Dining Room

New Marais Chairs in the Dining Room

Making it Lovely's Dining Room

I recently wrote elsewhere about the evolution of my dining room. Everything is always changing a little around here, and the latest big difference is that the dining room has new chairs. Woot! I switched out some of the pieces in my built-in hutch too. So long, all white; hello, pink and coral.

Coral, Pink, and White Ceramics

I still have the other chairs down in the basement because it feels wrong to break up the set. I love my vintage dining table, with its beautiful wood grain and modern trestle base, but the chairs weren’t working well for us. The kids were getting food all over the upholstery, and the wood was getting dinged up from too many run-ins with a toy stroller, a toy shopping cart, and too many toy cars. The cats were equally to blame for the chairs’ downfall too. The seats were constantly furry because they slept on them, and breaking out the vacuum every time you’d like to sit isn’t terribly practical.

Dining Room

I’d been considering new chairs for a long time, but hesitated because I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I like Eames chairs in a dining room, but I think my house has reached its Eames quota. I figured it was time for either plastic, bare wood (like these spindle/stick-back chairs), or metal.

Making it Lovely's Office, Dining Room, and Living Room

I had contacted Industry West ages ago, with a proposal to work together on my basement studio. They provided four of their Marais A Side Chairs, which I’d intended to use as seating around my faux-Saarinen tulip table. I brought them up to the dining room on a whim one day though, and I really liked them around the wood dining table.

The chairs are narrower than the wooden ones we had, so I was able to add some additional seating around the dining table. I bought two more side chairs for the sides, and two arm chairs for the ends.

Brandon and Eleanor in the Dining Room

Yep, we like ’em. The chairs are good for crawling around between too, and for putting on puppet shows. You know, the important stuff.

Puppet Show

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  • the domestic fringe
    November 28, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    I LOVE those chairs and I adore your dining room. Very beautiful.

  • Emma (Broke Ass Home)
    November 28, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    I love the lines on your chairs! We have metal chairs we just got for our dining room too. We went with the petina style stacking tabouret chairs on overstock. Also, I adore your little foxes!

  • Chloe Moon
    November 28, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Wow, what a beautiful dinning room you have! The little foxes are adorable! I like the chairs, they definitely compliment the room. I really like that you have the mirror in your hutch! Beautiful room! =)

  • Rachel
    November 28, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    I have the same chairs and they are perfect with kids because they clean so easy. Your space looks amazing! Well done.

    • Making it Lovely
      November 28, 2012 at 10:36 pm

      So easy. I figure any chair that’s meant for outdoor use is a good bet for the kiddos.

  • Desiree
    November 28, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    I love the look of these! The only thin I would worry about is them being cold all the time, haha.

    • Making it Lovely
      November 28, 2012 at 10:37 pm

      I worried about that too! They’re not bad though. Slightly cool, but they warm up right away.

  • Catherine
    November 28, 2012 at 4:38 pm

    It looks amazing! And is it me, or do the new chairs make your pretty wallpaper stand out more now? I love the pink and coral touches, too. So beautiful.

    • Making it Lovely
      November 28, 2012 at 10:39 pm

      I think the balance in the room is better. Before, the table and chairs related to the wood floor and the wood in the back of the hutch, but the table and chairs together felt like a big thunk of wood in the middle of the room. Now the metal and the wood together relate much more to everything else, wallpaper included.

  • Rebecca
    November 28, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Beautiful– as always? Where did you get those little foxes from? We have a VERY fox-obsessed little toddler over here.

  • Carolyn
    November 28, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    Where are the coral bowls from that you have in the hutch? They’re lovely!

    • Making it Lovely
      November 28, 2012 at 10:43 pm

      Thanks! They were from west elm.

  • jbhat
    November 28, 2012 at 5:56 pm

    They are just right. Brandon looks very nice in his. : )

    jbhat

  • Yelle
    November 28, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    So great! Will last forever!

  • Bree
    November 28, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    I am in love with the head planters, where are they from?

  • Hillary @ The Friendly Home
    November 28, 2012 at 8:34 pm

    No way! I just brought in some Marais/Tolex-esque chairs to my dining room today. Mine are red and I looove them. The long term plan is for them to go outside, but I’m loving them around my dining table for now. I discovered Industry West a few days after I ordered my chairs (oops). What a fantastic company.

  • Maria @ Inspiration Affirmation
    November 28, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    These look so great! I am crazy for these chairs and would someday love to have them around my dining room table, too. Great choice! :-)

  • Mari
    November 28, 2012 at 10:28 pm

    Mi adore! Everything looks wonderful! Where can I get my little paws on those moxie foxies?

    • Making it Lovely
      November 28, 2012 at 10:56 pm

      I linked to the foxes in the comments above, but here they are again. Aren’t they cute? I bought them for a baby shower photo shoot that I styled.

  • stephanie marie
    November 28, 2012 at 10:47 pm

    I think you just changed my life with those little foxes… the entire dining room (and the incredible chairs!) is awesome. But those foxes. Wow. Love your style!

