Dining chairs around a sculptural table: how to choose
How many chairs fit, how wide they can be, arms or no arms, leather or bouclé, matching or mixed — choosing dining chairs that let a sculptural table lead.
Choose dining chairs after the table. Allow about 60 to 65 cm of table length per chair, and leave 28 to 32 cm between seat and tabletop. Let the table lead: pick chairs in the same wood and a calmer form, so the two read as one set. Choose upholstery for how the room is used every day.
Why choose the chairs after the table?
The table decides the numbers: its length decides how many chairs fit, its height decides the seat height, and its base decides where legs and knees can go. A table with a strong form also decides the character of the room. Chairs bought first often end up competing with it.
There is a practical reason too. You see the whole table, but you mostly see the chairs from behind, as a row of backs around it. The back of a chair matters more than people expect, and it should be judged together with the table.
How many dining chairs fit around a table?
A common rule of thumb is 60 cm of table length per person, and 65 to 70 cm if the chairs are wide, have arms, or if dinners are long. Divide the length of one long side by that number, and round down.
Check the base as well. Legs at the corners leave the long sides free. A pedestal or a trestle takes space where the end diners would sit. Our Dining Table has four legs at the corners. At 260 cm long it seats four chairs per side comfortably. At 300 cm, the same four chairs get more space each, or you add one at each end.
Count the chairs you need every day, not the most you will ever need. Two extra chairs can wait in another room for the evenings when the table is full.
How wide should a dining chair be?
Dining chairs are usually between 45 and 60 cm wide. A wider chair is more comfortable for long dinners, but fits fewer to a side. A narrower chair lets you seat more people, or leaves visible table between the chairs, which shows more of the table.
Our Dining Chair is 58 cm wide, 57 cm deep and 76 cm high, with a 46 cm seat height. We plan about 65 cm per chair around it. Our Hospitality Dining Chair, designed for restaurants, is 54 cm wide. In a home it suits a smaller table, a kitchen or a breakfast corner, where it fits one more chair to a side.
What is the right seat height for a dining table?
Most dining tables are 72 to 76 cm high, and most dining chairs have a seat height of 45 to 47 cm. The gap between seat and tabletop is what you feel: around 28 to 32 cm is generally comfortable. Our table, at 75 cm, and our Dining Chair, at 46 cm, leave 29 cm.
Measure to the lowest point under the top, not to the surface. A thick top or a deep apron reduces the room for your thighs. Check the arms too. If a chair has arms, they should slide under the table edge. Otherwise the chairs stand away from the table and the set looks unfinished.
Should dining chairs match the table?
Let one of the two lead. A strongly shaped table looks calm with chairs that share its wood and finish, and that have a related, quieter curve. Two strong forms in different materials usually fight.
Matching does not mean identical. The same teak in the same finish ties a set together even when the chair is upholstered and the table is not. Our Dining Chair and Dining Table are made in the same solid teak, in Light Oak, Antique Oak or Wengé. Ordered in the same finish, they read as one family.
If you like a mixed table, mix one thing only. Keep the wood the same and vary the upholstery, or keep the chairs the same and put two different chairs at the ends. Then the mix looks chosen.
Leather or bouclé?
Leather wipes clean, which makes it practical with children, red wine and long dinners. It darkens and softens with use, and many people like the way it ages. Bouclé is warm, textured and softens the sound of a room with hard floors and a stone or wooden table. It needs regular vacuuming, and a spill should be blotted straight away.
Our Dining Chair comes in Leather Cognac, Leather Taupe and Bouclé Ivory. A pale bouclé works well in a light room with a Light Oak table. Cognac leather with an Antique Oak or Wengé finish gives a darker, warmer room. Leather Chocolate and Leather Black are available on request. See every option on the materials page.
Do you need chairs with arms?
Armchairs at the ends of a table are a classic way to mark the head of the table, and they are comfortable for lingering. Along the sides, arms take width and can stop chairs sliding under. Most rooms work best with armless chairs along the sides. If you want arms, use them only at the ends, and check that they clear the table edge.
What does a set of handmade dining chairs cost?
Chairs are where a dining room budget adds up quickly, because you buy six, eight or ten of them. Our Dining Chair starts at €1,900 per chair and the Hospitality Dining Chair at €1,150, both in solid teak, including VAT; shipping extra. Every chair is made by hand in our atelier after your order, in about six weeks, plus shipping.
If you are not sure how many chairs or which upholstery suit your room, the quiz asks seven short questions and suggests three pieces. For a set in a specific leather, or chairs for a table you already own, book a call.
Questions
How many chairs go around a 260 cm dining table?
At about 65 cm per chair, four per long side, so eight in total. With legs at the corners, as on our Dining Table, two more fit at the ends.
How much space do you need between dining chairs?
Plan 60 to 65 cm of table length per chair, measured centre to centre. That leaves a few centimetres between chairs, so people can sit down without bumping elbows.
Are bouclé dining chairs practical?
They are, with some care. Bouclé needs regular vacuuming, and spills should be blotted straight away. If the chairs see daily family meals with small children, leather is easier.
Can I order dining chairs to go with a table I already have?
Yes. Check the seat-to-tabletop gap first: our Dining Chair has a 46 cm seat height, which suits tables of 74 to 77 cm. For a different height, book a call.
See the piece
Every piece is handmade in our atelier in Bali, in about six weeks, then shipped to your destination.
