Style and Functionality Guide: How to Match Dining Chairs and Tables
Crafting a home interior you love starts with identifying the areas where you, friends, and family will gather most. These hubs of activity and memories are some of the most important spaces and deserve lots of attention. But curating the pieces that build and define these parts of the home might be a process that requires a style and functionality guide. Today, we're focusing on the dining room - a vital space for entertaining and daily life - and how to match dining chairs and tables.
How to Match Dining Chairs and Tables
Choosing the right dining chairs to complement your dining table is essential for creating a cohesive and comfortable dining space. And there are a few ways to go about curating a dining set. Whether you want to mix and match Scandinavian dining tables with industrial chairs, incorporate a modern accent chair at the head of the table, or focus primarily on Mid-Century aesthetics, HORNE has the contemporary dining room furniture to help you synthesize your style and find the perfect match.
Consider Proportion and Scale
As with any interior design project, it's best to start with measurements and take some important numbers into consideration.
Measure Your Table and Chair Seat Height
Standard dining tables are typically 28 to 30 inches tall, so it is ideal to choose chairs with seat heights around 17 to 19 inches to ensure everyone is comfortable with plenty of leg room.
Don't forget to leave about 10 to 12 inches of clearance between the seat and the tabletop for legroom and to make it easy to pull the chair up to the table.
Balance the Size of Chairs and Table
For large rectangular tables, we recommend opting for wider chairs with arms or upholstered designs. These bolder chairs help balance the size of the larger table, offering a nice counter-balance instead of getting lost. Bigger chairs are less likely to get lost in the shadow of the large table, and upholstery helps add more texture to offset the big swath of table.
On the other hand, smaller or round tables, it is best to choose slender, armless chairs to avoid overcrowding. Just like with the larger table and larger chairs, smaller chairs and smaller tables go hand-in-hand, neither one overwhelming the other to create a cohesive and harmonious composition.
Style Matching Tips
Perhaps one of the more difficult tasks is finding tables and chairs that effortlessly complement each other style-wise. Luckily, many design studios from HORNE's furniture catalogue have collections of tables and chairs that are part of the same design family, and therefore make it easy to pick out a set. However, for anyone looking to mix chairs and tables, there are a few things to consider.
Stick with a Cohesive Style or Mix Thoughtfully
First things first, modern furniture pairs well with sleek, minimal chairs—think molded plastic, metal, or wood designs. One combo we love, for example, is the Post Table with the Form Armchair.
Meanwhile, Scandinavian furniture is enhanced by light woods and soft, upholstered seats for a cozy feel. You'll want to establish more of a hygge feel—a great combination to achieve this look would be the CH20 Elbow Chair with the Frame Table.
If you want to create more of an industrial aesthetic, then tables of almost any material can be complemented with metal or leather chairs for an edgy look. This more Brutalist style of design works well with tables like the Bauhaus Dining Table paired with the Bauhaus Dining Chair or the Afteroom Dining Chair.
Finally, contemporary furniture allows for bold contrasts—try mixing materials like a glass table with velvet chairs. This contrast creates an eclectic and often futuristic feel, especially if you utilize various textures. We suggest pairing the Kashmir Chair with the Androgyne Dining Table.
Consider Color and Finish
When it comes to colors and finishes, matching woods and finishes creates a unified look. However, you can mix materials for a more eclectic style. Combine one or two colors and textures but keep a common element, like similar tones or leg shapes. This creates a storyline between pieces that might, at first glance, seem like opposites.
Comfort and Functionality
Above all else, it's important to take into consideration the comfort and functionality of each chair and table. Our recommendations to ensure every guest can sit comfortably around your table is to leave about 24 inches of width per chair. Additionally, it is best to maintain 6 inches of space between each chair to avoid crowding. Both of these numbers are good to keep in mind when measuring your dining space.
Think About Chair Features
And don't forget about the various features of the chairs you choose. Armchairs add comfort but will need more space. As a result, armchairs are ideal for the heads of rectangular tables and armless chairs are more space-efficient and flexible for smaller dining rooms.
Mix-and-Match Dining Chairs
If more than one style of chair strikes you as perfect for your dining room, it is possible to integrate all styles. Simply use matching chairs on the sides and incorporate contrasting styles at the heads for a designer look. Another great option is to bring benches into the space for a more casual and communal feel.
Upholstered vs. Non-Upholstered
Another way to mix styles is to use both upholstered and unupholstered chairs. Many chair styles come in both options, which is perfect for maintaining a common look while still adding variety. Upholstered chairs offer more comfort and a formal appearance (so they would be great as accent chairs at the head of the table), while non-upholstered chairs, like wood or metal, create a sharper look (and are practical for everyday dining and easier to clean).
Shop Dining Chairs and Tables at HORNE
At HORNE, we offer an expertly curated selection of modern dining chairs, catering to anyone who loves Scandinavian furniture, the more industrial aesthetic, or wants a contemporary feel. Our collection of dining tables and chairs has something to suit every dining space. Whether you seek a matching set or a mix-and-match arrangement, explore our collection to create the perfect dining experience.
Browse our dining furniture collection today to find stylish, functional options that elevate your dining room!
