Please help me find a simple wooden armchair that doesn't cost the earth!

[lowrib]

I'd like to get a simple wooden armchair, in a pale wood. I can only seem to find the IKEA one, or outrageously expensive ones though!

I quite like the IKEA one, and it's a bargain at £89, but I can't help thinking it's not very sturdy. I thought I'd try to find something a bit better made, but then what's available seems to jump to £££ - for example John Lewis's offing is £999!

Surely there's something in between? I can't seem to find it though! I was hoping to spend up to £200 (or maybe up to £300 at a push for something really special). Any help would be much appreciated.

TIA

John Lewis's offering I mean. Grr can't type!

This is very nice for example.

But it's about £1.4K! Oh dear. Is it that I have expensive tastes perhaps

Oh and this is really nice but is also £1k!

(Think I should leave that website!)

Laura Ashley do some lovely ones and they have a sale (40% off) on at the moment here

Also Tesco direct had a couple of nice ones a while ago. HTH

we have the Ikea one and i don't think it cost that much. It depends what seat pad you choose.

It is sturdy but i wouldn't want to jump around on it. It rocks slightly too.

Why not try a few reclamation type shops? I saw a Windsor chair a few weeks ago for £50. It would be made about a trillion times better than Ikea or Tesco and will give you a lovely warm feeling regarding recycling!

We have had to decorate quite a big house on a tiny budget and have done most of it through antique shops, rec yards and second hand places and have saved a fortune! Although I have got a dab hand at either painting up or stripping down bad 1950's paint jobs.

I agree, look at antique shops/reclamation yards. Where do you live? I'm sure some MNer can recommend somewhere local to you.

Thanks for the replies

mumofmonsters thanks that's confirmed my suspicions. "It is sturdy but i wouldn't want to jump around on it." nor would I, but I know a little boy (16months) who would love to! . Anything we get must at least relatively be toddler-proof.

Orangesarenotheonlyfruit and OurLadyOfPerpetualSupper, a reclamation yard would be brilliant. Unfortunately all the reclamation type places here have been replaced with very trendy versions of the same thing, which are really very pricey indeed! I'd love to hear some recommendations. We're in Hackney, London, and we're just moving to Brighton.

Have a look at auction houses. We've got some lovely Victorian furniture for our house at auction.

Don't know any round your neck of the woods, though, sorry. Google it.

Good idea Poledra. Actually we've been looking at www.criterionauctions.co.uk/ which is in Islington / Wandsworth. I'd love a recommendation for other places near us.

Ideally though I would like to find something on the internet. This being-a-mum lark is quite time consuming isn't it

The days of idly browsing in shops for hours is over for a while I feel. Shopping these days is generally the kind that DP likes. Decide what you want, go buy it, leave.

Might be worth looking at Habitat - they have a couple, and 20% off today.