I'm not sure about the quality of this chair as I have never seen it but it looks like a pretty basic chair. I bet you could find a similar one at an Amish market that is great quality and then just paint or stain it whatever color you want.

Nicole of making It Lovely did a write up recently of black modern Windsor chairs recently. Maybe one of those would work better for you than the ikea version.

http://makingitlovely.com/2010/08/31/black-stick-back-chairs/

Good grief, what do you people DO to Ikea furniture? All mine has stood up well beyond many years, many moves and many falls.

I've found that when it comes to the wooden furniture from IKEA, it's pretty sturdy. I think the fall-apart reputation is for the really cheap particle board stuff that doesn't do well being taken apart and reassembled multiple times. Anything solid wood should not have this problem.

We have most definitely had Ikea stuff fall apart on us as well, but it has tended to be the cheaper things (the cheap dining chairs there were AWFUL!). We also have had no luck with sturdy chairs and I'm interested to hear what other people say!

I do love Ikea, but I don't love most of their chairs. They just seem to be very rickety unless you go up into the $75+ range.

The last time we tried to go with Ikea chairs, we got a set of Balser chairs and they were just horrid. We tend to be careful with our furniture and pass them on to friends and family because they're still good, but those dreadful things got dumped on the curb for trash day.

Ikea chairs also tend to be seriously tiny. Which I don't mind, as I'm a small, short person. But they do tend to make my husband feel off kilter.

I'd definitely recommend trying the chairs out. A lot of butts sit on those chairs and wiggle around to test their stability, so the chairs on the display floor should give you a good idea how how they'll feel after a bit of wear and tear.

The Salt chair from DWR is very sturdy, and I'm pretty sure it is what the ikea chair was designed after (or at least it looks that way).

AND- it's affordable.

http://www.dwr.com/product/salt-chair.do?keyword=salt&sortby=ourPicks

This chair does not fall apart (I am sitting on one right now), but after 4 years of use, the finish is definitely showing wear.

I had the exact same issue. I love Ikea. But, I do agree that Ikea chairs are small. My husband and I are tall and they just do not sit well for us.

We ended up purchasing the Salt chairs, from Design Within Reach. They ship to your door quickly, fully assembled, and they are absolutely beautiful. We have two young children and they have held up perfectly. They actually still look the same as when I took them out of the box and we use them everyday.

Not everything at IKEA is poor quality. I have bought some stuff that held up to a lot of abuse. Generally, the things made entirely out of wood are sturdy even at the lower price point. My recommendation is to look at the construction and see how the pieces are attached. Is there cross-bracing at the corners, etc? Try it out in the store like Kaete says. Plus, that way you can see if it is scaled correctly for your family.

As for other sources, those chairs do look pretty traditional, and I imagine you could find something like that at places like unfinished furniture wholesalers or antique stores. I agree with the Amish suggestion, but handmade chairs will get expensive.

They are plenty sturdy, being solid wood. However you are right about the size. I'm fairly short (5'2) and I sit at a desk that belonged to my father when he was 16. I sought out the Olle as a desk chair because it fit in with the rest of my little set up; it is not a tall persons' chair. I agree with pepsin-go for the Salt chair from DWR.

design house stockholm family chairs?

Wow, since my perception is that the IKEA chairs might be uncomfortably small for you (I haven't been there in a whle, so maybe not), I'd check Craigslist and thrift shops for something similar in styling. If you like the black, it's easy to spray paint a chair, and older ones might be well built and meant for people of taller stature!

Good luck!

I have two of these and they actually are doing really well. Ours are MUCH sturdier than the pretty-but-rickety vintage chairs we have.

I think that this particular model of IKEA chair is also helped by good practices in putting it together. Don't just bang them together; use wood glue and really make sure they are sturdily constructed. If you do that I think these can really last.

As to the other part of your question, though, my husband and I are not tall; these are really the perfect size for us!

Wow! Thanks for all the responses, guys! ^_^

I really love the Salt chairs and have had my eye on them for a while. Initially I had planned to buy them with income tax money. Then my in-laws sprung a visit on us and will be here in four days! Yikes! So we had hoped to find something will a little emergency money.

I actually had planned to paint them different colors since my house is fairly colorful and black wouldn't quite work. Shame they stopped carrying the white at IKEA.

I'm sure you're right about the height thing, also. It's hard to find chairs that work for our stature and still fit under our 32" square slant-legged table. I'm too stubborn to buy a different table, though. This one reeks of yummy history.

I mentioned this post to a friend today and she told me about a flea market (scarce in this area) that just started north of town here. I'm waiting on my husband and we're going shopping. I'll let you guys know if I get lucky!

