This guide to matching dining chairs to the right table shape and color is full of tips. You’ll be able to put together a set you’ll really like with dining chair ideas. For example, there’s guidance for pairing chairs with a light wood table, the best chairs for round table sets, matching table and chair colors, and mix and match dining chairs and how to make them work in your dining set.
What Are Key Considerations When Choosing Dining Room Chairs for a Round Table?
When choosing the best dining room chairs for round table use, consider those with complementary style and of the right size.
Chairs with rounded backs are excellent chairs for a round table. The curve of the seat and back matches the curve of the table for a consistent aesthetic. If you prefer seats with armrests, the rests should be rounded too.
However, you might want to consider armless dining chairs for a round table, especially a small round table such as one 35-42 inches across. Armless chairs with a round table produce a more spacious feel. This allows you to maximize the number of chairs around the table without it looking cluttered. Increase the open vibe with chairs with a low back – high enough to provide support but not so high that they tower over the table.
Round tables promote eye contact and conversation better than rectangular tables, leading to long chats over a casual meal. As a result, padded options are an ideal choice as chairs for round kitchen table settings.
If you use mix and match dining chairs for round table combinations, alternate the chairs. Imagine, for example, a dark dining table with chairs in light-dark-light-dark arrangement, or a small white table and chairs of matching and contrasting shades!
And always keep proper dimensions in mind. First, choose chairs with proportional height. Round tables are 28-30 inches high, and so the chairs should have seats 18-20 inches high. Secondly, consider narrower chairs for round table use, 16-17 inch seats, for example, which provide more comfortable spacing or to possibly squeeze in a chair for one additional person to join the table.
What Are Key Considerations When Choosing Dining Room Chairs for a Rectangular Table?
When choosing the best dining room chairs for a rectangular table, consider the best style for the table design and make sure they are the right size.
Stylistic preference is important when making your choice of chairs for a rectangular. Dining chairs with a more square design complement the shape of the table while chairs with a rounded back provide a contrast and soften the sharp angles of the table.
If you have an adventurous taste in furnishings, consider a mismatched dining table with different chairs for an eclectic appeal – mixing dining chairs with a more square design and others with rounded design.
As with chairs for round tables, the best dining room chairs for rectangular tables should be 18-20 inches high at the seat, which will give you the recommended 10-12 inches of legroom between the chair and the tabletop at 28-30 inches. Seat width ranges from 16-20 inches, and this gives you options for compact chairs that allow you to have more chairs at the table or wider chairs that provide additional comfort.
What Are the Best Dining Table and Chair Color Combinations?
Two smart choices are to choose the same or similar colors, or to select a table and chairs in contrasting colors. The first option delivers a cohesive aesthetic; the second adds visual depth and interest to your dining space. Here’s a deeper look at both options with tips.
Coordinated or closely matching colors is a classic choice. Popular coordinated dining sets include a pale wood table with light chairs for a calm, neutral look. Beware that light with light can create a washed-out look, so add at least a slight contrast or additional color, for example, in the upholstery and table accessories. A second common selection is dark dining chairs to go with a dark wood table, which delivers a rich, substantive vibe.
Contrasting colors for your chairs and table can be achieved with light chairs and a dark table or the other way around. Interior designers recommend pairing warm tones or cool tones but not mixing dining chairs of competing warm and cool colors. For example, a warm honey maple table surrounded by coffee-toned chairs with rosy highlights works well. So does a light gray table accompanied by charcoal gray chairs, since they are both cool colors.
Matching dining tables and chairs of different materials is a challenge but can be done. One trending combination is a dark wood table and black steel chairs with padded seats. A nicely contrasting option is a light wood table with darker upholstered chairs – or light chairs if you prefer a cohesive look instead of contrasting hues.
Here are popular styles and how to attain them:
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Rustic, Country or Farmhouse: Choose heavier wood chairs especially if the table has a robust top.
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Traditional: Medium-dark to dark wood in both table and chairs is a classic traditional look. Chair padding or upholstery should be fairly plain or have a light, understated pattern.
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Modern or Contemporary: Metal-frame chairs or plastic chairs deliver this look and are among the best chairs for a blonde or whitewashed wood table with a simple, sleek tabletop. Plainer material can be traditional or modern depending on the chair style; flowered patterns are casual, and geometric shapes are contemporary.
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Scandinavian: Colors are light or white – a light-toned wood table with natural, unstained wood is a very Nordic look. If you find that dull, the same table and brown chairs in lighter tones work well together too.
