The Phillipian

The Phillipian Arts Section offers a sampling of the chairs being previewed in Uncommons. (Photographs by S. Sheu/The Phillipian)

Renovation is a perfect time to create a new vibe in Commons and Ryley complete with fresh furniture. The only question is, what should the new vibe be?

You may have noticed the corner of Uncommons that blatantly does not fit in with the rest. This corner consists of tables smaller than the rest, and, of course, chairs of all different colors, styles and materials. These are all samples of furniture that may make appearances in the new Commons spring of 2009. Emelyn Chew ’10 said, “[The chairs] add flavor to Commons.” No pun intended.

While the chairs are all samples of furniture to be taken into consideration for the new Commons, new Ryley and the patio outside of Commons, students will not necessarily get a say in which of the chairs will be used. John Galanis, project director, said, “Many of the chairs in Uncommons are the result of over-zealous furniture vendors trying to sell us their product. Most are being removed in the next day or so.”

However, this does not stop people who eat at Uncommons from having an opinion on what kind of chairs to use. Mrs. Green, Instructor of Mathematics and Coach of Girls Crew, said, “We need something that we can keep clean — those fabric ones? Forget it. I also don’t really like some of the modern-looking ones for Commons. Maybe for Ryley, because Commons should have something that is more classic.”

Meghan McCafferty ’10 said, “I enjoy having a variety of chairs, and I think that we should have different chairs for the patio, Ryley and Commons. Commons should have classic chairs; Ryley should have fun, funky, colorful ones that are comfortable to chill in, and for the patio we should have the cool café-ish outdoorsy ones.”

Bijan Torabi ’10 said, “The seatbelt chairs look cool but aren’t very comfortable. I like the white chairs because they mold to my butt very well.” This unconventional point was well-taken.

If you haven’t had a chance, try out some of what might be future Commons chairs for a change of pace at a normally routine Uncommons meal before they get taken away! Just because there might not be a poll doesn’t mean you can’t critique and try them out. If the chairs fit, sit in them.