How the Right Dining Chairs Can Help You with the Perfect Setting

The dining room is the heart of the home; it’s where bonds are strengthened and stories are shared.

This is the spot where families come together after a long day, where friends pick up where they left off, and where the quiet solitude of early mornings can be found. It’s a deeply personal space, and like so much of today’s interior design, what dining chairs you choose and how you choose them will greatly influence the overall feel of the room — the way friends and family sit and talk, and how time passes among them.

Trying to find your dining chairs is a deeply personal journey because it says so much about how you want your home, your respite, to look and feel. Will it be warm and grounded? Spacious and open? Minimalist and modern? Classic and beachy? Whatever style you choose and however you plan to escape the rest of the world, choosing the right collection has the ability to anchor your table and to weave together the visual narrative of your home.

Australian table decorations and flowers for Christmas for a large family gathering.
Photo: Serena & Lily

Can Dining Chairs be the Emotional Center of the Home?

The dining room is a place where daily routines and life’s biggest moments can play out. But so many are mistaken in believing that the right dining chairs can’t accentuate those moments. The perfect dining chair is more than a place to sit down and have a meal; it commands your posture, encourages conversation, and yes, even says something about how long your guests will feel comfortable and inclined to stick around.

There’s an inherent intimacy to the shared seat. From the curve of a well-supported back that evokes the comfort of a hug to the gentle cradle of a cushioned chair that beckons reprieve, the subtleties are everything. That’s why the quest for balancing style and comfort in dining chairs isn’t just about decorating a room — it’s about how we live our lives day to day.

To find the dining chairs that work seamlessly within your space, think about the touch and feel as much as the visual appearance. Form follows feel.

Style Speaks: Curating a Timeless Look

In any craft or art, there are trends that are discussed at length, and then there is timelessness. When shopping for dining chairs, it’s imperative to think beyond what might be in vogue at the moment. Because while there’s nothing wrong with incorporating those trends, a careful balance of materials, craftsmanship, and adaptability is invariably the closest we can come to a look that withstands the test of time — or at least one that doesn’t go out of style before hitting our doorstep.

Silhouettes first, friends. Spindle-back chairs in a dining room set the tone for heritage homes, while woven rattan or timeless cane creates warmth and easy vibes. Upholstered dining chairs dial up the formality, especially in textural fabrics like linen or boucle. A buttery leather looks right at home when a wood frame boasts Scandi simplicity, and metal accents veer towards the modern end of the spectrum. But unless you have a real connection with the chairs that may or may not match perfectly, they may not work for a transitional space in your heart.

But one of the reasons we nonchalantly throw around “like Serena & Lily” may appeal to so many is because this furnishing line embraces the elusive, versatile art of home décor: a seated guest at the $500 table looks just as comfortable at the $5,000 table. Because a chair belongs in a coastal dining room, and a chair is at home in a modern loft. Because good design isn’t actually about matching — it’s about blending.

Comfort & Quality Meet

It’s easy to fall for a good-looking dining chair, but the true luxury is something you can feel; it’s comfortable, durable, and supportive. The Helen side chair is punctuated with thoughtful details like mortise-and-tenon construction, handwoven caning, and responsibly harvested oak. Craftsmanship may not be a style, but a well-designed chair should always present it.

Look for the right seat width, depth, and firmness, particularly if you love to entertain. For everyday dining, you want to find chairs with enough cushion to be comfortable through long meals, but not so much that you find yourself sinking down too far. It’s all about the right balance.

Which is exactly why how a chair is made is so important. Quintessential chairs are made from traditional construction techniques: mortise-and-tenon joints, handwoven caning, and responsibly harvested oak. Instead of utilitarian wood mass-produced from glue and resins, look for the same wood with full, jeweled tones of polish — built to last, never going out of style or shape.

Mixing & Matching Modern Dining

Once, you had to match every dining chair at the table. Today’s dining rooms embrace the art of the mix: shapes, finishes, materials. A set of chairs that look as though they’ve been collected, not picked up together, is a smart way to add visual interest and personality to the dining room.

Multiple materials diffuse the look — handwoven seat cushions juxtaposed against a smooth frame, or the softness of an upholstered chair met with sharp-lined metal legs.

If your dining room table is bold, chunky, and rougher in design, keep your dining chairs thin and airier. And if your table is mid-tone and more polished, look for a sturdy artisanal hand-caned finish. The keyword is balance — even if things don’t match, they still have a point of view.

Sustainability & Longevity

In a world of disposable, fast furniture, putting time and care into picking high-end dining chairs made of quality material — responsibly sourced wood or a healthy precursor material, for instance — will pay off for the planet and your wallet.

Value-conscious consumers, who prefer to make fewer purchases of superior quality, use every piece of dining seating and have turned toward soulful, sustainable furniture purchases. And it’s for dining chairs like Helen, which ensure they will be proud of them in their homes for decades.

If you care about where your chair comes from and how it’s made, it’ll make a place for itself in your home narrative — and is more likely to last for a long time. A brand like Serena & Lily focuses on craftsmanship and sustainability as well, and in so doing, offers a more humanistic, back-to-basics way of living: beauty with integrity.

The Subtle Role of Lighting and Space

No matter how thoughtfully you choose your dining chairs, the atmosphere they create depends just as much on how light interacts with them. Natural sunlight can highlight the texture of woven cane or the gentle sheen of polished oak, while evening light softens the tones and enhances intimacy. The placement of your chairs within the room—near a window, beneath a pendant, or around a statement table—shapes how the space feels. Good design isn’t only about the object itself, but how it coexists with light, space, and the people who gather there.

Dining Chairs in Design for Real Life

The perfect dining chair isn’t the one that wows your dinner party; it’s the one that makes you all linger a little longer. That’s the beauty of a well-designed object. The feel of the linen under your palm. The grain of the oak at your fingertips. The warm whisper of a joiner’s hand. It’s the small things that make an object sublime.

It doesn’t matter if you’re furnishing a sunny breakfast room or a sweeping dining hall — your chairs are the opening act. They can be playful, simple, or intricate. But most importantly, they should feel like they’re at home — with you, at your table, in your life.

Ultimately, this is about more than a look or a trend or a collection. It’s about affinity — between form and function, people and place. And when you finally come across the perfect dining chairs for your space, you’ll understand that furniture, at its best, is not just for sitting. It’s for being.

Header Photo Credit: Photo: Serena & Lily

About the Author

Geraldine Provost is a Paris-based freelance writer with a diverse portfolio of blog contributions covering travel, gastronomy, entertainment, and more. She specializes in sharing her experiences in luxurious hotels and has a keen interest in the art-de-vivre à la française. When she is not writing, she can often be found enjoying the sun of the southern region of France.