While I don't know if Ikea's wood chairs are large or small (one thing I've never bought there), I do know that you need chairs that fit you comfortably (and fit in your space - meaning your room, but also with the table you want to use, both visually and practically - can you tuck the number under the table on one side that you want to?)

I always need smaller ones than most American chairs are these days (they are bigger than they used to be, as we've gotten bigger.) I'm not tall, and like to sit ergonomically, that is, with my knee at a 90 degree angle and not on a chair seat that is too high. And living in apartments, I don't have the space for chairs wider than I need them to sit in. Europe is the only place to find smaller dining chairs (mine, slim and low, are made in Italy.) So it wouldn't surprise me if Ikea's were small, though I haven't noticed them to be (maybe I need smaller.)

Besides determining the proper size, you have to decide if you want cheap or sturdy chairs - the same chair is unlikely to be both. If you are looking at Ikea, you likely want cheap. So get them, or whatever you get, for cheap, and don't expect them to last forever. Then replace.

I'm sure you can find some very beautiful, sturdy chairs in all kinds of price points - but none be anything like Ikea's price. Just remember, even expensive hardwood dining chairs tend to loosen at the joints and tend to need regluing eventually - it is in the nature of the item and what we ask it to do.

Yes, Ikea wood stuff is usually sturdy. But that doesn't speak to the quality of the finish, or how hard the wood used is.

http://www.switchmodern.com/Dining-Chairs/Design-House-Stockholm-Family-Chair-3.asp

The DWR Salt chair is beech, as are the ones I use. Harder wood than birch. Also, DWR doesn't use veneer - Ikea does. Veneer won't hold up as well.

But in any case, I think if you want dining chairs to last a long time, you are better off not only with harder wood (I like how beech holds up), but with a stained rather than painted finish.

I just saw your post you wanted to paint them - paint will scratch eventually. You can also add color by using chair seats pads - easier to change, too.

I have had one of these for about a year, I got it in the reduced section so presumably it was a display model. I was pleased as it had no scratches or anything, and still looks good after a year. It seems pretty sturdy to me, no wobbliness or anything, and is actually larger than some other Ikea chairs we have.

i have had these chairs in my dining room for over 4 years. they appear to be all-wood (solid) construction and are a great buy for $35! the joints have all remained tightly-fitting over the years and i haven't had any issues.

i have used glue on dowels & joints on other wood ikea pieces before to extend their life, but did NOT do this with these chairs and are really happy with the purchase.

if you think they are comfortable in the store, i would go for it!

i have had these chairs in my dining room for over 4 years. they appear to be all-wood (solid) construction and are a great buy for $35! the joints have all remained tightly-fitting over the years. i have used glue on dowels & joints on other all-wood ikea pieces before to extend their life, but did NOT do this with these chairs and i haven't had any issues.

if you think they are comfortable in the store, i would go for it!

You can find similar chairs in antique stores for about $50 $100. This was a popular style in the late 19th century, and those chairs are sturdy enough to have held up over 100 years.

We've had 6 of these IKEA chairs in our dining room for almost 4 years. They look great, but with two cats who like to play on and around them they get scratched up. Also I have noticed that the metal rivets on my s.o.'s jeans leave indentation marks on the seat. And just last week, one back rung un-explicably broke while someone was leaning back into the chair at dinner.
The wood is VERY soft on these chairs and I am looking for a stronger alternative; this post is perfect. I don't like the extra details on the DWR salt chair (indent on the top and seat lip) and have been considering the Family Chairs.
In addition to making it lovely's post on these chairs, I've found:
http://www.westelm.com/products/modern-windsor-dining-chair-g195/?pkey=cdining-chairs-seating

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?articleNumber=768987&an=0_768987&qa=0_SOREN_ARM_CHAIR_WOOD|004&catalog=filter&menuCatalog=room&menuSubcategory=197149

Any other's I'm missing?

I am 6'1" and slender. I bought two OLLE chairs several months ago and they work fine for my kitchen. Part of the process to build the chairs is you have to have use a mallet or a hammer to bang the legs into the seat of the chair. This process I feel makes the chairs solid without some of the wiggle that can found in some of IKEA's products. Best of luck!

There's also the Thatcher, from Room & Board...
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=20256&catalog=filter&menuCatalog=room&menuSubcategory=197149

I have 6 OLLE chairs and I'm 6'2" and mine have held up very well because I don't throw them when I'm angry or let the children carve their names in the seats.

Here is an Amish chair from Countryside, the Amish build very strong solid wood chairs and Counryside has the Buckeye chair that is similar to the Olle chair and probably more comfortable and better suited for average to large adults.