apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I, too, love French & MCM styles. I would counteract the foofooness of this couch (don't take that as an insult because I love the couch) w/ something way more modern, like black or white Barcelona-style chairs. Great score!

I love your settee - Great find!

Given your budget, I'd go back to eBay and Craigslist and search for more coordinating vintage items that will work for you.

If it were me, I'd look for upright chairs such as shield-back Bergeres, Chippendale wing chairs or Lolling/Martha Washington Chairs.

Things to avoid would be anything MCM or low/loung-y - as the scale and proportion would be all wrong with this.

Look two posts down (the one about big plants). The chairs in that photo would work perfectly.

2 matching armless chairs - black or white

i'd agree with getting upright chairs, armless would be great-but i'd go for an interesting color like a burnt sienna or amber. or, if you're really bold, purple! what a great find!

Also think about what you would like to sit on if you were a guest -- who really wants to spend an evening sitting in an armless chair?

Man, an apartment with a black, white and grey color scheme, I would love to see a pair of red chairs in that setting. Maybe it's me, but black, white and red is one of the sharpest color schemes out there.

As for places to look, ebay and overstock would be my two recommended starting points.

This may be a completely random question, but is that a Jessica Charles setee? It looks familiar to a piece I was eyeing a year or so ago.

Yellow would look awesome!!

I'd do armless slipper chairs, probably in black (they'd be easy to get). You may even be able to find them at a store like Marshalls or Homegoods (You'd be surprised the goodies they have there). You can easily add color with drapery, pillows, etc. Actually, I'd switch out the pillows (or purchase covers) for the pillows on your settee in an accent color. Fantastic find!

Great find! I agree with the black, white, and red being great together (nice, strong, deep red!). I've had good luck (and great deals) at the Crate and Barrel outlet stores...

I think try something in a shade of pumpkin orange to give the room a pop of color, which would be easy to carry over to your couch above with accent cushions or a throw. As far as shape goes, something in MCM would work. This store - http://www.inmod.com/loungechairs.html - has good options in your price range. Look at the Komet, the Leon Club Chair and the Sperenza Lounge Chair.

Great find.

With the colors you've mentioned I think something bright red or aqua or sky blue would look great. Maybe something modern for a bit of contrast.

I've had good luck with overstock lately.
I've been waiting for a review to pop up on this chair since I'm always reluctant to buy something like this without hearing if it's comfortable or not.
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Jimbo-Relax-Red-Chair/4047748/product.html?sec_iid=33969

And this is another favorite, but it's out of my price range.
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Techno-Accent-Light-Blue-Chair/2674878/product.html

Buy what you love in a color you love. Any color looks good with black and white/cream.

My first thought was also RED! The setee is beautiful, and red chairs seem to be easier to find than some other non-neutral colors. I would definitely agree with the go with color idea, though! I also liked someone's suggestion of purple, but if you like red, the color combo is more classic and you might like it longer. I also agree with the armless chairs are not very comfortable sentiment, and would just go for slimmer profile arm chair.

Good luck!

I love the pattern on this I would go for something in a cooler bold color, like turquoise, robin's egg blue, or maybe a darker green. It will continue the already coolness of the gray that you've got. If you want to go with less color a nice charcoal gray would really pop.
I love the idea of an armless slipper chair next to this couch, (maybe like the Ikea Stockholm http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50103171)
Or this one from Overstock http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Cole-Eggplant-Leather-Chair/2616451/product.html
Which would also probably fit in a small apartment like yours.
Or if you aren't a big fan of armless chairs (I'm not really) a more traditional wing-back leather chair would look great next to this. My roommate used to have a dark green one that would look classy next to this settee.
For the price you are willing to pay (and the styles that you like) I would check local consignment shops or flea markets.

i agree on doing something solid, and i think a bright color would be great with the black/cream/gray/white scheme that's already in your plans. magicsbm is right on--you really can choose any color you like. it all comes down to your personal preferences, but if it were me, i'd likely go with a bright-ish jewel tone like mustard or olive, eggplant, or burnt orange rather than a "straight" primary color like red or yellow.

as for style, have you considered mixing it up with some minimalist/modern chairs? for some reason, blu dot's real good chair comes to mind. it matches your budget but may not live up to the comfort level you want in a living room. but something similar might look cool in contrast to the more traditional settee. (i happen to like furniture mash-ups, which i think can be awesome if done right.)

good luck!

good luck!

I think you could have a pattern so long as it was monotone. IN your price range, I bet you could find a ton of great chairs at ikea. I'd suggest nothing too bulky, and something with clean, elegant lines to coordinate with the settee. I agree with others -- any color you love would work with your color scheme.

I think chairs with caning (think hollywood regceny) would be great here. You could paint them (or buy them) in black or even something like bold like red or yellow. The caning will offer another texture but it will also be more light and airy to contrast with the heavy pattern of the settee. You can usually find chairs like this on craigslist or ebay.

https://www.decorpad.com/photos/2008/07/16/be9cead875ca.jpg

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/chicago/4-17-08vintage6.jpg

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/chicago/4-17-08vintage1.jpg

Check out David Jimenez for some inspiration
http://www.djimenez.com/

two black ghost chairs.... please with arms... they are compact enough, modern enough and with enough personality to stand against this couch. Besides they could be managed well within the space and are not completely unafordable. The rest could be a pillow here, a throw there... just a little touch to give it warmth.

love your current chair! I think a solid color chair is the way to go. I echo bright bright yellow. And agree that a mustard or olive chair will also look really good. Or even an earthy green. If you've got time, and no budget, Craigslist has never let me down.

I hope you do find "something people will enjoy sitting in", because that settee (while lovely) will not be it.

I vote for yellow or red, but please make sure it's comfortable.

I endorse all of the suggestions for black or white armchairs.

My only additional suggestion is to swap out the patterned throw pillows for plain ones, either in solid black, solid white, or a solid colour like yellow or aubergine. Then put the patterned pillows on your new armchairs to tie the whole set together.

I love how everybody is pairing your settee with so many different colors. It just goes to show you that when you pick a fantastic piece like that, it can go with so many things!

My personal choice would be kind of an apple green. How about the Chloe chair in celadon (which you can see at this post - http://www.thedesignfile.net/thedesignfile/2009/05/inspired-by-spring-green.html). Or a barrel chair like this: http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/Wasabi-Barrel-Club-Chair__G4788.html.

Or you go with orange and pick this cool IKEA KARLSTAD chair (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70117761) which I think looks really comfortable.

Because of the height and angles of this settee, I immediately saw it as the anchor of a dining area, and so I will suggest dining chairs.

It's a brilliant idea for a small space, which facilitates entertaining!

You could perhaps create a seating area with comfy armchairs sofa just opposite, which is what some friends of mine did -- theirs was a pull-out sofa which they slept on, as their place was a studio. I think the perfect clubchairs would vintage GERMAN (not French) art deco leather ones. They were somewhat barrel-shaped, and rather small, but quite comfortable. Very common in Germany, have seen lots of them, but can't lay my hands on a picture right now...

I think it would be brilliant with Thonet chairs around an oval table... Mismatched vintage ones would be the nicest; these can often be picked up for a song!

Don't over-restore them though, like here:

http://stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/03/reader-makeover-vintage-thonet-chairs/

There are many, many different varieties of Thonet chairs -- check out some of the pattern books, and check out this blog post which shows some, and also gives good sources of where to find (new) ones:

http://www.katyelliott.com/blog/2009/01/thonet-bentwood-chairs.html

To finish off the look, an old wood floor lamp, perhaps with a silk shade:

http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=281382


Very Wiener Werkstatte!