Is Kubu For You?: Kubu Grey Rattan Dining Chairs

The revamping of our kitchen eat-in area continues to s-l-o-w-l-y move forward.  We've been enjoying cozying into our new kitchen bench seat and eating at our (desk turned into a) table, which I spruced up with a few coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen. The bench seat takes care of seating on one side of the table but we were still in need of two chairs for the other side of the table.  I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted - two Kubu grey rattan chairs.  Not familiar with Kubu? Kubu furniture is created with a woven rattan material that has a gorgeous natural grey color.  Kubu chairs bring texture and interest into a dining space and their classic shape and natural color allow them to work beautifully with almost any type of table. They are also very sturdy (a must in our house with a dog and kids!) and can withstand lots of wear and tear. While you might think that rattan chairs would be uncomfortable, most of them are sold with cushions and the backs are shaped in a way that makes them much more comfortable than you'd expect.  The look of a dining table with Kubu chairs is one that I love:

{Artwood}

{Restoration Hardware}

Home Beautiful

{MilK Magazine}

Cottage Living

{Vignette Design}

{Cote de Texas}

Pottery Barn

You might have noticed from these images that there are two basic style of Kubu dining chairs.  The first style is the classic curved back Kubu armchair. One of the best places to get this style of Kubu chair at a great price has been Cost Plus World Market, where it's been sold as the "Kooboo Chair" for $149:

The World Market Kooboo Chair is no longer available online, but according to the "Kubu Queen", Joni of Cote de Texas, at least some World Market stores still get them in but they sell so quickly that they no longer advertise them. Another great option at a very reasonable price is IKEA's BYHOLMA chair, which is $94.98 including the cushion.  I saw this chair on a recent visit to IKEA and really like the look of it:

Ballard Designs also has a woven wicker/rattan chair for $319 (the Malvern Dining Chair with Cushion) that they describe as being "hand-finished using a kubu technique to achieve a warm, gray wash finish". I saw this chair at the Ballard Designs' Outlet and like the shape and design of it but it was much more brown than a typical Kubu finish:

The second style of Kubu dining chair is a more classic Parsons style chair. While I actually like the style of the curved back Kubu armchairs the best, it's this second style of Kubu chair that I was looking for because my small kitchen table can't accommodate the width of the larger curved backed chairs. I've found several sources for the more simple style of Kubu chair, the least expensive of which is the Kubu Hand-woven Dining Chair that sells for $99.95 (no cushion included) at Pier1 Imports:

Surprisingly, Restoration Hardware sells the second best priced chair that I found - the Handwoven Rattan Side Chair, which sells for $149, meaning that you can get it for about $120 at one of Restoration Hardware's many 20% off sales. (However, keep in mind that the price doesn't include the cushion and that RH has some hefty shipping fees.) 

If you're looking for Kubu chairs for outdoor use, Restoration Hardware has a similar all-weather wicker chair named the Provence Side Chair that is made to withstand the elements. The bad news is that even at it's current "special" price of $330, it's not the cheapest of options.  

Some other options for simple Kubu chairs include Wayfair's Astana Chair ($297.99),

their Boca Kubu Chair ($256.20),

or Arhaus' Oceano Chair, which is currently on sale for $399. (This chair is more grey in person than it appears in the photo):

Which chairs did I decide on? The Handwoven Rattan Side Chairs from Restoration Hardware. They are the perfect size for our space and I like how the rattan continues down to within a few inches of the bottom of the legs, giving the chairs a bit more visual weight. My chairs arrived last week and I'm loving how their texture and natural grey color (they are definitely more grey than they appear online) add decorative interest to what used to be a pretty boring space. I'm having cushions made for the chairs in the same fabric as my kitchen bench seat and will share some pics of the chairs in their new home once the cushions are done! Now it's on to making some final decisions about art above the bench and a new lighting fixture.  Do you have any plans for home projects this weekend? Have a great one!