In my area (Boston) there are lots of them--but definitely not cheap. Go to www.cherrystonefurniture.com and look at the Shaker table and chairs. Or another one to drool over, http://www.pompy.com/furniture/?category=21. Look at the Mason, for instance. But you need deep pockets!

These are a little cheaper: http://www.bowlandboard.com/shop/category.asp?catid=13

Good luck, I know how tough it is. We were looking for new kitchen chairs a few months ago and gave up.

lovesummer -- that is funny, I live in the Boston area too. My first stop was Pompanoosuc -- that's where we got our dining room furniture -- but I can't stomach the prices for kitchen chairs (and guess what, Mason was my first choice!). I ordered my kitchen bar stools from Circle Furniture, but again, am trying to avoid their high (bot not as high as Pompy) prices for chairs -- have been checking their outlet religiously, though. And, coincidentally, I drove past Bowl & Board in Cambridge yesterday, intending to check there -- they're gone! Out of business!? I will check Cherry Stone Furniture from your link.

Too funny, sueb20! I love Circle too (though not their prices), and keep meaning to check out the outlet store but can never find parking! Do you remember in the old days, before Circle got quite so high-end, that they had a lot of reasonably priced unfinished furniture?

A lot of local places are going out, I was shocked shortly before Christmas to see how many of the stores near the Crate and Barrel furniture store just outside of Harvard Square (like Bowl and Board) were gone or closing up. You might want to check out that block in case any are still liquidating, that might be a good place to find chairs. Don't forget, too, that the Crate and Barrel furniture store in Cambridge has a top floor "outlet" room that can have at least a little cheaper prices.

I love natural cherry too, but have you noticed that any little nick or scratch shows white? My bureaus and nightstands--which were quite expensive at Grace Lee Shilling--are especially scarred looking, and a friend who bought an expensive cherry kitchen set from Circle has found that her cats playing in the chair legs and rungs has dinged them all up. For such a hard wood it has surprised me that it's so easily scratched.

Here is the pic of the area in question:

I have bought a new table top (the current top is too small, plus it was an old piece of butcher block that someone painted, and we were never able to get all the paint off -- the "rustic" look was cute for a while, but I am done with "rustic") -- the new table top is a longer piece of beech wood but it happens to be a reddish piece, so it will work well w/ the cherry. The nearby kitchen island is cherry, and I have ordered new cherry barstools. I don't know if you can tell in this pic,but the seat of the banquette is cherry (covered w/ a cushion). So, my goal was to find cherry chairs that coordinate with my new bar stools. These are the coordinating chairs:
http://www.circlefurniture.com/catalog/details.html?x=454&t=chair-dining

However, I don't want to spend almost $400 per chair.

Then I started thinking, how about black iron, to coordinate with the base of the table... Ballard has these:
{{!gwi}}

What do you think? Do they look uncomfortable?? Would you use black chairs here? (There's really no other black in the room -- which is a large, open kitchen/family room.)

Can you tell this whole issue is making me a little crazy?

Here is a link that might be useful: Chairs that match my bar stools

Have you looked at chairs that are made from other wood but have a cherry stain? That's what I have.

My table is cherry, but the chairs are beech (or is it birch?), stained to match the cherry. We bought the furniture (table and chairs were not a set) at Dania about ten years ago. The chairs were about $140 each, IIRC.

The table did darken a bit, like cherry does, but the chairs still match pretty well. The chairs did not darken, because they're not cherry.

Large cherry trees are often cut into veneer, so the supply of lumber big enough for chair and table legs is limited, hence the high price. It's also not as strong as many other woods and tends to warp and shrink.

Check out eaclore.com - there's a plain chair listed for about $175. This is fine furniture. Made in Virginia. They used to have small samples of the wood they could mail to you, to insure you were happy w/ the color. For me there is something quite handsome about the simplicity of the design.

I keep coming back to this chair, too, which is kind of different. Has anyone ordered furniture from Wisteria?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Bowl and Board has not gone out of business, just moved to Davis Square. They also have stores in Brookline, Msrths's Vineyard and Providence, Rhode Island.

Crate and Barrel had an outlet store in Woburn, MA as recently as a year ot two ago. I wonder if it's still there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bowl and Board stores

I used to know how to spell Martha's Vineyard. But I think you all know what I meant. I also remember when Circle Furniture's prices were more moderate - and when April Cornell had a store in Harvard Square (loved their sales).

Oh, and don't look for the Harvard Square Crate and Barrel store. They are moving across the river this month.

Forgot to mention how much I like the window seat and the antique table base. I have been admiring those sewing machine bases for years.

Yeah, I know where you can find some.....my attic!! I recently added benches to the sides of my table - DH did not want to do a banquette. So I have 4 windsor side chairs that match the arm chairs in below pic. They are Thomasville -about 15 yo - I think from the Bridges collection? - sturdy as all get out....DH loves to lean back in his chair (bad). I don't know if they still carry this line or not....but remember the side chairs being about $200-250 (which was a fortune for us when we first married!!)

So, maybe if you keep looking at CL something will come up or antique stores that carry not only antiques but used furniture,too or consignment shops.

And I love your banquette!!

Smiles:)

That is a great room,scooby.

beach rose, I also used to love April Cornell's sales! And I do know about C&B -- so sad! That was my go-to place so I could get my parking validated for the garage (buy something, get two hours' free parking). And yes, a friend just told me that B&B moved to Davis Square. Good to know.

Thanks for the compliments. We got the sewing machine base (which had another top on it) from a consignment shop for $25. The only drawback is that my kids sit there and work that treadle, which makes an annoying noise...

p.s. For those of you in my area -- I got my new table top from The Door Store in Cambridge. I didn't realize how much they have there. You can choose from a big variety of sizes, woods, for desk or table tops, then choose separate bases -- they also have a few chairs (none that I loved) at good prices, and other small furniture items. I think they're a family-run business and they were so helpful.

The Crate and Barrel outlet in Woburn closed. Sigh. I'm glad to hear that Bowl and Board is in Davis Square, I always enjoyed that store.

SueB, have you thought about keeping the current chairs and painting them a fairly flat black? I think that would look nice with a cherry table.

I'd be awfully hesitant about ordering chairs mail order unless you've sat in them somewhere first. The comfort level of chairs varies enormously.

Sueb look up Hunt Country Furniture. They have a fairly large selection of chairs. All of their things can be made in cherry, oak and pine. The stuff is made to last!

lovesummer, yes, actually have considered doing something with the current chairs, but since they have paint flaking off, it would require so much sanding, etc... I just don't have the patience for it. I know, it sounds lame even as I write it.

I just came across these chairs on sale at LL Bean. We actually have these chairs at our summer cottage, in black, and we like them. I don't think I'd get black, as I really think black would seem out of place because we have NO black anywhere else in the room (except for that table base) -- do you all disagree? -- but I could get them in the natural beech since, after all, my table top IS beech, not cherry (it just has enough darkness in it to resembled cherry in some spots). The price is right, and I can return them to a store that is 20 mins. from me if I don't like them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bean chairs

A late suggestion, sueb20: check at the Caning Shoppe in North Cambridge, http://www.caningshoppe.com/ They have lots of natural cherry chairs that are a bit cheaper than some of the other places you've looked.