Funnily enough it took me forever to realize that's why it's called that!!

My space is quite modern so a traditional chair rail would be no good. Acrylic protector thing I guess? I'm really hoping for something that would adhere properly to the chair.

Velcro or glue a strip of felt the same color as the chair to the back of the chair

if you try a high quality paint, the chair should not be able to mark the wall that easily? unfortunately can't think of anything to help the chair that's not garishly ugly (e.g. a rubber mat cut-out, a pool noodle, chair foot ferrule, door stop, etc.)

Thanks sharlown, I guess that could be a possibility.

r0j0e, it was good quality paint - Ben Moore - but the chair tilts back and it really hits the wall. I think maybe I'll try sticking those fairly unobtrusive round things on the wall instead of the chair. Maybe they will stay better on the wall. And now that the chair has made some marks on the wall, I know where to stick them!

i think the matching felt on the back of the chair is the best idea.

If this is one chair in the foyer, install non skid rubber pads on the bottom of the chair so the chair doesn't slide on the floor when someone sits on the chair, or install a large enough rug to hold the legs of the chair in place. Can't see from your photos the actual condition and area.

Thanks Beverly. It is one chair, but a very tilted chair. I don't think anything on the floor will be enough to prevent the chair from ever hitting the wall.

Museum Putty.

You can place this on the bottom of the chair legs and it will stay put. The putty can be pulled from the bottom when necessary.

Interesting Beverly, thanks.

Agree with nnigrt that the round, dark brown felt pads (usually used on the bottom of the chair legs) would work best. Home Depot carries them. I'm not sure if the pads come in black.

Do you think those will stick well to a rounded chair back? That's the problem with the otherwise good clear ones I have. I also saw some white round things that can be stuck to the wall. Usually meant to prevent damage from door knobs

Yes, I believe they would stick if they weren't too big. I buy a good quality brand from Moss (544 Danforth Ave). I can't remember the name of it, but will let you know if I do.

I agree the plastic thing used at the bottom of the chair can be used here.

They're called "Flexi-felt". Here's a list of stores where they're available: Flexifelt stores

The chair is a cool design, maybe there is a better place in your home for it.

Thanks hatetoshop! I will check that out!

d7e001, thanks. It is a cool chair and purchased specifically for this spot. I needed something for people to have to sit on for boot removal etc.

Just don't worry so much about the paint. When the paint is fresh, every little mark is bothersome, but once there are a few other marks, you won't even notice it.

The little sticky things are a good idea, so you really need something to hold them in place. What about a removable peel-n-stick wallpaper, where you'd cut just a strip of it to hold the little sticky things in place. You can also do this with the Velcro that was suggested.

Shirlpp, what you see in the pic, are little round plastic discs that have adhesive on the back. It seemed to be perfect except that with time (as in a couple of months) they either slip or are somehow shifted out of position. I assume it's because the back of the chair is round and so there's not a lot of surface area to stick to.

Im thinking of first trying to stick those things to the wall. Maybe that will work. If not I'll probably try to find those flexi-fit ones, which sound like better quality, but don't seem to come in black.

A possibly less conspicuous solution would be to put something on the floor to keep the chair away from the wall. The legs would hit the item before the chair hit the wall at the top. In its crudest form, you could lay a 1x4 or 1x6 on the floor between the chair and the wall. But you could also find an interesting object to serve the same purpose, a wicker picnic basket, antique crates, etc.

Or put a non-skid rug down there so that the chair doesn't move as easily.

And, as always...a chair rail (which doesn't have to detract from the modern vibe).

Drdeb1234 -- might want to test a bit of wall in a closet to make sure the plastic disc doesn't take the paint off.

Hatetoshop, I suspect it might take paint off, but at this point I've kinda got nothing to lose, cuz the paint is being marked up anyway, and will likely require touching up.

Tatts, you seem to be in the same camp as Beverly, wanting to keep the chair from moving. Something crude as you say would work (in fact I just had my son do exactly that in the living room for my sofa pictured below!), but I think that would be unsightly in the foyer. And anything less solid, I don't think would stop movement enough. I'm picturing my grown sons slamming down in the chair to remove boots. A bit of putty or rubber won't do the trick!

I use one of the clear sticky things on my chair (same prob) and it has never come off. Strange. Were the "bumpers" old perhaps? and the stick was not good.

I certainly might end up with some sort of chair rail/barrier type thing though.

Angel, bumpers were new. Is your chair back round???

i like tatts idea of something behind the chair on the floor... basket, something.

The problem with something behind the chair is that the chair would then protrude further into the pretty small space. It works well now, but is tight enough that I wouldn't really want to do that.

You can pick up black sticky Velcro strips at hardware and fabric stores. They come in various widths and lengths and the soft side should protect the wall. Sometimes you can even purchase only one side and leave the picky part at the store. We used this trick successfully on a wood chair with a curved back with success over a long period.

Move the chair and use a small bench that chair makes no sense there anyway that is why it hits the wall

Thanks mlgincarp. If you want to post a pic of what it looks like I'd love to see it.

Patricia, thanks for your thoughts, but I think the chair looks fabulous, and way better than a bench would (which would echo the lines of the console table and be much less interesting).

Can you repurpose the chair to the kitchen or somewhere where it won't be pushed up against a wall. Function before form. A nice modern bench or chair with a softer seat might be more comfortable. If it is crammed into a too small space it will always be a problem.

Yes it has a rounded back. The only thing I can see between the two of us is my bumper seems to be placed higher.

Thanks for that Angel. Maybe your bumper is smaller or wood larger so more surface-to-surface contact. Dunno.

Sandy C., thanks for your thoughts. This chair was carefully chosen for this spot and while the foyer is not large, it does not looked crammed in. As I mentioned I think it looks really great! And with respect to comfort, since it's only used for shoe/boot removal etc comfort isn't really an issue. No one is sitting there for more than about 60 seconds

A few years ago we inherited this impractical hall stand and after 15 years the old government issue wooden chair was retired with the soft Velcro bumper still attached.

We're due for fresh paint soon and I just checked.....absolutely not a mark on the wall. We sat there every day to put shoes and boots on and I know the 15 inch strip was usually right against the wall. Love your chair.

Thanks mlgincarp! What a cool hall stand!! Practicality is overrated!!

I see what you are trying to do and the only thing I can think of is to put something on the floor behind the legs so that chair will not go back and hit the wall. Looks like you have a tiled floor....could you put two pieces of that same tile behind the legs...(if the tile is large enough) and it should not show very much and will keep the legs away from the wall.

thanks erinsean. I think I will probably try variations of the bumber/velcro protection first, because it seems less obtrusive if it works. But I will consider your suggestion and other ways of keeping the chair away from the wall if needed.

So on my way home I stopped at the this-sort-of-stuff store, and found these bumpers. They're black and much thinner and more flexible than the thicker clear ones that I was using before. I think we may have a winner!!!

If not, I'll be back, but thanks for the advice everyone!!!