I want the chairs to match each other, but not the table. I like the look of painted chairs with a natural wood table or vice versa.

mix it up, but with the same type of chair ie: all wooden backs, or all the same chair with different cushions, or all tall, or short.

I like some variety in color and fabric if the shape of the chair - the frame - is uniform

Mix it up, but make sure the chairs compliment the other chairs and the table. I'm not sure what's going on in the lead photo - that's too mixed up for my taste.

Can't see this as a trend that will last very long and then what do you do with the mismatch. Maybe I'm just too practical.

I stopped matching my night stands to my bed frames, dining chairs to dining table, and my living room furniture years ago. it just looks too contrite and boring . but having three different kinds of chairs (as shown in the title pic) is even worse ...it is over-the-top, and makes the whole space look disorganized, tedious, and most definitely over-doing it. the best combination is a statement piece in a classic style for dining table, and same set of chairs of a different but complimentary style. at most, you can have your chairs at both ends to be diffident ... but not more than that. also, the size of the dining table matters a great deal. in my experience, it would have to be at least an 8-person dining table to pull off the "unmatched but coherent" look. if you don't have a long enough dining table and large enough dining room, stick with the matchy match.

Matching with a bench in more informal settings are ok. Matching informal setting

Matching, solid yet comfortable sturdy chairs so everyone is comfortable when sitting.

I like to mix it up but with only with two different chairs. 3 or more mixes makes it look like you don't have enough of any chair.

With a square table that seats 8, I like two styles that complement each other with two matching on each side and across.

I think it depends on the style of the surroundings. Matchy-match often looks best in more formal dining, while mixed match will send that casual vibe. Question to self - "what do I want to see when I look at the chairs around my table? perfectly matched, or creatively casual?"

Matching. Keep it simple, so you can change up the table scape. Also, NO benches.

Mixed match looks fun in the right setting, farmhouse style etc. but do not like your example at all, I would prefer to keep the era's at least the same the vintage chairs and the ugly plastic ones together in the beautiful kitchen don't do it for me. The table is superb.

I think it's depends how you mach ...

I have only 6 dining room chairs, so when I entertain more than 6 people, I bring in chairs from other rooms. So my Queen Anne chairs live nicely with the Windsor chairs for the evening. I also bring the dining chairs into the living room when needed. If your home and furniture flows nicely together, you can mix and match. If not, then it looks like a hodgepodge.

(@Tia, how does furniture look "contrite"? scratching my head over that one.)

I think Tia meant to say contrived. Or perhaps was feeling contrite that it looked contrived?

I think the mixing it up is O.K but it has to be all wood or what ever type plastic ect. I do not like matching things I like what I like I do not care if it is not the same style as long as it looks good to me. I do not care for the sofa/love seat/chair/coffee table and last but not least end tables all match not any where in my house never have never will...TT.

I think Tia meant "trite", although "contrived" might suit as well.

Both! Mix&Match depending upon who's coming to dinner. Mix = friends. Match = the family from which we inherited the whole 1930s dining room suite which included a table&chairs that will seat up to 12, the large & small buffet, table pads, linens & napkins for 4/8/10/12, original artwork which includes one oil painting done by great-grandmother in 1888. This all fit beautiful in our 1924 Prairie Four-square because it had a dining room. Sadly...in the 1972 ranch that we live in now...most of the chairs live downstairs & we no longer can have the "whole" family over at one time.

I love mixed chairs.

I go for mixing it up. It gives family members and guests a chance for expressing their individual lijes and personalities. It also keeps the room fun and compfortable less stuffy. Mine are naturally mixed up as long as wood toned or paints are corresponding too!

I like the idea of having a mix of chairs brought together with a common thread such as matching tablecloth and chair cushions. Something to show they all actually belong there.

Usually, I am a traditional type of person when it comes to dinning. I like beautiful French polish cherry dinning room tables and elegant comfortable chairs. But I have see some nice country looks with a great table and unmatched chairs all from the same period. I liked it. I am not crazy about the above photo with the mix that is there.....too many different chairs, some look comfortable others not. So I have to say....it depends on the room, the table and what chairs you want to mix.

