Going to post to follow, since I'm shopping for chairs also and curious on feedback. I like your style though. Here's some that aren't upholstered..

Viborg White Side Chair Walnut Base, Set of 2 · More Info

Led Chair, Steel Stained Chromed Frame, Transparent Aquamarine Seat · More Info

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@kulrn thanks! I like most of these chairs but I didn't want to stray too much from what my designer picked because then I'd wouldn't know what goes best with what!

Love your table and that light is awesome. I like what your designer chose but IMO they look uncomfortable. I am thinking higher back (Madison chair) as the others look more country and less MCM. If you use your dining as much as me (twice a year) the less pricey may be fine. Good luck

Those chairs you posted always read a little country to me too. The first 2 and the last I like the most. Maybe some of the pros on here will post some other options! I like the style in this photo.

7 Indoor Plants Design Lovers Adore | Decorist · More Info

Beautiful selection!

A metallic finish is always a nice contrast against wood but you can certainly achieve the a similar look in going with a wood chair. Consider a metal chair frame with a wood seat as the ideal compromise.

The height of a chair back can vary and a mix of heights gives a little more visual interest to your furnishings. In dining groupings, it is preferred to have at least a pair of head chairs with backs higher than the height of the table so every element doesn't sit on the same plane. A variation in heights for any furniture grouping offers far more dimension to the overall design.

Best of luck with your project!

I always thought they were a bit farmhouse looking too until I saw them in this photo

Dining Chairs

Room and Board also has a variation of the Windsor Chair called the Thatcher or Soren. I love the ones you posted! I had something similar posted to my pinterest board but paper cord is no good with kids. I also like the black chairs she chose because of the contrast.

@Jeanne I plan on using this area for dinner everyday-- we don't have a breakfast nook but do have a eat in island that is too tall for the young kids to sit at. Right now my toddler has to sit in his highchair for breakfast and snacks. I want him to sit at the table with us for at least one meal. We also entertain family with kids about once a month.

Be careful whilst ordering the chairs that you haven't seen and tried out in person. I'd find out if there is a restocking fee/or some other kind of charge, should you need to return them. In general, a lot of people don't like dining chairs without any arm support...if we're talking about "extended" periods of sitting, such as dinner parties, etc.

Even though I like the look of the chairs your designer chose I would find them extremely uncomfortable, metal, too low back, etc. They’re almost identical to chairs in a restaurant that I avoid only because I find their chairs tortuous for sitting in for longer than a few minutes.

ok so now I'm leaning towards the Madison but as Nanke said, the head chairs should be higher and the Madison is 33" in height and the velvet head chairs are 32.5. I can try to find taller head chairs but probably wouldn't be able to find some with the brushed bronzed legs. I've seen some in gold or i could do a wooden leg.

@Hamma you are right about armrest however I don't think there are many options for wooden/metal chairs with armrests right that are comfortable?

Hi Veronica-

I agree with Hamma.

I would never buy any type of chair, even a dining room chair that I had never sat in for a while.

I don't think a dining chair has to have arms.

The chairs your designer chose do look country as mentioned earlier and they look too short for your table and uncomfortable, in addition.

I would also not choose totally fabric covered blue host chairs either, unless the carpet is a valuable piece you are going to keep forever, because now you will be forever stuck in blue.

You are better off with something you can change if you want. You can get dining room chairs whose seat covers (and backs if they have them) can be easily recovered (I've done it easily with a staple gun).

You can find a wood chair with a fabric covered seat with minimal padding that you can recover any way you like, and you can get the same chairs or similar ones with arms for the host chairs.

It looks like the Walker chairs do have a wood seat. Since they come from Home Depot, it seems you could easily return them if you find they aren't comfortable (if you like how they look). If you find they are uncomfortable, I'd ask the designer to suggest other options.

loobab, can you show me an example of a chair that can be recovered? I was thinking we'd redecorate in about ten years but maybe the blue will be out of style before then? I told her I really like blues.

I can't see the pictures posted but I've sat on a lot of chairs and dining room chairs need to have some kind of padding. Restaurants deliberately don't pad chairs if they want quick turnover.

