Dining Room Furniture - Stylists Tips

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DINING CHAIR GUIDE
"Advice on what type of chair to select"

With so many dining chair styles available it’s easy to become overwhelmed when trying to select the perfect one for your house, we’ve provided a useful guide to help you try and narrow the field!

Polyurethane or Timber Chairs
Pros:
- You can match the colours to your dining table perfectly, or you can contrast the table for a contemporary style
- There is a large range of styles available, modern designs look great in polyurethane
- The easiest chairs to maintain, they can simply be wiped down, this makes them very popular amongst families with young children, or for use in a casual dining or breakfast rooms.
- They are less formal then upholstered versions, they are popular for relaxed open plan spaces.

Cons:
- Without any padding, they can be harder and less comfortable to sit on for long periods of time,  look for models with a high back for support, and keep some seat cushions handy for longer dinner parties.

> Look At: Oltre; Sailing; Foro; Zoe; Divina

Fabric Upholstered Chairs
Pros:
- Very Comfortable
- Lots of colour options, the addition of a fabric into a room filled with hard surfaces will work to soften the look, and provide warmth
- Fabric Upholstered Chairs will absorb a lot of noise, great if you have a dining room that you find ‘echoey’ or noisy.
- You could have them re-upholstered in a few years time to update the look

Cons:
- The fabric can become dirty and marked quite easily, especially if there are younger children using the chairs.  To overcome this look for models with removable covers, like the Ali chair, so you can take the covers to dry cleaners as needed.

> Look At: Ali

A Happy Compromise- Polyurethane or Timber with an Upholstered Seat
Pros:
- The seat back is the part that gets handled by grubby hands, by having it in timber or poly, you can simply wipe it down. You then have a padded/upholstered seat for extra padded softness where it counts most!

Cons:
- Normally padded seat covers won’t be removable for dry cleaning, so if they do get marked you will need to spot clean them.

> Look At:   Oltre-B; Ava



Leather Upholstered Chairs
Pros:
- Comfortable, they will normally have a layer of padding underneath the leather
- Low Maintenance, leather is easy to care for; it can simply be wiped down with a damp cloth, or you can use leather cleaners
- Leather chairs are stylish, they can be very modern looking, whilst still being comfortable, leather chairs seem to strike this balance really well.
- Leather will warm up a room like fabric, and provide a break in all the hard surfaces
- Leather chairs work well with all types of tables, glass, timber, poly or marble

Cons:
- High Quality leather may cost a little more, however they will last a long time and they are a good investment

> Look At: Roma, Lexi, Kell, Mia; Rea; Dama

Armchairs
Pros:
- Normally super comfortable.
- They look generous and inviting
- Armchairs are great to look at, they often have sleigh legs, or a feature on the arms and the styles often have a timeless design quality.
- They can add a sense of ‘formalness’ to the dining table, it is common to have armchairs at either end of the dining table, like traditional ‘carver’s chairs’.
- You can pull them away from the table and use them as feature armchairs in a bedroom or study, then bring them back when you need extra seats for guests

Cons:
- They are heavier then regular chairs, so harder to pull in and out; they are also slightly harder to get in and out of, as the arm means you need to push the chair right back.
- They will generally be wider or bulkier then armless chairs, and you may not have enough room around the table, having one at each end is a great option when this is the case.

> Look At: Vera, Ana


Stylists Chair Picks:

Ali: If you're looking for a dining chair that is comfortable, stylish and timeless, the Roma is definitely my pick. Understated with simple, clean lines, the Roma fits into any interior style from modern and contemporary to classic and traditional. With slim legs and sleek Italian leather upholstery, the Roma is not only comfortable for those dinners that go to all hours of the morning, but they are easy to wipe clean in the morning. The leather colour range features classic black or white, a warm dark brown and for a bit of fun, a pop of red. I particularly like to create contrast by pairing black chairs around a glossy white table or vise versa for a unique twist.


Eliza: My pick is the Divina chair; it’s light, modern and funky.  It’s not upholstered but it’s made from soft polyurethane so it’s soft enough to sit on for long dinners. I like the angles and the handle cut out, it makes it easy to move around when needed, I move my chairs between the dining room and the study in my little apartment! I also like the contrasting black and white on the front and back, it’s a great way to work the contrast look into my dining setting, and it would work equally well with a white, black or grey table, or even a glass table.  I like to recommend the Divina for modern apartments, and casual dining areas, its particularly ideal for young families as its easy enough to wipe down if the kids drop something.