Ideas for Choosing the Best Dining Room Table and Chair Combinations
Be it once a year or every other week, we all want to gather our friends and family for a nice dinner time and spend some quality time together. When that happens, we want them to be comfortable in our dining room and be happy with more than just our company and the great food combinations. For that reason, when buying your table and dinner chairs, it’s important to stick to a few basic guidelines to ensure you buy the ones that combine the utmost comfort and aesthetics.
Oak Dining Chairs
A nice set of beautiful oak table and dinner chairs is just what you need to add to the elegance of your space. There are many advantages to oak dining chairs including appearance, durability and ease of care. They take well to staining, which is very important if you want to customize them to match the rest of your existing furniture. Plus, they can be considerably cheaper than than the other types of wood chairs, while still offering the same level of quality.
The Rectangular Dining Table
This is the most popular shape for dining tables as it looks rather traditional and elegant. When shopping for a rectangular dining table, consider the length of table your room can comfortably fit. Make sure to leave at least about 90cm between the edge of the table and each wall, or other nearby piece of furniture, so that you can pull out the chairs with ease.
Upholstered Dining Chairs
The most comfortable seat height for dinner chairs is when there is 25-30cm between the top of the seat and the top of the table. A good way to establish the quality of the upholstered chair you are purchasing is to feel under the seat. If you notice it is hollow, chances are it is of a low quality. Look for a tightly woven webbing, which is most commonly made of nylon or jute, as it is the best and strongest. This webbing holds together the springs. My recommendation is to choose upholstered chairs with rounded backs for the ultimate comfort and lumbar support.
The Round Dining Table
A round dining table is just the right choice for more intimate spaces. Just like with a rectangular table, measure your available space properly and apply the same chair measurements. Leave about 65cm per person for elbow room on a three-to six-seater, and 60cm for six and more. Round tables usually have one pedestal leg, which offers extra leg room. Plus, the people sitting can raise their feet off the ground and get a little extra support.
Metal Dining Chairs
Popular in more minimalist spaces, metal chairs are quite easy to clean and extremely hard wearing. As a general rule, the length of time a person can comfortably sit on a dining chair is three to four hours, and probably less if the chair doesn’t have padding. Metal dining chairs are absolutely gorgeous, but if they don’t come with a fixed upholstered seat cushion, it’s always a good idea to get a detachable one to increase comfort. The most comfortable size for the seat should be 38cm across the back and 45cm across the front. Also, the seat should be 38-45cm deep. Beware though – if it is too deep it will press against the back of the legs and cause the person sitting on it to slouch.
