The Buyers guide for selecting the perfect Dining Chairs
Image by Pottery Barn
The Buyers guide for selecting the perfect Dining Chairs
Don’t go out buying dining chairs without reading this first!
I suggest you invest wisely in dining chairs as they would be the most used piece of furniture in your home and its imperative that they are the right style, extremely comfortable, have longevity through quality and they are a true investment. 100% Australian Made guarantees you all of this – #buylocal #100%AustralianMadeFurniture #Quality #Longevity #SupportingLocalJobsandBusinesses
And so the guide has arrived to give you what you need to consider when buying dining chairs. This buying guide will not only save you time, money, heartache and potentially backache. Yes, a bad chair choice cannot only wreck your back but your bank balance as well.
THE BUYERS GUIDE TO SELECTING THE PERFECT DINING CHAIRS
Image by Swoon Worthy
- FIRST THINGS FIRST: LOOK AND FEEL
Before you even hit the store to road test dining chairs, consider the look and feel you want to go for in your space and have some fun with this. A common mistake I see people make is buying chairs that don’t complement their dining table. While I don’t believe you should buy your table and chairs as a set, the dining chairs should still speak to the rest of the room (or overall home design) in some way.
Start thinking about whether you want a Scandi feel, industrial vibe, sophisticated setting, country scenario or a mid-century vibe. Don’t be afraid to take a photo of your table, get it onto your computer, and mood board some chairs around it to get an idea of how it’ll look. It really helps you visualise the room better! I’ve included an example of a mood board so you can have great fun playing with ideas and creating your own board.
Image by Restoration Hardware
- NOW, MEASURE YOUR TABLE HEIGHT
Now you know the style of dining chairs you’re ready to purchase, you need to measure the height of your table. Not all tables are created equal, so you need to go into a store with your table height written down. You will need 2 measurements to ensure your chairs will fit properly – 1 from floor to underside of the frame in between the legs – 2 from floor to top of the table.
Doing this will allow you to not only ensure the chairs sit under the table properly but that when you sit at the dining chair, there’s enough clearance for your legs to sit under the tabletop comfortably. The beauty of Australian made, bespoke, customized furniture we can adjust the frame to suit your table perfectly as we make to order.
On the flip side, you might have a slightly higher table height than most, and some chairs can have low backs that look incredibly dwarfed around the table. Measuring is everything so don’t be afraid to take your tape measure with you as you would be surprised how many stores don’t have them and measurements are everything.
Image by Restoration Hardware
- CONSIDER YOUR WEIGHT & WIDTH
This is not an attempt to put you on a low-carb diet (a life without wine is not a life!). But it is important to be honest about your weight and width, as every chair will have a maximum kilogram total they can carry. Our Australian Made frames are very solid and secure and come with a 10 Year Domestic & Commercial warranty. Our chair frames are very solid and I’ve seen up to 160-kilogram frames comfortably sitting in the frame with no concerns or movement at all. Our frames are built to last.
The width is also important if you are selecting chairs with arms or as we call them in the business “ Carver Chairs”.
Image by Restoration Hardware
- CHOOSE MATERIALS FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE
I know people today still worry about fabric chair covers with children but there are many options available to you if you have young children with tomato sauce hands, you might want to think about how easy (or brutal) the fabric will be to clean. By choosing to make quality locally made chairs you have the added option of having the chair fabric treated before it is manufactured to prevent soiling and staining. Another option is a full leather cover which is extremely durable, but we also offer many models with Slip Wash covers that can be taken off, laundered and returned to the chair frame.
Image from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
- KEEPING YOUR TUSH HAPPY
A vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to buying dining chairs is comfort. You need to feel like your sitting on a feathery cloud and want to stay and enjoy the dinner party not leave unexpectedly because of how uncomfortable the chair is to sit on.
Road testing chairs are imperative! I’d actually never purchase a chair online unless I didn’t plan to sit on it much (like an occasional chair for the corner of your bedroom – that we all throw clothes on). Make sure you sit in a dining chair at the furniture store – and for a while. Lean back, lean forward, imagine eating at the table while sitting in it and make sure there’s plenty of upper legroom.
If you don’t think you could handle sitting in it for an hour at a great dinner party, move on!
The images in this post come courtesy of Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware & Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams.