In Grandma’s day, newlyweds started out their marriages with a matching dining table and chairs. You never had to wonder if the pieces worked together. But the results were so predictable, they induced drowsiness faster than the tryptophan in a turkey dinner.
Today mix-and-match dining sets are in vogue. They’re more interesting, but also more challenging to put together. So before you invest in a set of dining chairs, make sure they’re going to work with the table, the room — and even the size of your guests.
Design
Although it can be chic to pair traditional chairs with a contemporary table, and vice versa, try to find pieces that share a common design element. If the table has a sinuous leg, look for a chair with the same line in the leg or back, or choose upholstery with swirls on it.
Although it can be chic to pair traditional chairs with a contemporary table, and vice versa, try to find pieces that share a common design element. If the table has a sinuous leg, look for a chair with the same line in the leg or back, or choose upholstery with swirls on it.
If the table is square or rectangular, consider chairs with a square or rectangular seat.
Dimensions
Twenty-two inches is a good standard width for an armless dining chair, but you can go larger than that if your dining table or dining room is especially big and would dwarf a normal-size chair.
Twenty-two inches is a good standard width for an armless dining chair, but you can go larger than that if your dining table or dining room is especially big and would dwarf a normal-size chair.
Avoid chairs that are narrower than 17 inches; they just don’t provide enough support for the derriere. For maximum comfort, choose chairs that are 20 to 24 inches deep.