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Industrial: Dark wood tables with black metal or metal-framed chairs deliver this aesthetic. Gray and silver tones in the table and chairs offer it too and look great to one another.
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Eclectic: If you’re confident in your eye for style, consider mix and match dining chairs and table that complement one another in color tone or offer an appealing contrast.
What are the Best Chair Colors for a Light Wood Table
The best chairs for a light (natural oak, weathered pine or blonde ash) wood table are chairs that complement the table’s color as well as work with the total look of the dining room or area. If the area has a lot of color, then chairs should match the table. If the area is a little bland, then chairs in a color that contrasts the table color is the right choice.
Contrasting colors add visual interest. This can be achieved in several ways. Pairing a light dining table with dark chairs is a timeless technique. Or if you go with lighter chairs, add color-rich highlights in the chair upholstery or with an area rug beneath the table or in colorful decor on and surrounding the dining set. Lighter wood tones, such as white oak or maple in light stain colors, are a wonderful backdrop for vibrant highlight colors.
Note: Keep contrasting colors consistent in tone. Warm colors like cream or amber with warm, darker tones, or a cool bleached wood table with chairs sporting a gray or black tone.
What Are the Best Chair Colors to Go With a Dark Wood Table?
The right chairs to pair with a dark (deep-brown, dark gray or black) wood table are chairs in a complementary dark tone (dark chocolate brown, neutral gray or charcoal) or chairs in a contrasting color (ivory, light gray or white).
Black wood table with complementary charcoal gray chairs in cool tones
Dark brown table with ivory rattan chairs in warm tones
So that is the question to ask - do you prefer consistency or contrast? If your dining room decor offers contrast, then chair color should be consistent with the table color. If the room doesn’t have a lot of color variation, then contrasting chair and table colors bring life to the room.
Keep in mind that while dark wood dining tables and chairs sets offer consistency in color, the room might need accent colors on upholstery or accessories for contrast and visual interest.
Does a Dark Table Go with Light Chairs?
Yes, white, off-white or light neutral chairs can go with a black walnut, mahogany or a table painted in rich or dark tones.
A charcoal or black table with white chairs or other dark table light chairs combination offers a sharp contrast in color. The style can fall anywhere from traditional to modern depending on the design of the furniture.
A black table brown chairs mix is warmer, especially if the chairs are a light brown, reddish brown or even blonde hue.
Remember to keep color warmth and coolness consistent – a black table with light gray chairs is a complementary modern or industrial combination. And a chocolate brown table with warm, off-white chairs can range from casual to traditional in style depending on table and chair design. These are just a couple of examples of dark table light chairs combinations to get the vibe you desire.
What are Popular Table and Chair Combinations
Trending table and chair combinations include a black table brown chairs set, a white table with black chairs and a light oak table and rattan chairs with white upholstery.
The black table and brown chairs can have a traditional, modern or industrial flair depending on the style of the furniture. Regardless of style, this kind of dark dining room set is masculine and sophisticated. The vibe can be enhanced over a dark wood floor and walls of darker hues. The mood can be balanced with lighter floor and walls and light or brightly colored accessories in the dining room.
A white table with black chairs is a high contrast look with a modern, contemporary or industrial feel. Whatever the style, call it bold. And an oak table paired with light rattan chairs covered in white bouclé upholstery delivers a sense of modern organic style.
Can You Mix and Match Dining Chairs?
Yes you can, and using mix and match dining chairs following these tips will create a cohesive dining set despite the dissimilar styles!
Here are mix and match dining chairs ideas and tips that will meet your approval and please the household or guests.
Choose a common color. Even if you have several styles of chairs, the look can be unified if the same stain or paint color is used on all of them.
A common shape does this too, all chairs with rounded backs or a very square design, especially if there are chairs from only two sets. They can be alternated for pleasing effect. And if the chairs fit the table style, all the better. When the styles of the chairs are different, and they’re all different from the table style, the blend clashes rather than melds together.
Here are a few more mix and match dining chairs combinations that can be pulled off.
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Wood chairs and upholstered chairs together are casually eclectic.
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Metal chairs or wood chairs with metal frames paired with all-wood chairs range from modern to industrial in feel.
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Contrasting shapes that are alternated work together. If the chairs are from more than two sets, they should definitely be stained or painted the same to avoid mix and match dining chairs that cause nothing but visual confusion.
