Is it just me or did Black Friday and Cyber Monday last an excessive amount of time this year? In honor of these seemingly never-ending holiday deals, we’ve lined up a few our favorite, stylish, durable, and budget-friendly barstools. These barstools work in everything from restaurants to cafeterias to office break rooms—and they are all under $468 list.

There are so many things happening in the higher ed space today. Dorms look like luxury apartments, student unions boast state-of-the-art movies theaters and bowling alleys, and cafeterias have morphed into dining meccas filled with any food you can possibly imagine. With those changes, we wanted to get an expert opinion on what's next in the ever-changing world of higher education design. So, we turned to lead interior designer Fabie Derbigny of Tipton Associates to learn the trends of higher ed design.

Vegan and vegetarian restaurants aren’t a fad. In fact, they’ve have grown exponentially in the last few years and aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. According to a report by the research firm GlobalData, there’s been a whopping “600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the U.S in the last three years.” Delivery service GrubHub notes in their 2017 report that orders for plant-based foods have reached “a new high.” And finally, Nestle, the world’s largest food and beverage company, recently reported that plant-based foods are “here to stay.”

In the series I Spy, we highlight unique perspectives, designs, furniture, architecture, and people. When so much of the design world can feel monotonous, we search for and share moments that make you look and think twice. Think of I Spy as your one-stop-shop for everything bold, different, and beautiful.

Now serving: stylish coworking spaces served with a side of hospitality. Enter Beauty Shoppe, a Pittsburgh-based coworking operator on a mission to make neighborhoods and coworking spaces more hospitable and welcoming.

There are four things you should know about the Sherman Collection.

It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get stylish and quality restaurant chairs. And we have seven chairs to prove it. Below, you’ll find our favorite budget-friendly dining chairs that are nothing short on style—and all start under $400 list.

To create a comfortable and functional restaurant, details like the standard restaurant chair height and the distance between the seat and bar should never be overlooked. These basic (yet vital) seating and table questions are answered below. Consider this your ultimate guide to restaurant furniture and sizing.

Restaurant merchandise is nothing new, but it’s starting to become a lot cooler. Take it from brands like Sweetgreen and &pizza. They know good merch can double as free advertisement and additional revenue, but it can also be a way to increase customer loyalty. 

Everyone, White Oak is having a moment. This is not your mother’s kitchen from 1984—I promise. In fact, this classic American hardwood is being served up in a  sophisticated, subtle way across the commercial design landscape. From trendy retail stores to modern restaurants, White Oak is white hot, and we don’t see it burning out anytime soon. Here are our favorite White Oak looks and trends.

The coolest restaurant in Atlanta is not a restaurant. In fact, it’s a small 14-seat stall in Atlanta’s hot Krog Street Market called Recess. Recess is bursting with color and a healthy dose of  pop art. It’s a restaurant design that’s so well executed, you may find yourself specifying bold and bright colors, too. 

The Brady Collection can be seen in everything from fast casual restaurants to chic offices. Brady’s design is simple and straightforward, making it the kind of product that can be easily placed in most commercial spaces. So, in honor of one of our most versatile collections, we rounded up five of our favorite Brady installations to date.

We know, you hear it all the time, “It’s more than a burger joint, it’s an experience.” With over 50,000 burger restaurants in the country, it’s no wonder our palates are fatigued. Slap on some reclaimed  wood, hang a neon sign, and offer a juicy burger, and you have the burger joint starter kit. But, just as I was giving up on the better burger saga, my eyes, mouth, and heart were opened to a new restaurant called Brome Modern Eatery.

Edge grain, butcher block, random plank... what are these and what’s the difference? Since there are so many ways to construct a table, we wanted to bring some clarity to this topic. Below we outline common solid wood table constructions and how they are applied to our tables.

If you live in Austin and don’t have any plans this Friday night, I think I may have the spot for you. And if you’re just a big fan of great interior or restaurant design, well, I also have the post for you.

In the series, I Spy, we highlight unique perspectives, designs, furniture, architecture, and people. When so much of the design world can feel monotonous, we search for and share moments that make you look and think twice. Think of I Spy as your one-stop-shop for everything bold, different, and beautiful.

Tucked away in the seaside town of Emerald Isle, North Carolina, you’ll find the family-owned restaurant, Rucker Johns. Inspired by the shoreline, the restaurant’s interior gleams with soothing cool colors and sophisticated textures. It’s a modern space, but Rucker Johns didn’t always look like this. In fact, until recently, Rucker Johns was an aging casual restaurant in need of an update. Curious about the design, we called up Danielle Boisse of Port City Design Group, the designer responsible for Rucker Johns’ new look, to learn more this massive makeover.

