If you take a scroll through Pinterest or any retail furniture catalog, you’ll see the ever popular look of head dining chairs not matching side chairs. Although the chairs don’t match, they do coordinate with one other and manage to pull off an effortlessly chic design.
I absolutely love this look! This style lends itself to creating a more curated design and showcases a homeowner’s personality. I’m also glad this means the dreaded “dining set” look is starting to fade to black.
While there may be people who are digging this style, I realize there may also be folks who have a hard time re-creating this look in their homes.
So below, I want to share 3 simple tips when mixing and matching dining room chairs.
mix & match tip #1-consider the “feel”
Are you going for a more casual or formal look? This will be contingent upon the feel you want to evoke in your dining room. The style of the head chair may be different from the side chairs but you’ll still want them to carry the same feel of the room.
In other words, you wouldn’t want to mix a wingback head chair with a wicker chair. The wingback gives off a more stately, formal feel while the wicker chair will give off a casual and laid-back feel.
mix & match tip #2- consider materials
A great way to bring cohesion into this design is through the fabrics chosen. Perhaps the same color story can be woven throughout the space but you use different fabrics to illustrate that.
For example, you could use a patterned fabric for the head chairs. And then pull a color used in that pattern to select a solid fabric for your side chairs. Its a great way to show contrast while still highlighting a common thread.
Choosing the same finish for the legs is another material to think about when trying to tie elements together.
mix & match tip #3-consider shapes
The final tip focuses on the chair shape. No way am I recommending that the actual shape of the chairs should match; remember we are trying to get away from the dining set look! It’s all about encouraging a mix that makes sense.
What I suggest instead is to consider the silhouette of the head chairs and try to incorporate that element with the side chairs. For example, if your head chair is curvy; you could select side chairs that have rounded edges.
That’s a wrap! Hopefully these tips help you feel a little more confident with creating this look.
So, do you love this look? Would you try it in your home?
