“Wood. Clean lines. FAC.” was the caption on the first post of the up-and-coming Instagram account, Chairs of Western.

The account posted a picture of an older chair with a pale brown wooden frame and light blue cushions in a brick-lined hallway of the Fine Arts Center on WKU’s campus on Jan. 16.

WKU students took notice throughout the next week as more posts of quirky chairs from all over campus began to pop up on the account’s feed.

Posts featuring chairs such as the olive-colored metal and hard plastic classic in the stairwell of Grise Hall to a modernistic, sleek bench spotted in Ogden Hall began to flood students’ Instagram feeds.

According to a post on Jan. 24, only eight days after its debut, the account accumulated 500 followers and has since gained over a thousand followers.

The owner, a sophomore journalism major who asked to remain anonymous, was inspired by another small Instagram account, @chairs.only, which posts pictures of artistic chairs. The account caused them to start noticing unique chairs around campus.

“I just thought it was kind of funny and interesting, and kind of unique,” Chairs of Western said. “I really did not think it would take off the way it did.”

They said their love for interesting chairs and mid-century modern architecture comes from their childhood. Their mother always had lots of vintage furniture around her house, they said.

The account provides Chairs of Western an outlet to share the love for mid-century modern architecture they were lucky enough to experience growing up.

Chairs of Western not only promotes a general awareness of the commonly used items but also encourages followers to join in the fun too.

In fact, the most liked post on the page, with 299 likes from Feb. 3, is of
a follower’s submission of a sculpted wooden back and armrests held in place by reflective metal beams that form the legs, connected by a burnt orange cushion as the seat. The promotion for the followers to send in their own finds creates a sense of a safe community.