How I Chose My Breakfast Area French Café Chairs

Looking for French café chairs? Today I’m sharing how we found the perfect French chairs to go with our antique farmhouse table.

I shared all about my new antique farmhouse table with you a few weeks ago, but I’ve gotten so many questions on Instagram about my chairs that I thought maybe they deserved their own post! But before I tell you where they’re from, let’s back up a little and talk about why I chose them in the first place….

In the beginning, I put the dining room chairs in here and I actually liked them quite a bit. And though I didn’t want to move them in here permanently, they did get me thinking about getting chairs in an off-white shade.

So originally, that is where I was headed. However, in the end I decided I didn’t want the two dining rooms to be twins. My dining room has a brown table with off-white chairs, and I felt that if I did that same thing in the kitchen area, it would just be too similar.

Here you can see what it looked like with the dining chairs in here….

 
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french cafe chairs farmhouse table white kitchen french country style

An antique chair would definitely have been my first choice, but with the fact that we eat almost three meals a day here, week in and week out, that didn’t seem practical. The dining chairs are antiques and two have already broken! I also wanted a little more casual of a feel in this room versus the formal dining room.

So I looked around at all kinds of chairs, both in person, and on every website you can imagine, and the simple French café x-back style chair kept coming back to me.

 

french cafe chairs round table breakfast area Old Seagrove Homes via Decorpad.

They are modeled after traditional café chairs in Europe, and that timeless feel is something I’m always drawn to. I love them, but I did hesitate as they are so prevalent. They are literally everywhere, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted something that everyone else had.

But, I kept coming back to the fact that I love them. And, they are extremely practical. In fact, they are perfect in every way for this space!

These French café chairs are lightweight, and as such, easy to move around. They’re not particularly expensive, which means if I did want to change them they wouldn’t be a huge investment. And despite their prevalence, they are a classic. If they are good enough for Parisian cafés, who am I to argue? 🙂

 

french cafe chairs breakfast area farmhouse table french doors window

french cafe chairs with cushions farmhouse table flowers chandelier french country

But as I said, they are everywhere.. so where to buy them? I found them many places but in the end, I was looking at three stores: Arhaus, Ballard Designs, and Amazon. The Amazon chair is the least expensive but it’s also slightly smaller, not made from solid oak (which Ballard’s and Arhaus are), and I was also a little unsure of the color.

That left the Arhaus version and the Ballard’s. I was leaning toward getting the Arhaus because they were on sale, when I remembered that I had already seen the Ballard’s in person when we ordered them for the farmhouse kitchen I designed last year! I figured since I had one close by I should at least look at in my space.

So after dragging one of the Ballard chairs from my friend’s house over here to make sure they would work (nothing worse than shipping things back!), I ended up ordering the Ballard Design version. In the end I paid more than I would have for the Amazon version, but less than the Arhaus ones. And the color is perfect!

 

French Cafe Chairs closeup with table and cushion wood x back chair

french cafe chairs close up with farmhouse table

They are not too brown and not too grey. They have some “patina” on them. And, even more importantly, Ballards is the only one who makes a quality cushion you can buy for them! 

Having cushions was important as the rattan seat is not super durable and I still have a son at home who has friends over, etc. I also wanted to have some extra comfort for us as well as some added protection. Personally, I think it’s also more comfortable on bare legs than the rattan alone.

 

french cafe chairs close up with cushion

All in all I’m super happy with my choice! And they have proved to be very comfortable as well. And can I say, having a lightweight chair is so much better than the heavy ones I had here before!

 

french cafe chairs x back style with farmhouse table gorgeous french country white kitchen

french cafe chairs x back style farmhouse table in french country breakfast area

So if you are looking for a French café chair, the Amazon version is the least expensive if the color works for you. The Ballard Designs version is a bit more, but I love the color and it’s definitely more natural/less grey. And they frequently have sales which brings them down considerably. And of course, they also have the adorable cushions! 

*UPDATE: the Arhaus chairs have come down in price, and when on sale are equal to or even less than the Ballard’s. And I think they may actually be the exact same chair. They have the same measurements and are made from solid oak, just like Ballard’s. So I’d say whichever is less expensive the day you look is the one to get!

I’m linking all the options below in case you are in the market. And if you’ve bought these, I’d love to know which ones you went with!

 

Shop French Café Chairs

 

Shop my Kitchen

 

Sheila
xo

 

french cafe chairs how to find them breakfast room charming french country style

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out more similar ones below!

40+ French Farmhouse Finds at Target

How to Find French Farmhouse Antiques – for Less!

50+ Fabulous French Farmhouse Finds at Amazon

 

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18 Comments

  1. NATALIE K says:

    Great choice!!! Simple beautiful!!

  2. Hi Sheila.
    Where did you get your bar chairs?
    Thank you,
    Jessica

    1. Hi Jessica I don’t have bar chairs so I’m not sure what you’re referring to – sorry!

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Sheila

  3. everything is beautiful .

  4. Mary Anne cappuccilli says:

    Can you tell me about where the light fox is from ty

    1. Sorry not sure what you mean Mary Anne! If it’s the chandelier you’re interested in, I’ve linked some similar options as mine is discontinued!

      Sheila

  5. Caroline Scott says:

    Hi! Your table and chair combo is beautiful. I found your pictures on pinterest and I’m trying to mimic this look. I’ve looked at a lot of farmhouse tables. I’m trying to evaluate how chunky your table legs are to know if I’m finding something comparable. Can you tell me how large the legs are…like what are the dimensions of the block at the top of the leg? From looking around, it seems they can range from 3.5-5″.
    Thanks, Caroline

    1. Thanks so much for your kind words Caroline! My table legs are about 3 1/4″ wide (on one side). These are the “blocks” at the top of the table legs. They were actually supposed to be about 5″ but I felt that was too bulky so I had them make them slightly smaller. As you know, it’s totally personal preference, but for me these looked more in proportion.

      Hope that helps – and thanks for stopping by!

      Sheila

  6. Kassandra says:

    Hi Sheila – Where did you get your table? It is beautiful!

  7. Elizabeth says:

    Hello Shelia I am a new visitor to your blog and I love your table! The chairs are a perfect match for the handsome table. I think the cushions add a great deal of comfort and style. Looking forward to seeing more of your home and ideas.

    1. Thanks so much Elizabeth! I love hearing from new readers and am so happy you’ve stopped by!

      Sheila

  8. I absolutely love your new table Sheila!! And those chairs are perfect! So classic!

    1. Aww thank you Sandra- that means so much! I’m really happy with them:)

      So glad you stopped by over here, too!

      Sheila
      xo

  9. Antiquechase says:

    I bought the World Market simply because with the 30% 0ff coupon and free shipping the price couldn’t be beat. However, they are not perfect by any means. I am using them in an office so I am not seeing them surrounded in my kitchen. The color is ok. Yes, a bit more grey than my antique pine table. The seats are kind of scratchy. WM cushions dont really fit and are not very attractive. I will have two cushions made in white denim to match my sofa. So if you can afford it, or will be looking at the chairs in a group in a kitchen/dining, I would spend the extra money and get the Ballard. As I type this, I’m wondering if I should just return the WM and get the Ballard. I’ll check the price again. Haha
    Marcy

    1. I totally agree Marcy – the WM ones are absolutely the best price! Thanks so much for your input, I really appreciate it! And also, as I’m typing this I looked today and the Ballard’s are almost as low as the WM now!! (of course, AFTER I bought them, lol!)

      Sheila