How to Style a Dining Room Table
TL;DR:
- The best dining chairs of the year offer comfort, versatility, and timeless design.
- From classic designs to modern styles, every aesthetic has a chair.
- Sustainable materials and customizable features are vital highlights.
- Dining chairs are available at various prices, from budget-friendly options to luxurious choices catering to different budgets.
The dining room is an integral part of many households. It offers a place to chat and decompress over a warm meal with loved ones. The dining room furniture you choose can set the tone for the entire space, laying the foundation for countless great memories and an authentic taste of home.
Dining room chairs are some of our favorite pieces of furniture because they come in infinite styles and can be mixed and matched in many different ways to create a look that's uniquely yours.
David Charne, the co-founder of Fyrn, suggests that good dining chairs should provide "Comfort over a long meal or use of any kind, versatility by being lightweight and easy to move around, and simplicity through timeless design. Most importantly, [they should be] built to last, which usually comes down to the materials being used."
To help you find the perfect dining chairs for your space, we highlight the best dining chairs based on price, durability, and style.
1. Fritz
- Brand: Interior Define
- Price: $320
Another highly customizable option, the Fritz dining chair comes in all sorts of different weaves and colors. It's also available with a leather seat if that's more your style. Regardless of the style you choose, though, you'll be investing in a modern, cushy, and sturdy chair that's built to last.
The upholstered seat offers plenty of cushion for hours-long comfort, while the chair's streamlined design can complement various aesthetics. Its classic design with fun color options also allows the chair to work just as well in a formal dining room as in a more casual setting.
2. Bradley Genuine Leather Arm Chair
- Brand: Joss & Main
- Price: $601
With its oversized, wingback design, the Bradley Dining Chair from Joss & Main perfectly combines comfort and luxury. You'll be able to sit comfortably in this chair from the appetizers through dessert, and you'll certainly look good.
This comfortable dining chair is available black and brown colors. This piece serves beautifully as an accent chair in your living room, bedroom, or any other space, infusing a touch of modernity into your favorite spots.
3. Jago Dining Chair
- Brand: AllModern
- Price: $119
The Jago dining chair is as affordable as it is stunning, making it the perfect option for a design-forward but budget-friendly home. Sleek and modern, the chair's design is a definite showstopper, especially because it comes in several bold hues, ranging from vibrant orange to turquoise. But you can also opt for a more subtle hue, like navy, gray, or white.
This dining chair is also an excellent option for families with pets and kids since it can be easily cleaned with just a little soap and water. It’s designed to be easy to assemble, ensuring you can enjoy your new chair quickly.
Plus, the chairs are stackable for easy storage and have non-marking plastic feet that help protect your floor from scratches and scuffs.
4. Jasmi Dining Chair in Natural Latex
- Brand: Medley
- Price: $970
Crafted from solid walnut, the Jasmi Dining Chair effortlessly combines style and comfort. The rich wood finishes - highlight the unique textures and grains that make each piece truly one-of-a-kind.
Its gentle curves and cushion filled with natural latex on the seat and back, invites you to sit back and enjoy long meals with friends and family. Plus, with no assembly required, you can easily enhance your dining space with these sophisticated chairs. The Jasmi Dining Chair is a very sturdy and modern choice for those looking to add a long-lasting piece to their living room.
5. Gage Faux Leather
- Brand: Arhaus
- Price: $449
Inspired by mid-century modern furniture design, this dining chair features a scoop-seat silhouette punctuated by baseball-style stitching. Its faux leather upholstery looks and feels like genuine leather, is easy to clean, and comes in five sophisticated hues, including tan, brown, and gray.
The chair works well with various aesthetics and styles thanks to its minimal design. It can also easily transition to the kitchen, serving as a stellar option for added seating. The Gage family also includes swivel, bar, and counter-height stools.
6. The Remy Dining Chair (Set of 2)
- Brand: Joybird
- Price: $245 for 2 Chairs
The Remy Dining Chair is expertly crafted of kiln-dried solid Ruberwood in and paired with tailored upholstery for casual comfort, making it an excellent match for a standard dining table. The Remy has a minimal and organic shape. Its airy silhouette makes it easy to design. It’s casual yet elegant; it makes a perfect addition to a breakfast nook or our Carlisle Table.
7. Mariposa
- Brand: Fyrn
- Price: Starting at $575
“Fyrn's Mariposa chair is unique because it has a distinct yet simple visual design, and it utilizes our patented system of hardware that allows parts and pieces to be replaced at any point throughout its lifespan. In essence, the chair can last forever,” says Charne.
Not only can it last forever, but it will look good doing it. Made from solid wood, the chair features a timeless design that will look just as great 30 years from now as it does today. It comes in three different finishes - maple, oxidized oak, and charcoal black—and each finish comes with metal brackets specially designed to match. This chair also won an Interior Design Magazine's Best of the Year Award.
It perfectly complements long tables and is available in various sizes to suit your dining needs.
8. Sloane Cane Chair
- Brand: Castlery
- Price: $578
This versatile chair complements your dining room design and is perfect for small spaces, providing extra seating in a home office or living room.
Crafted from solid wood with a refined cane backrest, this chair offers exceptional comfort and timeless style. Available with or without armrests, it comes in your choice of premium leather or durable performance fabric upholstery.
Expertly built from solid rubberwood, this chair features a sophisticated grey oak finish that blends effortlessly with modern or classic interiors.
9. High comfortable Brighton Dining Chair Set of 2
- Brand: Midinmod
- Price: $359.99
This stunning dining chair from Midimond features a modern design but comes in all sorts of contemporary colors, offering a fresh take on a time-tested style. You can choose from patterns ranging from navy blue to light grey.