If there is too much diversity in the mix as in the photo that accompanies this article, the look is far too distracting - like the "chair department" at a thrift store. The "mix it up look CAN be appealing in a non-formal setting, but only if each chair has something in common. Examples same color, similar wood finish, made of similar material, etc.

Actually, it's both for me. I have a formal Victorian with a vintage Tudor dining set that has 10 beautiful gold velvet upholstered chairs. However, my casual summer home, a lovely cape on an island in Maine, boasts 8 pressed back chairs in varying designs and heights. Thier only commonality is that they are all golden oak and pressed backs. We feel very fortunate to enjoy both :)

It all depends on the dining room. Formal dictates some degree of commonality. Casual to me means mix it up but the chairs should have something in common. All wood, all red or all something that makes them work together.

I agree with Karen it depends on the room our historic house has a formal dinning room so its matching, but our holiday house has open plan so its mixed.

I have matching chairs and table now. But of the round tables I have looked at and love, I have seen different chairs to "coordinate" with the table. I would eventually like to do different needlepoint covers for the seats of the chairs on a same-artist/color/or theme. Obviously, this will be a long-term investment which will create exciting change as I progress.

I love to mix chairs. These chairs are competing wrt size, scale and finishes!

Well, I do like the idea of mix and match ,but you have to know how and what type you can mix, at times they do not look nice , for example those white chairs in my opinion do not go well at all with the other ones.

When I was a child and we had relatives over for the "Big Holiday Meal", we had to use chairs from all over the house so everyone would have a place to sit. it looked terrible but was functional. I can't believe people actually strive to have this look now. The picture shown says it all.

I need things to match. I have never been able to do asymmetrical and have it look good. My dining chairs all match but the upholstery on the two "master" chairs is complimentary.

My favorite look is having the side chairs all match, and having the host and hostess chairs be different from the side chairs, but complimentary.

The photo in the article is too mismatched for my taste.

I clicked "other" because I think "matchy-matchy vs. mix-it-up" isn't a useful dichotomy. "Theme and variations" is a better approach, in my opinion. Chairs don't have to be identical but should relate to each other (and the rest of the room) in some significant way (color, shape, material, etc.). Otherwise, they look random -- like they do in the photo at the head of this article.

be careful with mixing it up, it could look like "I found all of these at garage sales".The picture was not a good example of "mixing it up". It would have been better if different wood chairs had matching cushions, etc...something in common.

No problem with mixing up...but these on the photo DO NOT work together for me, sorry !

I prefer the 4 side chairs to match and the host and hostess chairs to be different yet matching each other. i.e., My end chairs are a cow print and my 4 side chars are leather. Peps it up a bit, but not overwhelming.

Definitely matching chairs. Not only do they provide unity, but also there are no odd feelings amongst people who have to sit on them.

i think it depends on the persons own choice and what makes them happy

Matching side chairs and upholstered end chairs

Chairs should be varied like the people who sit in them, but like any good family they should try to get along when they come together around the dinner table. :)

I like both - you can treat them like sculpture or like utilitarian furnishings that blend in. It depends what else is going on in the room and how much attention you want the chairs to get. Our primary concern is comfort first, then how they look, followed by cleanability. If we had a room where there needed to be quirky accents, mismatched chairs would be great, but we want the focus on the chandelier and the view.

we like mixing it up but the chairs need to relate

I say have the head chairs different from the side chairs but the side chairs should match. Sometimes though if you only have four side chairs you should try as much as possible to have additional chairs closely resemble the side chairs-perhaps upholstered in the same fabric as not to create too much fighting in the design.

It depends on the house style. I love mix and match in a farmhouse. I agree however you have to do something to pull them together. Different styles but the same color.

Love matching side-chairs and different end chairs, IF THEY RELATE. Really dislike photo above. For formal space, I prefer to play it safe with comfortable, matching chairs and let the artwork stand out.

I vote for matchy, I don't know why matchy is a bad thing. It's not boring, as long as other things in the room don't match.

I like mismatched things in general: socks and maybe even the occasional outfit. I especially adore mixing up chair because it gives me a pub-like feel!

i saw in the style section of today's nytimes... mismatched shoes on the runway.

That's good for some of us who get dressed in the morning half asleep. :)