to sit in the three shield back chairs at the table. Originally I just used the two shield back chairs at the head and foot of the table, but I brought in the third spare chair because the tolix chairs are just so terrible.
As my original post noted, I still wish I had gotten the white chairs instead of metal, and they scratch at the least provocation. Most irritating is that I got the gunmetal color instead of the white because I was afraid that the white would chip, and figured that the metal color would be impervious to chipping. HAHAHA. Gunmetal is a painted on color, and lo and behold, I was right, the paint chips. Should have at least gotten the white I actually wanted.
We went on vacation at a VRBO house in Palm Springs last Christmas, and that house had a formal dining room with an Ethan Allen table and chair set. It was supremely ugly with 1980's fabric upholstered chairs. However, those ugly, frumpy chairs were SO CUSHY. We sat in them for hours. The Mister said "how come we don't have chairs like this?" My answer: "these chairs were probably $550 apiece when they were new."
Since then I have been searching craigslist for a set of six chairs with upholstered seats that are easy to recover, for under $300. I'm not the only who does this, right? Every evening I sit down and search for a full size headboard, a set of dining chairs, a bench, and see what rugs have come up for sale. For six months, no chairs.
In any event, since I have six perfectly usable if uncomfortable tolix chairs, I figured perhaps the interim measure would be to make the tolix chairs more comfortable with cushions. I spent an inordinately long time looking for inexpensive cushions that would perfectly fit the 14x9 seat (that should have been my first clue that my generously sized bottom would find a 14x9 inch seat uncomfortable). Pottery Barn used to carry tolix chairs and accessory cushions, but has apparently discontinued them. These cushions are available on the Industry West website currently for $19, but I didn't like the "screw on" cushion.
I eventually gave in and just bought clearance cushions that did not remotely fit the dimensions of the chair.
The Mister's verdict was "these cushions make the chairs marginally less awful. No, wait, they don't." Two of three children said "eh, they are kind of better, I guess," and the third child said "I still hate these chairs."
I am so sorry your chairs are uncomfortable
ReplyDeleteI am sadly hoarding chairs all over my house. I have 8 french ladder backs with rush seats - I used to love these but they are wooden and I can't bring myself to paint them nor get rid of them because they cost so much so they are relaxing in the garage . I bought 4 Chinese Chippendale faux bamboo seats hoping to find 4 more, but unfortunately none have popped up. I also have 8 seats that a friend was giving away that have the upholstery destroyed and have a weird bone / faun colored half cover that I am ever hopeful of making full length linen covers for - these are at least comfortable, and another 6 chairs that are french style but two have wonky legs and really need to be recovered. my husband has banned me from bringing any new chairs into the house and is ever hopeful of seeing some leave. If I lived closer I would gladly give you some of these chairs to get them out of my house . Unfortunately I live on the other side of the world, so we are both stuck with our problems for now.
Kind Regards
Cathy
ha, Cathy, that is a lot of chairs! I would be thrilled to take them off your hands if you were a few thousand miles closer!
DeleteSo Sad!!! But thanks for the honest review - I've often fawned over Tolix chairs in the blogosphere. :)
ReplyDeleteI still think they LOOK pretty....I just hate sitting on them.
DeleteFirst, can you return them? I'd complain to the company you bought them from - even if it's been a year, that chipping is unacceptable. Next, I'm sure you'll find some chairs to reupholster! There's an estate sale with your name on it out there, I can feel it.
ReplyDeleteI think its been too long, and shipping the chairs back to Texas would be prohibitively expensive. Expensive lesson learned.
DeleteI think you need to go Kondo on this one. Marie Kondo. You gotta get these chairs outta your dining room because they're not only not bringing you joy, they're bringing you misery. Don't spend any more energy trying to make something that's wrong right. I should know: It just doesn't work that way. And you know I'm a recovering chair addict. Haven't bought one in over a year! (Hope the craigslist gods smile on you soon.)
ReplyDeleteYes, I will get rid of the tolix chairs on CL as soon as I can find something to replace them with. I think part of the inability to find new chairs is that I really want white ones, and I have zero desire to paint six chairs. Otherwise I have seen a few sets on CL that would have worked, if they weren't rosewood or espresso-stained.
Delete