Ok. I officially hit my breaking point with our dining room chairs. I love them. I have this strange affinity for them but I think we need to break up. To fully understand how hard this is, you must know that we first met over 14 years ago. Yep. I have had these chairs for 14 years. And in those 14 years I am pretty sure I have painted them three or four times, added hardware pulls, and recovered them more times than I can count. Before I owned them, my sister had them for five years and before that, they belonged to an older couple for a lifetime. You see, they were built well and have been a part of countless dinner parties, birthday celebrations, and cereal eating mornings. But it’s time. 
table | drapes | light 
extension table I adore our farmhouse table. This has been one of my favorite purchases. And for those of you who get hives thinking about the deep grooves, I use a little handheld vacuum every couple of days and the crumbs vanish. Back to the chairs. It was this past weekend we we had company and each time we sat down there was a horrible squeaking noise. Then I stood back an realized just how nasty the upholstery really is. You tend to ignore it when it’s your own house. And yes, I could recover them AGAIN but I am getting tired of that routine. Not to mention, they are pretty darn heavy and because we entertain a lot that is sort of a downfall. The search is on. I have rounded up the possible contenders. Care to weigh in? 
bistro chair – light walnut 
Thonet Bentwood 
magical thinking chair 
grass lily dining chair 
gray bistro chairs 
So what do you picture in this space. I am definitely learning towards one option but don’t want to rush into anything. I might be dating these chairs for another 14 years. I want to know what I am getting myself into!
I love the grass lily dining room chairs!! And wow, what a story about your current ones…love that!! xo
Yes, love the grass lily chairs with your table! (My first choice would be those gorgeous bent wood chairs, but I like them best when they're paired with a round table.) Have fun shopping!
I like the grass lily, simply because the first three look so dang uncomfortable and that last one is kind of busy.
I love the bistro chairs in the first picture. I have a dining room table very similar to yours and I paired it with metal chairs and they compliment the room very nicely. What a about a mix of wood and metal chairs for your dining room? I know whatever you choose it will be gorgeous.
I would go for comfort! I love the look of my dining room chairs (ladder back), but they are NOT comfortable – and I have had Brentwood (we called them ice cream parlor) chairs in the past – also found them disagreeable…..just saying. 🙂
My first thoughts when looking at the Bentwood and Magical Thinking chairs is that they do not look comfortable…but they're cute!
Go for comfort, which the bentwood are NOT! I adore the magical thinking chair, but not sure if the metal would be comfortable either.
I like what you have, if it is the 1st picture, over ALL that you posted. IJS.
I think the first one would look really good with your decor. The only problem is that everyone in blogland has them. I am in love with the gray bistro. Good luck in your search
I would 100% go with comfort! Whenever we entertain and use our dining chairs, we are at the table for a LOOOONG time enjoying food, wine and conversation and I would hate for less than comfortable chairs to damper the evening. So of the options you showed, I think would have to go for the grass lily because it has some cushion for the tush. However, I am in love with the Magical Thinking Chair and think that pretty lady needs to come take a visit at my casa!
Grass Lily!
It's really hard to find good, sturdy chairs that will last-don't get rid of those!!!
The bentwood are very uncomfortable, any of them, so I am not sure. I think if you want to sit in them for any length of time you need to maybe hunt for other options.
i'm also voting for comfort–the bistro style you're showing are not usually that comfortable. also, make sure you check the weight limit for the chairs–some chairs have limits of 200 lbs, which seems like a lot, but even my fit 6' 3" husband weighs more than that! good luck…i would actually consider reupholstering your current chairs, as they still look awesome (although i know you mentioned in the post that you did not want to go this route)–maybe some outdoor fabric?
I disagree with Marty, we have Bentwood chairs as our dining chairs (replica Thonet) in walnut and they are light, comfortable, easy to wipe down after family meals but narrow enough to fit lots of chairs around the table.
The ones you have are beautiful! I would say keep those or keep on looking.
I'm loving the grass lily too! They seem to go with your room the best.
Grass Lilly or Bistro. But definitely opt for comfort first. Also, have a shorter person and a taller than average person sit in them to be sure they work for people of different heights. While I may be comfy in one my over six foot hubby and his six foot right buddy might not be.
Love all of the selections, my first choice would be the bistro chairs, but I do love the Grass Lily.
