How to Select the Right Dining Room Chairs

Knowing how to select the right chairs for your dining room is an important part of home decor. Choosing can be very stressful if you don’t know what you want.

Whatever role your dining room plays in your home, it’s it’s satisfying when it looks attractive and tidy.

That’s why today, we’re going to give you 5 tips on how to select the right chairs for your dining room.

How to select the right chairs for your dining room

1. Aesthetics vs comfort

Do you prefer an interesting design over comfort? Or is your main priority to be comfortable while you eat? 

Think about your preferences before you buy anything. You don’t always have to sacrifice comfort for design. Still, some of the more modern, futuristic chairs on the market aren’t too comfortable, so they might not be a good choice if you spend a lot of time in the dining room.

Once you’ve thought this through, ask yourself these questions:

• How often do I use the dining room?
• Is it only for special occasions?

How often you use it could help you decide on one type of chair over another. If you don’t eat in the dining room very often, you might opt for more aesthetically pleasing chairs. If you spend more time in it, you should probably prioritize comfort and functionality.

2. Size

It’s important to take measurements when you’re furnishing or decorating your house.

Measure twice, buy once.

Dining rooms are no exception to this. Your chairs need to fit nicely into the room. 

Can you imagine being in a gigantic dining room with tiny chairs? Or vice versa? The balance would be completely off, which would be terrible for the overall aesthetic of the room.

So, don’t just factor in the size of the room itself. You need to consider the size of the furniture and chairs, too.

It can be very helpful to calculate the distance between each chair when you’re choosing. It’s common practice to leave about 20 inches for armless chairs, and 23 for chairs with arms. 

It’s also important to consider how many people are usually (and we want to stress the word “usually”) in the dining room. That way, you can pick the right number of chairs to put around the table.

If you have a family of four, and it’s always (or almost always) just the four of you, then there’s no need to put out more chairs than that if you don’t have much space.

There are alternative solutions for when you have guests over. Folding chairs and extendable tables are both excellent options.

Always err on the side of moderation to avoid spoiling the balance of the room.

Lastly, if you don’t have much space, we suggest armless chairs with a low back. If you have a lot of space, there are more possibilities. 

3. Material

Always choose a material that goes well with your overall decorative scheme.

You’re trying to create a visual balance between all these spaces, and the material is a key part of this.

Selecting chairs for your outdoor eating area isn’t the same as picking them for your dining room. And an industrial-style dining room doesn’t call for the same things as a classic or vintage one would.

Here are the most common materials:

• Wood
• Upholstery
• Metal
• Resin
• Fiberglass
• Wicker or rattan

4. Mix & match

Try to mix & match if you want to give your dining room a modern touch.

This trend involves putting chairs of different styles into a room. It creates an asymmetrical kind of balance, based on difference rather than similarity.

This could either turn out amazing or awful. Be cautious and always remember that you’re trying to achieve an overall balance.

5. Styles

There are all kinds of chairs out there, for any taste, decorative scheme, and budget.

You should choose yours based on a few things:

• Your taste
• How much space you have
• Comfort vs. aesthetics

The most common dining room styles are:

• Chairs with arms: these are usually broad and very comfortable.
• Thonet: this style is over 60 years old. Many companies make them, so there’s a wide price range. They have bent wood backs.
• Eames: this is also a classic style, with simple lines.
• Wishbone: commonly seen in Nordic style homes for their simplicity.
• French: the main aspect of these is upholstery. They radiate elegance and comfort.
• Windsor: this style came about in the 18th century. They’re made of wood, with several individual bars on the back.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve read our tips on how to select the right chairs for your dining room, it should be plain sailing from here on!

At worst, you might have trouble making a final decision. But that’s just because of how many possibilities there are in the world of dining room chairs.

Still, we’re confident that the more you learn about that world, the clearer your goals, priorities, and needs will be. We’re confident you’ll pick the perfect dining room chairs for your home.