My Long-Standing Egg Chair Obsession and a Thrift Store Score

I’ve been obsessed with egg chairs for at least a decade. The infatuation began in college when I saw a hanging example in Domino magazine and later reinforced by a stylish spread from Marie Claire Maison (their French home magazine) that has lived in my inspiration folder for years.

Because of that, every time I’m in a thrift store I go on the eternal egg chair hunt. I picture a hanging chair in our sunroom beside Clara’s daybed, somewhere to swing gently without risking injury. I’m not sure we could safely install a true hanging model, but I still keep my eyes peeled. So far luck has been sparse—until a recent run to several of our local thrift stores.

Before I get to that, I do peek at mainstream stores too. For example, Pier 1 sells a hanging-style chair for about $280. They also carry a Papasan-style chair for around $80—comfortable and affordable, but a little too low and wide to feel truly egg-like. There’s a middle ground as well: a swivel egg chair with a more defined shape, though sometimes the cushion choices feel too bulky for my taste. Overall, I prefer the defined egg silhouette and a cleaner cushion profile.

On a recent thrift outing we visited five of our favorite spots and I took a lot of photos. At the third shop I passed a small set of two chairs and snapped this picture—no drama, just a quick shot. Later, when I uploaded the photos, I had one of those “what was I thinking?” moments and realized both chairs were:

• clearly egg-ish in shape
• comfortably within my price range
• in need of some love and updates (which I actually love)
• safer than a hanging chair—less risk of swinging into disaster for the uncoordinated among us

I practically leapt into action. I grabbed John, asked if the chairs would fit in our car, and convinced him at least one could. We hustled back to the store and—surprise—the right-hand chair had already been sold. Heart-sink. But the left-hand chair was still there: very egg-ish, in our budget, and it even swiveled. It felt like getting the more expensive swivel chair for a fraction of the cost. I walked away paying about thirty dollars total—a tiny fortune for thrift shoppers—and mentally plotted cushion and finish updates.

Side note: I made an omelette to celebrate the little egg-chair coup. Call it poetic if you like.

The chair isn’t child-sized—John’s shoulders reach just under the top and he’s six feet tall—so it’s large and comfortable enough for adults and perfect for Clara too. The original cushion was pretty grody, so that went straight to the carport. With the cushion removed the chair’s shape reads much cleaner and shows off its lines.

After trying a few temporary pillows to visualize possibilities, I decided to make or source a better-fitting seat cushion and add a taller back cushion for real comfort. The back should be as supportive as the seat, so I’m planning a taller, more casual back pillow rather than the small one I experimented with.

I’ll also freshen up the frame and finish beyond just adding cushions so it feels like a thoughtful, updated piece rather than a straight thrift rescue. I may share the step-by-step when the chair is dry and photo-ready in a few days.

Meanwhile, work continues slowly but steadily on the deck project, so expect an update on that next week. Inch by inch, things are moving forward.

P.S. We announced this week’s giveaway winner—check our website to see if it’s you.