That is a thick table. Have you sat at the table in a chair? Looks like not enough room for some people's thighs.

I would check that out and for heavens sake forget the bench always an awkward place to sit and get in and out of and in a dress just plain asbsurd.

The chair you posted is very popular but a little light with the chunky table. Not sure about the height. Also I'd consider at least a padded seat for comfort. And just to mention in case you have large family or friends, many of these chairs have a weight limit of 200lbs while others go up to 250.

Benches are good if you need extra seating in a pinch or for space saving but they aren't great for daily use. If you have little ones they probably won't mind climbing around the bench like monkeys to sit down and get up from the table. For adults they are difficult to move and uncomfortable.

The chairs you posted are nice but seem too delicate for the table.

Yes, they look good with those farm house tables, but, golly, benches are uncomfortable and awkward to sit on. Metal chairs might look interesting with that table. I think those fabric chairs, while lovely, make that just a big heavy dining set instead of a farmhouse table and chairs.

The chairs seem a bit lightweight. Look at the photos on houzz of "farmhouse table" and see the many variation of chairs with different tables.

Thank you all for the input!

I was afraid the chair posted above would be too lightweight, but didnt want to acknowledge it. lol I'll start looking at fabric again - or perhaps metal - thats an interesting idea I haven't explored at all!

As for the bench, it would be for kids - not adults. I have a large number of very young nieces and nephews, as well as an infant son of my own. You can cram more kids onto a bench than chairs in the same amount of space and they will have a harder time destroying it. :) That said, I would be lying if I said I didnt also just love the look!

We just purchased a very similar table this weekend only ours has a black metal base. We are also looking at black metal chairs very similar to the one you posted. We were debating between doing four metal chairs, two on each side with two larger fabric arm chairs for the ends or a bench on one side and the metal chairs on the opposite side and ends. Husband REALLY wanted the bench because he had one growing up and I couldn't find any arm chairs I loved so we did the bench and chair combo for now. If we hate it we can always sell the bench get arm chairs and move the other chairs around.

Ditch the bench! No one over the age of 8 wants to eat a meal sitting on a bench! Horribly uncomfortable, awkward getting in an our of, just a general disaster. In the end, function simply must trump any design notions you might have.

I have an upholstered bench at my table and I actually sit on it during dinner parties. I really have no problem with sitting on a bench. and I'm over 50.

Test those chairs out first too, I really liked them until I sat in one. The way the back is attached it’s literally painful if you sit back against it. Beautiful to look at, but not functional at all.

Check out Amish wood chairs. The have nice quality and chairs of more substantial weight visually and physically.

Here are a couple from their outlet collection.