To this day, the phrase “chain restaurants” is often synonymous with the casual dining sector. You know the type.—the chain restaurants that are filled with bunk Americana flair and fully loaded potato skins—it’s the same sector of restaurants that has been losing market share more so than any other sector of the industry. I wondered, “Are (we) millennials, to blame for the slow death of casual chain dining?” And if so, what do we really want in restaurants?

Breakfast is the most underrated meal of the day—especially when going out to eat. Generally, the food is simple, the atmosphere is cozy, and the check doesn’t break the bank. Inspired by our love for all things breakfast, we’re featuring Hatch Early Morning Food, a micro chain known for their basic yet delicious breakfast and brunch.

“We believe healthy food is a human right, but it’s often a product only available for the most affluent,” says CEO and cofounder Sam Polk of Los Angeles-based healthy fast food restaurant Everytable. While the first store opened nearly two years ago, Polk and cofounder David Foster recently made an appearance on the television show Shark Tank seeking a one-million-dollar investment to expand their brick and mortar location beyond southern California.

On a sunny day, a table outside at a restaurant is often the best seat in the house. Aside from being just plain fun, outdoor dining can bring in as much as 30% or more of additional revenue during spring and summer months, proving to be a wise investment, according to nrn.com. And it all starts by picking the right outdoor restaurant furniture. That’s why we beefed up our charming Opla Collection to include more options and additional comfort and colors. Still not convinced this is the outdoor collection for you? Below are all of the reasons to love this outdoor furniture collection.

College cafeterias aren’t what they used to be—and I’m only five years out of university. Within the last few years, gigantic multi-purpose (and well-designed) student centers and cafeterias have become the norm. So long are the days of glum lighting, stale french fries, and bad furniture, these new cafeterias offer diverse cuisines and areas for multiple activities. Case in point: University of Kentucky Student Center.

Since the blog’s inception, we’ve shared countless stunning restaurants (like this one, this one, or this one). Some of these spaces feature mind-bending architecture, jaw-dropping city views, dazzling conceptual design, and furniture packages that seem to be shipped straight from the showrooms of Milan. While aspirational, these restaurant designs often come with a hefty price tag. And that’s not realistic for most restaurants.

Color plays in integral role in a school’s identity. You wouldn’t have University of Michigan without maize and blue or the Tarheels without their signature Carolina blue and white. When you think about it, school colors can be found on everything from a school’s end zone, to sweatshirts, to coffee mugs, and even interior design.

For a restaurant, good food and great service go hand-in-hand. It's rare to find a restaurant that can thrive, let alone survive, without mastering both of those qualities. Being a restaurant furniture manufacturer, we share a similar fate.  Speaking with Jill Frey, vice president of marketing and customer experience, learn how Grand Rapids Chair Company balances that delicate combination of refreshing product designs and a dedication to fast, friendly service. 

As purchasing contracts become more convulated and budgets dwindle, university designers and purchasers are often faced with the daunting task of finding the right furniture with the right contract.  Cue NCPA, a nationally vetted, free, and reliable purchasing agreement designed to save you time and money. 

Our LookBook Vol. 3 is now available, and we think it's our best yet.  Dramatically different than our previous installments, this LookBook is dripping in rich color, texture, and story. In honor of our best yet, we sat down with Lindsay Jones, designer, resident cool girl, and creative genius behind LookBook Volumes 1, 2, and now 3. Learn about what places and spaces inspired the LookBook, how color informs her work, and what restaurants should never include in their design.

Aluminum has been widely used as a go-to seating material for many years. It's no surprise as its lightweight and durable properties make it a natural fit for dining spaces. What you may not know is that properly building and finishing an aluminum chair is comparable to woodworking, requiring a deft hand to grind, shape, contour, and blend each joint and creating that signature brushed pattern.

Hat Creek Burger began with a food truck and a guy with a fierce passion for good burgers. So, restaurant design was a bit of a new endeavor when developing the brick-and-mortar locations in the Austin, Texas, area. But one thing was for sure, this burger chain put a family-friendly atmosphere at the forefront to complement their simple, tasty menu of American classics.

Currently, there are more than 50 chicken restaurant chains in existence. Holy cow, I mean, chicken. With stiff competition, one of the easiest and proven ways to get customers in the door (and coming back) is through design. Meet Flyrite, the brand that’s ruling the roost in design and branding. From the futuristic exterior, to the industrial interior, to the seamless digital branding, Flyrite shows us that qsr’s become a whole lot more memorable when paired with great design.