As others have posted a chair with a square upholstered bottom is ridiculously easy to reupholster even for an amateur. My mother did it frequently - essentially you are just stapling the fabric over the pad. She was a moderately crafty person but certainly would never have tried to reupholster an actual piece or even make slipcovers.

I see from a review on the taller version of the chair that they may be difficult assemble. Will you be doing the assembly or will the designer handle it?

Ok I see. I was actually referring to the head chairs and was having a hard time picturing stapling an entire chair with fabric but can probably find some type of tutorial out there.

tqtqtbw, I'm not sure which chair you are referring to. I haven't read all the reviews yet :/ but the Madison one I was leaning to is already assembled I thought. My husband is disabled at the moment so we'd have a family member or handyman do it.

Yes, I agree. My dining room chairs ( fully upholstered , Restoration Hardware ) are so comfortable that I’ve seen guests move them into our living room to sit on rather than the sofa & chairs in the LR.

Veronica Hardgrave I looked at a review for the Walker chair on the Home Depot site. The review is on the chair with the taller back. I do like the Madison chair and that is great that is doesn't require assembly.

@remodeling1840 I would love to have long lingering dinner parties but I can't really do that with all the young kiddos in our family. I'd rather not get all upholstered chairs due to all the foam in them (we have allergies and I've done a lot of research about toxins in them). I could always get some cushions I suppose custom made.

This is my first time buying dining chairs in my life! :)

Veronica-

Any chair with a removable seat-

for example this one which I just found on eBay (which I am not suggesting for you.)

You could find some nice mid century modern or Scandinavian type chairs.

If they are well designed they can be quite comfortable, but you don't know until you sit in them.

I would not get a plastic chair. If you are wearing shorts or a short dress they will stick to your legs.

Veronica, you can use (but will probably be hard to find ready made) real latex foam. If you've done research, you probably know that it's non toxic. You just have to be sure it's natural/organic latex.

Sit in the chairs you like before purchasing. Even $$$ chairs can be unbearably uncomfortable.

Olychick, yes I probably would need to get custom seat cushions made with latex. I'd prefer upholstered chairs made with latex but I think that would cost me a lot of $$$ hence why I was going the wood route. Even the Certipur foam can be expensive. It seems like all the non toxic stuff is devoid of color and comfort. However, I don't want my guests to be uncomfortable. decisions, decisions

This Soren Chair from room and board has a seat cushion on it and it doesn't look bad. I wonder if I could do something like this for the madison chair.

Sore Chair with Cushion

Why are you concerned with a seat cushion with a little foam in it?

It's not like you are having your face next to the seat cushion.

well it all adds up with all the other foam in the house (sofas, armchairs) but I wasn't concerned about the cushions. I was more concerned about a fully upholstered chair. Over time, particles of the foam breaks down and fumes get released into the air. The stuff more in my price range would probably be treated with chemicals from the glues, dyes and fire retardants. I'm sure the chairs from the higher end stores aren't as bad. I did read one review about a horrid smell coming from a cushion of a padded wooden chair and getting bad headaches from the smell.

Sorry I'm not try to scare anyone. I wasn't like this until a few months ago when I started reading about treating allergies and asthma which is big in my family.

Take all the advice to find chairs that you can actually sit in to ensure that they are comfortable! You absolutely do not need any padding, cushions or upholstery on your chairs if you have chosen carefully to begin with.

Thanks for everyone's feedback. You certainly have given me a lot to think about but the most important think I'll take back is to try out at the store or buy one to try out before committing and buying them all.

I admire your commitment to trying to reduce toxins in your home. If more people did that and refused to by the things that are polluting out environment and homes, we could actually buy things that are safe. People lament all their loved ones with cancer or other diseases, yet easily accept living with toxins.

If you have one near you, maybe look at Room and Board products. Their stuff is made in USA which might have some stricter standards (for a while at least) about what toxins can be used. Or maybe they are committed to less toxic stuff, but check them out.

Dining room chairs need to be comfortable so i would not get metal or wood. I would get upholstered chairs so you have a nice cushioned seat and a tall soft back.

I think one of the points of this discussion is that many of us have very comfortable dining room seating without having any cushions on the chairs. I personally find it very difficult to get comfortable at a table when I have to wrestle with a huge high backed chair.