These days there are so many dining chairs on the market that you’d be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the thought of shopping to find the perfect dining room chairs to match your new reclaimed wood dining table. But thankfully as with all home decor there is no right or wrong answer!
Here are a few of our favourite handy hints and tricks to find the perfect wooden dining chairs or fabric dining chairs to match your preferences.
Perhaps rather obvious, but the most important factor is whether it will fit in your home! In a small kitchen/diner, dramatic, oversized dining chairs may be overwhelming. In order to ensure whether your dining chairs will fit in your dining room, consider the widest dimensions of the item and checking it will comfortably fit in your space. You can use masking tape on newspaper to map out the area; this will give you a really good idea whether there is still plenty of space to walk around the furniture.
Don’t forget when it comes to buying the dining room furniture you also need to make sure there is plenty of space to be able to pull out dining chairs. 90 cm is the recommended allowance here.
But when it comes buying dining chairs, there is something else you need to consider too – whether they will fit under your fabulous farmhouse dining table! You have probably noticed, whether that be as a result of shopping for dining room furniture (or possibly uncomfortable dining experiences) that not all dining tables are made equal – some table tops sit much higher than others. The rule of thumb is to allow 30.5 cm between the seat of your chair and your tabletop.
If you recently bought a new farmhouse style table, have a quick look at it. Consider not only how you will be using the table, but also the table top thickness, whether there is a framing underneath the table top, and where the legs are positioned – for example, is there a table leg at each end which limits your options.
You might also want to think about how many people you can comfortably fit around your dining table. Make sure to measure your chairs at the widest point, and allow each guest 60 to 75 cm of space. Don’t forget to make room for the arms of your dining chair if you’ve opted for style with arms (roughly 15cm).
Beyond ensuring your dining chair actually fits in your dining room you also need to make sure the look fits.
If you prefer a rather minimalist style, perhaps suiting that glossy kitchen you’ve just had installed, keep the style of your dining chair fairly similar to the table – you may even be able to find dining chairs in the same range. Opt for wooden dining chairs in a similar colour to your dining table for a calming, coordinated look which is effortless chic and won’t date.
Leather dining chairs are another popular choice. Perfect for adding drama and a touch of glamour to your dining room, leather dining chairs work beautifully with any dining room table. Certainly if you’ve got a large dining room table, like an 8 seater reclaimed wood dining table, the understated style of leather dining chairs may work rather well.
Alternatively, a small dining room table is sat in the corner of the kitchen can be brought to life with a splash of colour.
Have you got any tips that you think we’ve missed?