Dining Chairs

Just looking for two to place at either end of a small table? Or perhaps you need four, evenly space around a family sized table? Or are you a home with an eight-chair dining table, always ready for guests and extra mouths to feed?

Dining chairs tend to come in sets, with most of our retailers offering nearly all of their ranges and designs as part of dining chair sets which contain at least two chairs – usually more. Of course, there are some buyers who prefer to mix and match their dining chairs to create an eclectic style finish, featuring different styles, colours and even materials, though the majority of us look for at least some uniformity within our homes.

So, which dining chairs are best for your home, and where can you find the most attractive – and the most affordable – deals for you?

Dressing your dining room with chairs

From industrial style metal chairs to soft furnished chairs and grand wooden chairs, the dining chairs you choose will determine the style of your room and can either come independently or as part of a set to match your table.

For a modern home, retailers are now further exploring the use of more natural materials and rustic finishes, particularly with regards to structural materials which do not try and hide their practical use. Metal is one such material which has seen a real rise in popularity recently, with the option to disguise the metal with furnished cushions and throws.

Meanwhile wooden chairs have always been popular around the dining table, with high backed dark wood chairs and matching tables reminiscent of traditional styling, while the more modern pale wood with rustic sanding and wider legs creating more of a coastal or holiday vibe. Again, some cleverly positioned cushions can quickly turn a dining chair into a seat fit for guests.

Comfort vs Style

In a world where we no longer want to have to choose between comfort and style, it is important that the dining chairs you opt for combine an aesthetically pleasing finish with a structure which supports the back and provides enough padding that sitting through an entire meal is a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Some of our favourites include those with a slightly curved back which you can nestle into, with a lightly padded seat which can be finished with your choice of fabric – and if you don’t like what’s available in the stores, then consider recovering the padded cushions yourselves!

Outdoor dining chairs

Outdoor dining chairs are far more of a seasonal purchase, with most of us only choosing to dine outside when the sun is shining and the air is warm. As such, and because it is enjoyed outside rather than in the confines of your own home, your outdoor dining chairs provide an opportunity for you to embrace colour and more unique styles – displaying your creativity and more “out there” preferences. Coloured cushions and fairy lights can turn plain wooden outdoor chairs into suitable al fresco dining options and are available across most garden centre retailers and the outdoor collections in department stores.

Meanwhile, the standard dining chairs that most of us look for in our homes can be found across furniture retailers and homeware stores – though if you are looking for more of a selection of different styles, consider buying second hand or approaching artisan and independent stores which may be more inclined to sell dining chairs as one off items rather than as part of a set.