  • Alison
    November 28, 2012 at 11:19 pm

    The chairs are a cool addition but the little foxes are my favorite. Very fall and a good reason to wear that sweater from below as often as possible. Thanks for including the link to them.

  • Lisa
    November 28, 2012 at 11:38 pm

    They look fantastic in the space–I love the whole room, especially the ceiling and the wallpaper. I have been thinking of getting of buying tolix chairs from DWR or PB now for the same reason; my kids have destroyed my bamboo chairs. The Industry West chairs are much cheaper, which is good to know–thanks :-)

  • susan
    November 29, 2012 at 7:21 am

    I obsessed over those chairs for years and finally got them for my dinning room too. Not only do they look amazing with rustic pieces and mid century, but they are kid and dog proof. Bonus bonus.

  • Dianne
    November 29, 2012 at 7:43 am

    We purchasd the Tolix chairs for our dining room. Totally love them with my walnut table. We don’t have kids but I can tell you that adults can be just as messy (if not more so :) ). Don’t miss my upholstered seats at all.

    Dianne

  • Danielle
    November 29, 2012 at 8:49 am

    Love the new chairs! Sadly, I can’t even convince my husband to go for them as outdoor chairs – he’s just not a fan. Enjoy them for me! :)

  • NicoleD
    November 29, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Love it so much! Everything is balanced nicely. What a wonderful happy accident with the chairs. I’ll have to pin those chairs for later :) Are yours the gunmetal finish?

  • Kristen
    November 29, 2012 at 11:46 am

    Love your blog! Just found it today. I’m not a designer, just a beginning diy-er but I was happy to find someone in my stomping grounds since I live in the Chicagoland area as well. Many of my favorite design reads are on the east or west coast. Was so drawn to the dining chairs. I’m looking at chairs right now and those have come up repeatedly as an option.

    • Katie
      November 29, 2012 at 7:34 pm

      love the whole look! i really love the chairs in the room. each time i see the hutch, i wonder if it would look better if you painted the back wall of it? black? grey? coral? white? vertical stripes?

      • Making it Lovely
        December 6, 2012 at 4:15 pm

        I’ve covered the back in the past with fabric, so I could switch it out whenever I like. I’ve had Marimekko patterned fabric, and also pink with darker pink pinstripes. I don’t think I’ll paint it though, because I like that it ties in with the wood of the table and the floor.

  • Faith @ Ordinary Mommy Design
    November 29, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    So lovely! You have such a gift for design. Hoping some of it will rub off on me if I hang out on your blog enough! The mix of metal chairs with the wood table is divine.

  • Emily
    November 29, 2012 at 9:57 pm

    Those chairs look amazing in your dining room. Which finish are they? Gunmetal?

    • Making it Lovely
      December 6, 2012 at 4:15 pm

      Yes, they’re the gunmetal finish.

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  • ryan
    November 30, 2012 at 9:32 am

    We just ordered very similar chairs! We are building a new dining “nook” along with a farmhouse style table. The chairs look great here…it makes me feel more confident that we made the right choice :)

  • Melanie
    November 30, 2012 at 11:07 am

    Oh – I’ve been eyeing these chairs for a while (and the Restoration Hardware Remy chairs).

    Question though – you mentioned that they were narrower than other chairs, and by the measurements I thought the seats were VERY small compared to other chairs. Does this make them at all awkward? Do they FEEL small?

    • Making it Lovely
      December 6, 2012 at 4:17 pm

      No, they’re fine. They feel snug, in the sense that you can feel the back kind of hugging you, but then there’s room for your legs (and hips) to spread out.

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  • Kathryn
    December 3, 2012 at 11:17 pm

    May I ask what color the chairs are (i.e. galvanized, gunmetal, chrome, etc.)? Thanks so much!

    • Making it Lovely
      December 6, 2012 at 4:17 pm

      Gunmetal.

      • Tara
        February 12, 2013 at 9:19 pm

        Just a heads up, this is an old gunmetal finish. I just ordered chairs from Industry West at the beginning of January and what arrived is a much darker color that is a charcoaly brown tone. Sad that they changed the Gunmetal finish because I have another piece in the same color as yours. Also, their website is NOT updated with new photos of the new gunmetal finish which is frustrating as well.

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  • stephanie
    November 12, 2015 at 12:46 am

    Do you recommend Industry west as a reputable company to purchase from? Also, are the chairs heavy and sturdy?
    Thanks!

    • Making it Lovely
      November 12, 2015 at 8:15 am

      Yes, they’ve been great! We’ve had the chairs for three years now, and no complaints.

  • Karen
    January 24, 2016 at 3:18 pm

    Love these chairs and am currently debating between these, the Restoration Hardware version (Remy side chair), or biting the bullet and splurging on the original Tolix version. Any feedback on the durability, comfort, etc?

    • Patricia
      January 24, 2016 at 8:59 pm

      I too was considering the RH remy’s.. but look closely at the enlargement pic on their site, u can see the shoddy welding and finish, also there appears to be no X brace under the seat like the orig Tolix or Industry West. I’ve read mixed reviews about the Remy’s, so I’m going w/ Industry West but just need to decide what color! Hope this helps :)

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