Style to the Maxx, Right on Target

If you're not familiar with the term "occasional chair," it's basically what it sounds like: a chair you sit in it occasionally. Sound like a waste? Never! Because a true occasional chair is great at holding coats, clothing, handbags...moreso than holding up your butt.

I've been on the hunt for an occasional chair for my guest room for some time now and today, I scored big.

Albeit hit-or-miss, the T.J. Maxx near you has some fantastic finds. Earlier this week I saw a chair there that caught my eye, and I gave it the true style test: check it over carefully...then walk away. If you're still thinking about it 2 days later, then it's for real, and you should go back and buy it. This simple little practice has saved me many a hideous impulse buy. In a moment of weakness (or insanity), a ceramic peacock may sound like a great idea ("Birds are really hot right now!") but trust me - everything can benefit from the Two-Day Test.

The sharp lines of this pillow complement the geometric
pattern of this occasional chair's upohlstery.
That's a fancy way of saying "It looks nice."


After picking up the chair, I needed to find a suitable throw pillow to complement the pattern. The pattern is bold, which means a solid color pillow would be too muted. At the same time, because the pattern IS so bold, a conflicting bold pattern wouldn't work. Enter my favorite store and yours: Target (pronounced "Tar-jay" in many style circles). 

I happened upon this felt pillow with soft-to-the-touch yet sharply-defined edges. I knew the textured fabric here would stand out more than a standard pillow. I took it home immediately and, as pictured above, I found a great combo. Look for it in store, or check it out at Target's website.

This textured pillow is felt - because I touched it. Get it?

An occasional chair is a stylish and affordable way to fill space, especially a corner. As with any piece of furniture, you can certainly splurge here, but there's no need to when you can peruse brick-and-mortar stores like T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshall's.

I also found an interesting array of affordable chairs on one of my favorite websites, http://www.overstock.com/. Check out this black & ivory Chippendale-style occasional chair.

Chippendale Occasional Ivory & Black Chair.
(And no, it does NOT dance.)

So what if you only sit on it occasionally? Sometimes fashion supercedes function. And in moderation, I'm okay with that.