Mounted on tapered solid wood legs in a warm pecan stain, it strikes the perfect balance between modern minimalism and timeless elegance. Ideal for both relaxed family meals and refined dinner parties, the Brighton chair elevates any dining space with understated style.
10. Corinne Dining Side Chair
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- Brand: Grandin Road
- Price: $549 per pair
This dining chair's slat-whit design is an excellent fit for more formal dining rooms. It has a high back and is made of hard wood. The finish is designed to let the wood's natural lines and knots shine through, ensuring that no two chairs are identical.
Meanwhile, the chair's cool marbled bone hue is a sophisticated neutral that will fit in with many color palettes. Its generous upholstered seat cushion will keep you comfortable throughout your meal and beyond.
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11. Bela Leather Dining Chair (Set of 2)
- Brand: Birch Lane
- Price: $279
With its metal frame and powder-coated metal brace, this dining chair can withstand whatever your household throws at it. But its durability doesn't sacrifice comfort, thanks to a buttery-soft pigmented leather seat that you can sink into for hours.
The chair also comes in two warm hues -light tan and brown - instantly making a dining room feel more chic and inviting.
Pigmented leather is also effortless to clean, making it a breeze to remove stains and dust - grab a clean, soft cloth and wipe it down!
12. Teddy Dining Chair - Mocha
- Brand: House of Leon
- Price: $790
Imagine gathering around a dining table with beautiful dining chairs that perfectly balance beauty and function, echoing the charm of mid-century America blended with the elegance of French modernity.
The Brighton dining collection celebrates good design; each piece tells a story of craftsmanship and care. If you're seeking warm wood finishes that enhance your space, comfortable seating, and a table that can extend to welcome friends and family, this option might be ideal.
13. Sunwashed Riviera Dining Chair
- Brand: Serena & Lily
- Price: $398
Rattan is an ever-popular material because of its unique ability to infuse looks with a breezy, vacation-like feel, and this rattan dining chair from Serena & Lily is proof of that. The chair has four neutral hues and a rattan frame crafted, bent, and shaped by hand.
The chair's airy look makes it equally suitable for a casual dining room or a cute bistro set-up, where you can enjoy your morning coffee.
What to Consider When Buying Dining Chairs
Before you decide on the perfect dining room chairs for your space, consider a few crucial factors.
Which materials do you like?
The material type you choose for your dining room chairs can affect style and durability. Tom Lawrence-Levy of Natural Asthetik likes wood because of its durability: "I really urge people to get dining room chairs from real wood, or from material that won't easily chip or stain, because if one starts to chip or tear, it's likely the rest will as well."
Metal dining chairs are another great option if you're worried about chipping or staining since they won't typically cause those problems. However, upholstery, whether leather or another type of fabric, can also be durable. It also provides added cushion for your seat, so it's a good option if comfort is paramount.
If you like the look and comfort of upholstery but worry about damage, look for dining chairs made with performance-fabric upholstery. This upholstery is designed to withstand the spills and abundant activity common in busy dining rooms. Plastic or acrylic chairs are also an option if you're worried about spillages and want a chair set that'll easily wipe clean.
How much space do you need between chairs?
The type of dining room chair you choose isn't the only factor that affects comfort. How far you space each chair can play an even more significant role in how comfortable your dining room is. If you place chairs too close together, your dining guests will likely bump elbows and legs, which isn't comfortable for anyone.
For that reason, many experts recommend leaving at least 24 inches of space between each chair. It's helpful to remember this number before deciding on a chair to ensure you don't buy too many chairs for what's comfortable in your space. It's also worth checking seat height, though almost every dining chair is designed to fit under a dining table.
If you're working with a small space, it could be worth exploring the option of stackable chairs that you could keep out of the way when they aren't in use.
What style(s) do you love?
There are many different styles of dining room chairs, but you certainly don't need to choose just one! You also don't necessarily need to match your dining chairs with your table.
Seattle-based residential interior designer Jessica Welling suggests mixing and matching for a more casual look: "I encourage people to consider a wood dining table and chairs in a contrasting color or material, such as metal, contrasting wood, or even molded plastic. Most matching dining sets are going to feel formal."
I'm not sure what kind of chair you like. Here's a quick breakdown of the standard dining room or kitchen chair types.
- Armchair: Aptly named, dining armchairs come with armrests, which can make dining more comfortable.
- Side chair: Unlike armchairs, dining side chairs don't have armrests, which can help to save space in a smaller dining room
- Wingback: Wingback chairs feature wing-like structures attached to the back, typically extending from the top of the chair to the armrests. They're great for adding some comfortable drama to a dining room design.
- Ladder back: Ladder back chairs have horizontal slats up and down the back, resembling a ladder. They're a great complement to a more formal dining room.
- Slat-back: Slat-back dining chairs are similar to ladderback chairs, but their slats are vertical rather than horizontal. They're beloved for their ability to add structure and visual intrigue to a look.
- Dining benches: Dining benches offer seating for multiple people and can work really well in small spaces, as they can sometimes be tucked away under the table between uses.
Read more: Enjoy outdoor dining? Check out our guide to patio dining sets here.
What type of dining room table do you have?
Finally, you'll want to consider your existing dining table before committing to the chairs. "We can't talk about dining chairs without looking at the dining table," advises Welling. "The shape and style of the table will determine how many chairs you can comfortably fit around it and how wide the chairs can be." Thanks to a lack of corners, round dining tables can often fit more chairs than square and rectangular tables.
In addition to your table's shape, you should also consider its legs. According to Welling, "The main problem people run into is when they have a rectangular table with legs that aren't at the corners. This is often an issue with modern tables with extension leaves. If you want to fit two or even three side chairs on one side, you must be sure they fit between the table's legs. When in doubt, draw a piece of graph paper and draw a floorplan with the table and chairs."
