May 13, 20143 min read

Tip For Tuesday: Mix Your Dining Room Seating

I got several comments on the seating choices in my dining room makeover for the One Room Challenge, so I thought I would make the idea of mixing dining room chairs my tips for Tuesday for this week.

In case you missed the many posts about the dining room makeover, here’s one last one along with the floorplan showing the seating choices

The Dining Room/Conference Room Floorplan for Casa Vilora Interiors Design Studio

As you can see, I incorporated a bench, two slipcovered chairs and a small cane back chair around a round table. Far from expected. The result is a cozy and homey space in which to have an intimate dining experience. I chose these pieces along with a round table simply because the room is very small with a really bad traffic pattern. There are three doorways in and out of this room and so the whole layout is far from symmetrical. If I had used the traditional style of dining room furniture with a rectangular table and matching chairs, the asymmetry would have been more obvious and it would block traffic in and out of the room.

I mean, it does makes sense to mix your dining room seating, you wouldn’t have 6 or 8 identical chairs in your living room, right?

Discount furniture stores have dictated the way people buy furniture and decorate their homes for a long time. They encourage you to buy a whole set of matching furniture by offering it at a lower price per set, versus buying individual pieces. If you think about it the furniture store is really who benefits the most in this situation. They sell larger volumes of furniture. I have seen several times where people buy pieces that won’t fit their homes, or pieces that they don’t really like simply because it is a set.

Your dining room is one of the places where guests gather when they visit your home, shouldn’t it be more your personality? Shouldn’t it have a warm, cozy and inviting feeling and not look like it came straight out of a furniture showroom?

Mixing seating shows a bit more character and personality and gives a room a more timeless and collected over time feel. It provides some versatility that address the needs of your guests as far as comfort goes.

Here are some things to keep in mind when mixing seating

Keep the seating comfortable by adding a couple of fully upholstered chairs. In this dining room I completed a few years ago, I used two fully upholstered custom wing back chairs with pillows for the host and hostess.

Source: Casa Vilora Interiors

Use a couple backless benches or stools to help open up a small dining room. You can also use a cane back chair as well to open up the room
Use the same style chair frame in different colors or fabrics to add the fun factor
Use different decorating styles and periods, but make sure they have something in common like the feeling or the color
Use pieces with the proper scale
Have fun with it. As long as it speaks to your personality and you love it then you’re doing it right

I am a big believer in comfort at the dining room table. You want it to be a place where guests linger long after the food is gone. Even just switching out the host and hostess chairs to more comfortable options is a big step in the right direction.

Please don’t let your dining room be one of those formal, walk-by rooms that the kids aren’t allowed in, and only gets used twice a year! Make it inviting and fun! 🙂

Would you try mixing dining room seating in your home? I would love to know!

Wishing you all a terrific Tuesday!

Be Inspired!