We are really taken with these Cain chairs from Branch. Made from sustainably harvested maple or poplar wood (the chairs are sustainable in their manufacturing and design as well), the hard-lined chairs are sold as a pair for $398 in their raw form for poplar or $458 for maple. If you love the blue (or red, black, gray, white or fluorescent) lacquered look shown here as much as we do, you'll need to fork over an additional $220. OR, just jump on the DIY train and paint them yourself.
They're nice, but not $600 nice.
view Lisa Hunter's profile
As far as being "green", it seems like you can pay with your $$$ or with your time. You can always head to Walmart and buy crappy spindleback chairs for cheap. I think used is probably a lot "greener", if that still means anything. One the same topic, is there actually any environmental beef with Ikea?
view drblanc's profile
I might worry about the strength and durability of a poplar chair, especially a kitchen/dining chair that's going to get a lot of use and abuse. On the plus side, poplar is usually super-good for painting. It takes paint very well and very evenly, making it easy to achieve a smooth, even finish. So, definitely a good choice for a DIY.
view rdml's profile