I am in love with the 3rd chairs! However, they may not go with a lot if you think you are going to want to change up the room in the future. But, OMG they are gorgeous!
I vote for the gray bistro chairs. But I really agree with the idea of keeping your old chairs and recovering the seats. Those chairs are so versatile.
Hmm… Well, the first two look like they might be uncomfortable. The way the back is actually behind the frame of the chair on the first one seems odd to me, and like it might not feel good to lean back against. The style of chair #2 has always been uncomfortable to me. Lots of restaurants have them, and they hit my back all wrong. I always call them the "high turnover" chairs. As in, the restaurant owner wants to feed as many people as possible, and those uncomfortable chairs help speed up the process. 🙂 Number 3 is lovely, and might be comfortable enough, but I wonder if it's a style you can keep loving for the long haul. I like #4 a lot. They look comfy and you could spray paint them a different color and recover the seats a few years down the road if you were ready for a change. I'm not loving #5. The shape makes me think of metal folding chairs, and I don't really care for the gray/white pattern with the warm wood frame. So… those are my thoughts. 🙂 I'm sure whichever you pick will look great!
These are all good options. I have the counter height WM bistro chairs. I love the look and I believe that they will survive (style-wise) past their current popularity. I find them comfortable, but for dining, you may want to add a chair pad or cushion. I know that takes away from their look which is why I won't add one to ours. The issue that I have with our chairs is they are a little rough and will catch on some fabrics. I haven't had anything actually snag, but I have felt a pull that was hard enough that I did take a look for one. I don't know if the RH bistro chairs have the same issue, but their price point is pretty close to WM. I love the Grass Lily chairs. They are beautiful! It's tough with OKL for seating, I like to get my bum in a chair, especially a dining chair to really get a feel for it. I don't know if any of these will be 20+ year chairs though. Good luck! I look forward to your reveal post. It will be amazing!
Oh, one more thing. I love the gray bistro chairs! I have had a HUGE crush on the Serena and Lily chairs. I think that they would work great in your home. You seem to stick with the classics for your anchor pieces (sofa, dining table, chairs, bed, etc.) and use accessories and accents pieces to nod to the trends. I am afraid that this choice could be a deviation from that. I could be completely wrong though. 🙂
My two favorites are the grass lily and gray bistro, both are beautiful! I think the magical thinking are too trendy and you may end up not loving them for an additional 14 years!
I'd recover what you have..they are classic…the options shown are just trendy and look very uncomfortable for guests.
Thank you all so much for your comments and thoughts. So much fun to hear the different points of view. Stay tuned for the reveal. Eeeek.
Well, I personally don't think you can ever go with a bentwood style and I also think the bistro chairs are a classic……reminds me of some of my favorite classic cafes. As for comfort, I never choose a dining chair based on comfort because even at a dinner party people are only sitting in them for maybe an hour tops and then they're moving on to comfier living room furniture. I've always had a deep disdain for upholstery in dining areas – I think it's the germaphobe in me -ha! So, I'm all about a flat, wipeable chair. Excited to see what you choose!!
I was about to say that none of these options look comfortable enough to sit through a dinner party, but Carmel's post explains it better. That said, all of these appear too small in scale, and any man in the 6' range won't be able to relax. Try higher backed upholstered chairs on the ends, at least.
I too am looking to break up with my dining room chairs (and the table as well)! They have been in my family for probably 30 years (at least), but I have had them for almost 8. We need something smaller since it's just my fiance and I, and we don't have a lot of guests over so it's wasted space. I'm loving the the Bentwood style chairs, but am also torn to the grass lily chairs. Which ever one you choose will look fabulous!!
I am obsessed with the gray & white bistro chairs!
I was just folding laundry on my kitchen island next to my bistro chairs and thought about your chair quest. Sarah Richardson covered some counter stools in a lovely gray and white polka dot oil cloth. Your current chairs would look fab in something like that and if you choose carefully, which you always do, you could get a sophisticated wipeable fabric that won't stain. You could repaint them, change the hardware on the back and have a 2 or 3 part blog post to keep us all updated on your incredible progress. 🙂
That was a great design. She used a Cath Kidston fabric for the stools. http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/source-guide/441/2181
I have the bistro chairs and I LOVE them. Everyone that comes in comments on those chairs before anything else.
Magical Thinking Industrial Chair, so pretty, it's my fav.