Mix and Match Seating

Remember your Grandmother's dining room set? The large table with the extension leaves, the matching chairs, which were often needlepointed, the custom made pads to protect it when it wasn't being used? Times have changed. You can still use Gram's set, but it's more fun to break it up. Keep the table and pull up some aluminum French bistro chairs. Or pull the chairs up to a Saarinen Tulip Table.

The photos below show how people are mixing up their dining areas. Sometimes they use large upholstered wingback chairs at the ends of the tables, sometimes it's an unexpected pairing of a table with chairs, sometimes there is a bench or a sofa on one side of the table, sometimes there may not be so much as a matching pair of chairs at the table. Don't be afraid to drag in some chairs from your kitchen or living room and experiment with your dining room seating. You never know what kind of winning combination you'll create!