Another Great Deal

When we first bought our home in 2000, our kitchen was a basic builder's kitchen.  Our cabinets were laminated in a white wash finish, with laminate countertops in black, white and cream color made to resemble granite.  To go along with them, I bought a couple of bar stools from the unfinished wood furniture store, and stained them in the same white wash finish.  Add a couple of cushions, and they were good to go.

After we'd lived in the house for 6 years, we decided to redo our kitchen.  The colors changed to a natural colored maple with dark green granite countertops and bronze iron accessories.  The bar stools no longer matched the decor, so I tried to sand one of the chairs and restain.  That didn't work out so well.

The chair on the left is the one I tried to stain darker.  The picture doesn't show all the imperfections :P.  I don't know if it was the sander, the stain, or me, but the color came out so sloppy and uneven I almost threw them both out.  The other problem these chairs have is how uncomfortable they are.  I never could find cushions that fit properly, and even with the cushions they aren't very comfy.  I wanted new bar stools, but boy are they expensive!  I found a few I liked but they run from $200 on up each, and that was not what I was wanting to spend.  So I waited.  And now, I have these.

Not bad, huh?!  Okay, let me tell the story of why I was finally able to get these incredibly beautiful bar stools.  Each year I get a rebate from Costco both from the warehouse and their credit card.  I've been able to find some great buys at Costco, like the laminate wood flooring we put in a couple of years ago.  We had 2 different appraisers look at our house, and both thought the floors were genuine hardwood.  I also got the chandelier for our dining room from there recently, and last year I used my rebate to get a Dyson vacuum cleaner.  I'd seen some bar stools at Costco in the past, but they were all wrought iron and in a style that didn't match our decor.  When I saw these I fell in love with the design, the color, and the comfort.  The price wasn't too bad either:  $99.99 each was a lot less than the prices I'd been seeing.  So when my Costco rebate came, I decided this was where I would use it.  Even with my rebate check, I still had to pay a balance, but I'm happy to say I paid only $18.99 out of pocket for these gorgeous chairs!  They're so much more comfortable, and they look elegant.  I'm so thrilled with my new chairs!