Choosing the Right Dining Chair

Contemporary furniture dining is about choosing dining chairs but it is much harder than it seems. You’d think you could just go pick out a chair and bring it home, but there are a few factors you want to think about before you do that. You’ll use your dining chairs for many years, so it’s worth investing time and cash into getting exactly what you need.

Factors to Consider

First, decide what kind of dining area you want. Do you prefer a formal dining area, or are you more comfortable with casual or even downright funky? Are you interested in a classic look, or a period look, maybe something ultramodern? Once you’ve made the decision, you can start looking for chairs.

The first thing you want to consider when selecting dining chairs is quality. You want solid, well-made dining chairs. You do not want a chair to collapse under a guest, and that does happen with cheap chairs.

Another thing to consider is how you will use your dining chairs. Will they stay in the dining area, or will they serve as extra seating in the living room, too? If so, you’ll want to make sure they blend with the living room décor.

Form Follows Function

Once you’ve made these preliminary decisions, you are ready to go chair shopping.Dining chairs are the plain jane of the chair world. They aren’t beautifully overstuffed and they don’t take on fantastic shapes, like some lounge chairs. In fact, dining chairs are all about the same size and shape. They have to be, so that people can comfortably sit at table in them.

Because the table and the food are the center of attention in dining, dining chairs are intentionally unobtrusive. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be beautiful, though. Formal looking dining chairs may be upholstered in soft leather or made of fine wood. Casual chairs could be in bright art deco colors with rounded or arched backs, or they could look like mid-century molded plastic chairs. Some dining chairs have funky hip-hugging shapes, or come in fun colors and fabrics.

Even though all serve the same function—seating at a table—and that function dictates their form to a large degree, there is still plenty of variety. Different styles and colors are available to create the dining atmosphere you are looking for.