Furniture Store Swansea - John Long Furniture Centre
Furniture Shop Swansea - John Long Furniture Centre

Choose the right dining chair for your table

It is important to choose the right dining chair for your table. The dining area is the most favourite place for family and friends. The place where you probably spend a lot of your time. No wonder that the dining room chair is one of the most important pieces of furniture and therefore deserves a lot of attention. After all, we want to have a nice relaxed breakfast, delicious dinner, chat with friends until the late hours, or play endless games. And that as comfortably as possible!

Although the dining table, the table top, the finish and the base are important, the dining room chair sometimes does not get enough attention. This while the dining room chair plays a major role in comfortable and cosy togetherness. The dining room chair also determines the appearance of the room. This is why it is important to choose the right dining chair for your dining table.

Choose your dining chair style for your dining table

Your home reflects your lifestyle. The choice of dining room furniture is no exception. Do you often organise large gatherings? Are they informal, relaxed dinners with close friends and family or more formal affairs? The use of your dining room chairs determines your choice.

Low back chairs are designed for casual environments and high back chairs often look formal. Chairs with an open back however create a feeling of space and are therefore ideal for smaller dining rooms.

You can choose a dining room chair in modern and sleek, romantic, contemporary and cosy, or retro and colourful. Is your dining area in the living room, separately in the kitchen or in the dining room? When choosing your dining room chairs, keep the style of the room in mind.

Choose the right dining chair for your dining table

Mix and match dining room chairs and tables

Matching dining room chairs and tables, also known as a set, are classed by many interior experts as boring and predictable. Dining room chairs that show a coherence of design, material, colour or shape look more exciting than exact matches. The trick is to find the right common denominator when selecting your chairs.

Fortunately, there are plenty of designs that you can mix and match. For example, if you like a particular colour, you can choose different chair designs in that particular colour. Or if you like a certain chair design, you can choose chairs in the same design but in different shades. Backrests, upholstery and other additions can always be combined to bring or maintain coherence.

Make sure your dining chair is comfortable

We pay so much attention to the design that the comfort of the dining room chair is relegated to the last. Not everything that looks good is good! Whether you like long or short dining, it is important to sit comfortably at the table. Sitting properly is not only more comfortable, but also better for your digestion.

The right dimensions of your dining chair

The average seat height for a dining room chair is 43 to 46 cm. The ideal width varies from 45 centimeters to 55 centimeters. Measure the width of the dining room chair at its widest point. Backrest or seat are the widest. This of course differs with a chair with or without armrests.

In addition to the size of the chair, it is advisable to take into account the placement space of your chairs. For a chair without armrests the calculation is 65 cm per seat and for a chair with armrests you need approx. 75 cm. This way your chairs are not too close to each other and it looks nice!

If you choose dining room chairs with armrests, make sure that the armrests fit under the table. If the chair can be slid under the table, it takes up less space. Ideal is a space of about 15 cm between the armrest and the bottom of the table.

Also take into account the seat height of the chair and whether there is still enough legroom between the bottom of the table top and the seat of your dining room chair. It is best to calculate here with approx. 30 cm of space.

Choose the right dining chair for your dining table

Make sure your dining chairs are easy to slide

It is useful to leave a space of at least 60 cm behind the pushed-on seat so that you can easily slide the seat back to sit down. If you have a dining room chair with armrests, it is advisable to keep the space at least 75 cm free. Are people sitting at the table and do you want to be able to walk around the table? Then take into account a free space of at least 1.20 m.

Dining room chairs often slide over the floor with frequent use. We therefore recommend sticking felt pads or floor caps under the chair legs to prevent scratches.

If you want to be able to move your chair easily, the dining room chair on wheels is a solution. No more sliding, lifting or pushing. You can easily ‘drive’ your chair to the table. Note the quality of the wheels. There are wheels that are especially suitable for hard or soft floor surfaces.

Maintenance of the dining room chair

The material you choose determines its maintenance, as well as the look and feel it creates. Natural, sustainable materials such as wood, rattan and reed are quite popular at the moment. Metal is minimalist and perfect if you like an industrial look. Plastic is functional and often(more) favourable in terms of price.

Whatever you choose, each of these materials has its own maintenance requirements. Of course, if you have children or pets, you can expect more wear and tear. Upholstered dining room chairs are tricky in such cases. It is better to choose a harder material such as wood, steel or plastic, so that you can clean the chairs without any problems.

Choose the right dining chair for your table at John Long

At John Long Furniture Centre Swansea we can help you to choose the right dining chair for your table. In our furniture store you have a wide choice of dining tables, chairs and sideboards for your modern dining room. You are very welcome in our furniture store to be inspired. View our large range of dining tables and test which chair best fits your dream dining table. Make sure to bring the dimensions of your room with you and we will gladly advise you on the possibilities.


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