Any recommendations for a midCentury, modern style chair

[vbnet]

Looking for a midcentury modern style dining chair possibly similar to the Ava at Room and Board. Has anyone bought chairs from them? My opinion is that their wood products shelves, tables are pretty stylish and will hold up however I'm not sure about their chairs.

Any comments? Any recommendations? I'm all ears for all opinions.

Priority is that it has to sit ok and not feel like it's going to fall apart in 2 years. Also, somewhat is price. This stock chair is about $400 which is a bit of a shock to my system since it's a "trendy" piece but maybe I'm just out of touch. I have no qualms about buying hancock and moore or BY because they will last forever, but a dining chair? not sure about that.

[drcollie]

It's pretty difficult to determine durability of the frame without inspecting the construction build on it. The key is how the legs are joined and that requires a flip up to see the bottom side. At $ 400 retail a pop, they are not going to be mortise and tenon, I can tell you that with 99.9% certainty. They may be doweled, which is not as good but acceptable. It they are screwed and glued with corner blocks - forget it. That's Wiggle City.

Since you might not be able to see the build sit in the chair and go vigorously side to side and front to back. If you feel any frame movement at all or the legs feeling like they are flexing, then take a pass. A chair like that has huge stress on the joints and there are no cross stretchers to brace it, that's the failure point on that design. FYI, a well made chair is easily double the price, so I have my doubts on how lone those will last based on price and that they are from Room and Board, which does not enjoy a reputation for building strong, long lasting pieces.

[Ci2Eye]

Looking for a midcentury modern style dining chair possibly similar to the Ava at Room and Board. Has anyone bought chairs from them? My opinion is that their wood products shelves, tables are pretty stylish and will hold up however I'm not sure about their chairs.

Any comments? Any recommendations? I'm all ears for all opinions.

Priority is that it has to sit ok and not feel like it's going to fall apart in 2 years. Also, somewhat is price. This stock chair is about $400 which is a bit of a shock to my system since it's a "trendy" piece but maybe I'm just out of touch. I have no qualms about buying hancock and moore or BY because they will last forever, but a dining chair? not sure about that.

That's a fairly common chair style; a low back variation of a Parson's chair so finding alternatives if the price or construction of the Room and Board version are not acceptable.

[vbnet]

Ah, I knew I could count on you Duane to point me to what I should be looking for. I found (don't know how I missed it the first time) a tab on the construction
http://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/...irs-in-leather



Cushion:
Cushion Details


Wrapped foam
Eco-friendly, high-resiliency foam core wrapped in fiber padding, encased in ticking
Offers a structured, supportive sit
Creates a neat, tailored appearance
Will soften with use, but designed to retain its shape

Frames:
Frames

Made to the same high standards as all of our furniture, each one of our upholstery frames is built to last.

Kiln-dried, engineered hardwood

We use kiln-dried, engineered hardwood in all of our upholstery frames. Often used for structural beams, engineered hardwood is made by pressing thin layers of solid wood together. Kiln-drying removes moisture, minimizing seasonal expansion and contraction. This stable hardwood material resists warping and cracking for lasting durability.

Reinforced joinery

We reinforce every joint in our frames for added stability. Precision-cut parts interlock like puzzle pieces and are reinforced with eco-friendly glues, screws or staples and corner blocks. Reinforced joinery ensures your seating holds together, even with years of frequent use.


Suspension
Webbing

A webbing suspension is made by interweaving strips of nylon material to create a resilient platform. The elasticized webbing is securely attached to the wood frame with staples. Webbing suspensions are ideal for thin-profile styles that require maximum support in minimal space.

[vbnet]

So do we have any ideas where to buy a modern parson's chair? Most of the quality furniture I know of doesn't have the simple lines of this one.

[vbnet]

Duane, this one from Jessica Charles is somewhat similar
1115 Sabrina Dining Chair

I used your new feature to get a quote.

[drcollie]

Wow. Did you see the cut-aways on construction on that R&B unit? That's crazy on that chair, no wonder its just $ 400 retail. Plywood frame with a non-locking dovetail held in with pneumatic staples, and cotton webbing suspension. I'd not expect even two years of use out of that unit before it became unstable / wobbly / sacked out, its pretty ugly inside. That's what I call 'landfill material'. You should get something better made, or else buy a quality set that at a second hand furniture store and have it re-covered. That's pretty sad how they are building that chair.

[vbnet]

Thx!!!

[vbnet]

ok, so I just had to go take another look at those chairs after knowing the insides. I sat on a leather $500 ava tall back to feel the sit again. Put my hand under the seat to scoot the chair closer to the table my son wants and "ow" what was that? I flipped the chair over and all the staples holding the lining on the bottom are coming out. Ok, is it one chair, NO! it was all 6. A sales person came over to see what I was doing and I told them I was looking at all the staples that were coming out of this $500 leather chair. She mumbled it shouldn't be like that and left.

Anyway, Duane, can you direct me to a link describing the construction of the Jessica Charles dining Chairs to help me explain the difference to my son.

Ann

[drcollie]

You know Ann, I have never seen one. So I called today and guess what - they have never done a photo shoot on construction or a cutaway! So there is nothing to be shown (for now). For the time being, I'm asking them to take some pre-upholstery shots at the factory, preferably on a dining room side chair, and forward them to me. Let's give them a couple days and see if something comes in from them. If we don't see anything by the time I'm back from vakay, I'll take it up with management and suggest they do a pro shot of cut-aways.