apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You may have to stretch it a tad, but World Market has some slipper-style chairs in the $200-250 range, if I recall correctly. I was thinking of picking one up for the bedroom. I can't seem to find them on the website, though.

I have one of these chairs - the Dolce Lounge chair - from Target:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=/qid=/ref=br_1_1/602-8620251-8800634?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000GKOR4E

and it's a pretty decent chair - and at $129 per chair, that's not so bad.

If you want something with a bit more pattern, Target offers these as well (they would be about $50 over your budget for the pair) - the Orb Lounge:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=/qid=/ref=br_1_6/602-8620251-8800634?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000RAZJ2W

or the Cosmos Lounge:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=/qid=/ref=br_1_17/602-8620251-8800634?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000RAY4CI

Try overstock.com. That's a tight budget, but it can be done.

why not get an estate or thrift store pair of chairs reupholstered? i took an upholstery class years ago and found out that older pieces of furniture are of better quality than their modern counterparts (sorry IKEA). the shape can be altered a bit if it's not exactly what you want and you can pick the fabric.

although i don't know the cost of redoing 2 chairs, there are lots of storefront shops in chicago to call for a quote--this shape is a slipper chair w/o cushions and no skirt. if you go this route, you should consider using your own fabric (COM-customer's own material) because sometimes the selection of fabric isn't the greatest and/or it's expensive (light blue velour is not worth any amount of money per yard!). you can get the shop to estimate the yardage or look online for some general guidelines. see www.dominomag.com/resources/calculators/fabric to get an estimate (about 4.5 yards per chair).

a great place in chicago for fabric is the textile discount outlet at 2121 w 21st st. they have a hit-or-miss selection and it's best to buy the fabric when you see it as the stock changes a lot. i think upholstery fabric is in the $6.99 to $8.99 range. it's been a while since i've been there but it's an inexpensive option. check their hours--they are not open on saturdays.

textile outlet is a gem, I was just there yesterday. note that their hours are even more limited the next few weeks because of the Jewish Holidays.

Jo-Ann Fabric is having an impressive sale right now, all off their in-stock upholstery fabrics are 50% off. You can even order additional yardage if the bolt doesn't have enough on it.

Keep looking, I found a great chair (but only 1) much like the green one pictured for $85 at the Brownstone Antiques on Clark Street in Andersonville. It was literally buried under other chairs in the back of the store. The Salvation Army store on Grand Ave. under the train tracks usually has an impressive amount of chairs for sale.

also, for anyone interested, there a couple of parks that still have upholstery classes. It's a screaming deal, something like $60 for a 6-8 week class. The catch is the locations aren't great, Calumet Park is one of them. But it's worth it for a very hands-on education. I've met a couple of people who took the class a few times and then went on to upholster for a living.

best of luck!

$50 over your budget, but how about the cb2 chairs in today's Scavenger?
http://chicago.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/scavenger/scavenger-set-of-two-cb2-cinema-chairs-with-matching-ottoman-for-450-031480

Sorry, I misread. $100 over your budget. $50 over seemed like it might fit into wiggle room, but perhaps not $100.

oo! how about these:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=sc_ri_1/602-4804129-7329439?ie=UTF8&asin=B000QH62NQ

I have been looking for something similiar to what you want for way less than the room and board chair (although I love it so much!). Not sure how comfy it would be but its a little similiar and CHEAP.

or this:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_5/602-4804129-7329439?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000J66WC0

Not sure what color you want (I like the red better) but they also have it in tan for $130

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=/qid=/ref=br_1_18/602-4804129-7329439?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000ICOFR4

You might want to check out Freecycle - one person's trash is another's treasure. I've seen lots of furniture move through my local list and it's a great way to get rid of or acquire things for free.

i would check overstock.com, that sometimes have some good finds for cheap

I was wondering what the AT community knew about the potential for bed bugs to have infested used upholstered furniture. Are the chances high? Slim? I have been hesitant to buy anything used since readings about the risks.

I'd suggest getting one chair for now and choosing a high quality one. Wait to get the second one when you can afford it. In the long run, you'll be much better off than getting 2 cheaper, lower quality chairs now.

If you're open to a mismatched pair, I would definitely recommend craigslist. I just scored a really nice danish modern chair in great condition but with trashed cushions for $20. It's going to cost me another $200 to have the cushions rebuilt by an upholstery company, but I'm just using a very simple hemp linen that is under $10/yard and I only I need 3 yards for this project. I realize that's about 2/3 of your budget, but if you keep looking you might find chairs in good condition that don't need reupholstering.

And please oh please, give me more info on the upholstery classes, wordparty! How do I find out more about them?

Have u tried www.homedecoratorsoutlet.com ?

I've had great luck just typing in my needs (i.e. "chair") and seeing what they have. Picked up a super cute pair last month for only $60 each -- and another pair in leather for about $130 each. Nu stock comes in (and sells out) every day, so stalk them regularly. ;-)