Beautiful Vintage Bistro Chairs – French Country Cottage

Do you love vintage chairs like I do? I might have a small vintage chair addiction.

I mean, chairs are versatile and easy to change. You can swap them and create a whole new look at the table easily. And there are so many charming ones out there. How can you resist?

Well, as you can see, I didn’t resist and brought home a set of 7 beautiful vintage bistro chairs recently. Each one has a bit of personality in their patina and style & a whole lot of charm! And you might not believe the price.

Vintage Bistro Bentwood Chairs

These are such charmers. You may have seen chairs like these in bistros or restaurants and you can find them in metal and plastic now too. Vintage bistro chairs come in all shapes and sizes- but this look is one of my favorites.

The original Thonet bentwood chair was a lovely shape and dainty size and dates to 1859. One of these chairs is stamped Thonet and has a beautiful embossed seat.

The others are stamped with different markings – not sure if they are Thonet or are a different brand/company. But whether you have antiques or reproductions- these types of chairs are lovely little additions to indoor or outdoor seating.

All in the Details

Bentwood chairs have just that- bent wood. The frame and design is created using wood that is steamed and bent. There are many different styles and designs for the backs- as you can see, this set of 7 are different. There are 3 with vinyl seats- stamped from the early 80’s, 3 all wood styles that are older and a single Thonet original style.

Where I found them & Price

Marketplace scores again! I was actually getting ready to head out to a lake for a hike and picnic with my husband and was looking for something else on the marketplace when the listing popped up. It was a photo of 9 different chairs – 7 bentwood chairs and 2 oak slat chairs. All listed for the whopping price of: FREE

Yeah, I couldn’t resist.

They are all in really good vintage condition. They have a great patina and are sturdy and usable. They come with little woven chair pads that will come off but other than cleaning them up a bit – they are ready to enjoy. I took these iPhone photos quickly today while cleaning them up but you will see more of them very soon. Incidentally, the vintage tiger oak slat chairs are the ones my daughter and her fiancé are going to use in the cottage.

Tips for Scoring Treasures on Marketplace

1. Set searches on marketplace to let you know when something you are looking for is listed.
2. Browse instead of only searching for a specific item- you never know what you might bump into.
3. Don’t forget to check bookmarks and watch things to keep an eye on – often times the price drops and you can grab it for less.
4. Set your search for further distance if you are willing to drive further. I often search areas where my boys and their families live because I know we can easily pick things up on the way there.
5. Don’t forget to peruse the Free section on marketplace. You can find some great things that people simply want to go from their yard or home.

Get the Look

What do you think of these cute chairs? As I have mentioned before- I have a bit of a vintage chair addiction. You can see another vintage scores and tips in this post Here.

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