A dining room is a point of pride for those who enjoy entertaining and family get-togethers.
And a huge selling point of an inviting space is the ability for your guests to sit comfortably around the table to eat and socialize.
To ensure this, you must pick the correct dining room chairs to fit your table.
The two don’t need to match perfectly, but making sure they fit the room and the table correctly is the difference between your guests staying for after-dinner coffee or leaving immediately.
Find Options That Fit the Space
The size of your dining room chairs is a big deal, considering you need them to fit perfectly around the table while allowing space for people to get up and move around.
For this reason, you will need to take careful measurements to ensure you are buying an option suitable for the space available.
Measure the room itself and the size of the table, and factor in details like elbow room, table height, and the number of chairs you want to purchase.
If your table is an odd size or shape, use the rule of thumb that you need at least 6 inches between chairs for elbow room and 36 inches between chairs and the wall or other dining room furniture.
Materials Matter
Dining room chairs come in many different materials, so narrowing down your favorite might be a challenging task.
The most common options are wood, metal, and upholstered. You can use the room’s overall theme to make your choice or narrow down your picks based on personal preference.
For a frame of reference, wood chairs are perfect for more traditional homes, especially if they are surrounded by other wooden furniture.
On the other hand, metal is more at home in contemporary spaces, modernizing any room. In addition, they are typically lightweight and can be easily moved to clean or free up space when needed.
Finally, upholstered chairs are ideal for families and friends who enjoy sitting around talking and reminiscing, as their padded seats and back offer great comfort for your guests.
Furthermore, you can style them with small details like padded arms or button accents.
Seat Height
To find the perfect seat-height-to-table-height ratio, it is best to test out a mixture of different chairs with a table that matches your one at home.
The simplest way to do this is by visiting a furniture store and consulting with a salesman there who can assist you with the height requirements you are after. Don’t forget to take along a measuring tape!
Measure from the bottom of the tabletop to the top edge of the chair seat.
If the table has an apron, your measurement will start from the bottom of the apron. Note whether the chair is upholstered or not, as upholstered chairs tend to compress when you sit down.
Consider Storage Requirements
Storing dining chairs when you need to get them out of the way can be tricky. This is where the beauty of stackable furniture shines. Designed specifically for this purpose, chairs and stools without arms are stackable.
This type of furniture is made to fit snuggly together, minimizing space and preventing the pieces from being damaged or broken.
Design considerations include features like open backs, slim legs, and panels.
Back & Arm Height
If you opt for chair designs that feature arms of any type, you must factor this into your height measurements.
There needs to be enough room between the table and arms not to brush or bump the tabletop or the apron. Aside from the damage this constant bumping will cause, it will prevent you from being able to sit close enough to the table to eat comfortably.
Additionally, ensure the backs of your chairs are higher than the height of the table; a difference of at least 2 inches is the absolute minimum.
This will prevent your chairs from looking mismatched and out of place.
Your Style Needs
Once deciding on size and material, you must nail down the design option that best suits your taste and overall look for the room.
To do this, you need to pay attention to color palettes, patterns, and the design theme of the entire home.
For example, if most of your furnishing and walls are neutral, you can continue this pattern with beige, white, or light tan brown chairs.
However, this could also be the perfect opportunity to inject color with bright teals, oranges, or blues. A good rule to follow is if you pick a bright color, keep the pattern more toned down and vice versa.
You don’t want to have too many competing elements dominating the space.
Styling Exceptions
As with anything in the world of fashion and design, there are exceptions to the styling rules.
When mixing and matching chairs to a dining table, the exception works when the pairing is outrageous enough to be stylish.
If you mix a sleek, contemporary zebrawood dining table with traditional maple chairs, it looks like you have no taste.
However, if you pair the same table with an extravagant, carved chair fancy enough for a visit from the king, it will look deliberate and avant-garde.