Fabric Dining Seating




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+Getting the height right
Height is the measurement that decides whether a chair feels right. For a standard dining table of around 75cm, a seat height of roughly 45 to 47cm leaves comfortable clearance for your legs. Kitchen islands and breakfast bars sit higher, so counter stools and bar stools are sized differently again, and gas-lift designs give you a little adjustment either way.
It is worth measuring the underside of your table rather than the top, since a deep apron or a chunky cross-brace can reduce the usable height. Our bar stools page covers the taller options, and our dining chairs page gathers the standard heights together.
Chairs, carvers, swivels and benches
A standard side chair is the workhorse, and a carver, with its arms, is traditionally placed at the head of the table to mark the spot out a little. Swivel chairs have become very popular in kitchen-diners, since they let people turn towards the room rather than shuffling the whole chair round. A bench along one side seats more people in less space and tucks away neatly when it is not in use.
Mixing these is entirely normal now and often looks more considered than a matching set of six. Carvers at the ends with side chairs along the sides is a classic arrangement, and a dining bench on the wall side is a practical answer to a narrow room.
Fabrics, colours and everyday life
Fabric choice is where a dining chair earns its keep. Textured weaves and boucles hide crumbs and everyday marks well, which makes them a sensible pick for a family kitchen. Velvet gives depth and a little glamour for a dining room used mostly in the evenings, and a tight, smooth weave keeps a contemporary shape looking crisp. Many of these designs are also offered in vegan leather, which wipes clean in seconds.
If you would rather a different material entirely, our leather dining seating, velvet dining seating and wooden dining seating pages are the places to look.
Coordinating with your table
Chairs and tables no longer need to match timber for timber. Pairing an upholstered chair with a solid timber table is one of the most reliable combinations there is, because the fabric softens the room while the table keeps its character. Picking up a tone from your rug or blinds in the seat fabric ties everything together without the room feeling coordinated to death.
The Marlborough range runs across dining and living pieces and includes several upholstered chair shapes, with the Marlborough Dining Chair among the most popular here. The Chadwick range offers chairs, carvers, stools and a bench in the same finish if you would like the whole group to tally. To see the ranges as complete sets, visit dining by collection, and for styling ideas our dining room inspiration pages show these pieces in situ.

































































































