Dining Chair, help!

And you thought I was done blogging. Ha.

I need your help.

If you are still reading, and you reply, you will be rewarded with more pics of Sugar Bear soon!

So remember when we bought this beautiful dining table from the Restoration Hardware outlet (for future reference it is a brown table with a gray stain on it- so it reads gray/brown):

Well, it has been pointed out that our current dining chairs are woefully inadequate- apparently some folks don't think that a folding chair and outdoor bench make good dining chairs?!? I personally like the white metal bistro chairs that we bought almost two years ago from Viva Terra (no longer available), but they are very cold on your bottom. We aren't formal or traditional people, so we don't want it to look stuffy, but I do want DINING room chairs, aka not outdoor chairs or kitchen chairs. I want chairs that are going to be comfy to have a 5 hour long dinner with 8 bottles of wine (read: I envision long dinner parties with good friends as opposed to our current 15 minute dinners with Sugar Bear throwing food to the dog).

We are looking for two end arm chairs- I want something fairly substantial that can be used in the living area. And 4-6 center dining chairs (4 if we use the two white metal chairs- 6 if we don't). Budgetwise- we'd like them to average out to just over $200-  so 200 to 250 range- more for the arm chairs less for the center chairs- make sense?

Before I go further, we have two road blocks to finding the perfect dining chairs: (1) Kitty Cat. We MUST avoid chairs with fabric, unless there is just fabric on the seat- I can live with that. (2) Like I said above, the table reads, gray/brown, so I have yet to figure out a wood option that either matches or contrasts- most fall in the almost match but not really category!

Oh, and before I show you some potential options, here's a look at the rest of the room taken this summer. The couch, rug and chair will be replaced at some point down the line- aka they are not forever furniture but no point in replacing them until we are past the point of daily milk stains on the couch:

The first chairs that we both agreed on were these Restoration Hardware Outlet chairs (around 200 on sale). They are more traditional, but I like that they read urban because they are a bit deconstructed and I LOVE the curved back. Alas, we moved on because we were worried that the kitty would ruin the little fabric on the back:

Next we went to H.D Buttercup in SF during their 20% off sale and sat in at least a hundred chairs!!

Our favorite option there was the high contrast option- going all white. 'Herman Miller' knock off Molded Armchairs at the ends that I have always loved ($235 on sale at HD Buttercup):

Dining chairs that I like and think would look fantastic all together, they are comfy, but I don't love them (just over $200 on sale at HD Buttercup):

Third look:

I am sort of starting to obsess about these Leather School house dining chairs from Rejuvenation ($219 each), but not sure how they would look with the table:

And I can't figure out an arm chair that would work with them??

Another modern option, Mr. Spice and I both like ghost chairs for the ends in clear:

Or ORANGE to match our front door?

I don't find ghost chairs without arms to be comfy, so the only center dining chairs that I *think* would look good with the Ghost chairs that meet our requirements are these streamlined leather chairs. My sister has something similar so I know they are kinda comfy, but I don't love. From Crate and Barrel:

My last and final options would be to add more metal bistro chairs in the center. These I could go white or gun metal (these are a great price from Industry West): And with our without wood, and with or with out a $35 white leather cushion??

Or wait, what about these without arms and with a leather bottom??

And then do the Herman Miller knock offs above for the end chairs?


Any likes or dislikes?? Please help. One desperate Momma who doesn't have the time to go shopping to look for the perfect chairs!?!?