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Finally, mix and match dining chairs don’t have to be of different styles. Painting or staining half your chair set a different color or using different upholstery material on half of the chairs can achieve your goal too.
Is a Dining Table with Different Chairs OK?
Yes, if you know how to mix dining chairs and tables from different sets, it can be pulled off with confidence. A proven method is to make sure there is a unifying theme. First, a cohesive effect is achieved with color – the table and chairs being stained or painted the same color, complementary colors or contrasting colors that don’t clash. Shape can pull the look together too. For example, a mix and match dining chairs round table combination works best if the chair seat backs and chair backs are rounded.
A common material or complementary materials can result in a stylish combination even if the design of the table and chairs isn’t the same. Visualize these examples: A wood table with steel chairs or steel and wood chairs produces a dining set with industrial ambiance. A glass table and wood chairs is a contemporary look. And a heavy wood tabletop with rustic chairs creates a farmhouse appearance.
Using Slipcovers
It is possible to use slipcovers to unify mismatched chairs. While putting slipcovers on any mix and match chairs can be done, the look works best when the chairs are of the same basic size and shape. A common practice is pairing fabric slipcover with modern dining table DIY – and if you can sew reasonably well, you can pull this off. Make sure that you buy enough fabric to cover all the chairs, so that you don’t run the risk of not being able to get more. There are chair slipcover patterns available online for free or for purchase. Find the pattern best suited to the chairs you have – you may need two or more patterns for chairs of different styles.
Avoiding Common Mistakes When Matching Dining Chairs to Table
Mistakes are made in chair size and color. Here is how to avoid common mistakes in these areas when matching dining chairs to your dining table.
Chair Size: Know your table height, and pair chairs of the right height to it. If you have a table of standard height, you need standard-sized chairs. A counter-height table, which is less common, needs counter-height chairs. And be sure that there are 8-12 inches of legroom between the chair seat and the bottom of the tabletop.
Another common mistake is choosing chairs that are too wide for the table sides. Ideally, all the chairs should be able to slide beneath the tabletop and between the legs. If you buy chairs that are too wide, you may either have to crowd the chairs or have one or two end chairs that straddle the leg, which is uncomfortable for the user and doesn’t allow them to pull up to the table. Measure the distance between the legs, and choose chairs with a width that will allow all chairs on each side to fit beneath the tabletop with 2-8 inches of space between them.
Chair Color: A mistake made by many is to use chair and table colors that are close but not exact. Examples are light blonde and medium blonde, chocolate brown and dark brown, or white and off-white. It is better to use colors that are exactly the same – the same stain or paint – or to use clearly contrasting colors. Nice color contrasts include black and white, warm off white with dark brown, cool off white with navy blue, and light gray with charcoal gray.
A related mistake is using a warm-color table with chairs in a cool color, or the opposite. For example, a cool, dark brown table isn’t complemented by rich amber chairs in the same way it would be by light weathered chairs in a whitish gray tone.
A more general mistake is starting with the chairs. It is better to begin your selection process with the table. This is because dining tables typically last through 2-4 or more sets of chairs. Start by choosing a table you really like, and find chairs that complete the set in the style you desire.
What Are Matching Table and Chair Sizes?
Most tables are standard height, 28-30 inches high, complemented by dining chairs with seats 18-20 inches high.
However, counter-height dining tables are available too, which are 34-36 inches high and require counter-height chairs 24-27.5 inches high at the seat for the proper fit.
Also consider the width of the chairs and the length of the table sides. This ensures that the chairs will fit well between the table legs.
It is always ideal for chairs to slide in when not in use, so that most of the seat is beneath the table. If the chairs you select have armrests and your table has a skirt, this might not be possible. Measure and test before selecting your table and chairs combination.
How Tall are Tables and Chairs?
Standard height dining room tables are 28-30 high at the tabletop. Counter-height tables are 34-36 inches high.
Standard chair seats are 18-20 inches high with backrests from 28-40 inches high. Counter-height chair seats are 24-27.5 inches high, and the backrests on these chairs can be 34-42 inches high. Read our matched dining chair and table height guide for more info.
How Many Chairs Fit At a Table?
The diameter or length of the dining table determines how many chairs fit around it. Common round table sizes are 35” or 36” up to 72”. Tables in this size range accommodate 4-8 chairs.
Rectangular tables from 48” to 72” also fit from 4-8 chairs. For round and rectangular tables, the exact number of chairs that fit depends on the chair widths.
