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Dining chairs

The designer Mies van der Rohe said it was almost easier to design a skyscraper than a chair. That’s why Chippendale is famous, he added. Browse the collection of dining chairs here from classic to contemporary.

Jimi Solid Rubberwood Bar Bench La Redoute

This definitely has echoes of Ercol and it’s a great spacesaver as well as a versatile piece that can be used in kitchens, halls and even bedrooms so it’s worth the investment. Rubberwood is regarded as eco-friendly as it harvested when it no longer produces latex meaning it would otherwise be burned so it’s given a useful life. It’s also more affordable as it’s regarded as a by-product.
Two Bergen Dining Chairs Cox & Cox

Chairs are expensive – they are hard to make after all – as the famous mid-century designer Mies Van Der Rohe said – a skyscraper is almost easier. With that in mind it makes sense to invest in something you are going to love for a long time which is one of the many reasons I don’t have upholstered dining chairs as eventually they will become threadbare and stained. Better to buy quality wood in a classic style that you can always paint another colour if you fancy a change. These are oak so perhaps you shouldn’t but you can always strip them back again if you do.
Woven teak bench Zara Home

There are some pieces of furniture that once bought you know you will always use wherever you live. A simple bench like this is one such piece. In a wide hallway with shoes under and small bottoms sitting on it to put them on, at the end of the bed for last night’s or tomorrow’s clothes, as a foot stool in the sitting room or a place to gather some magazines and a plant. It’s 107cm wide and 45cm deep so you can tuck it in a small space and use it forever.
Kalaspel Made

I suspect this will be a bit marmite but with one eye to the future I’m thinking this is one of those pieces that will look great in about 10 years time. Buy one – not the set that won’t work- and stick it in a corner to be pulled out when an extra seat at the table is needed. It will give the impression it was picked up on your travels round the world (rather than round the internet and it’s made from mango wood which is sustainable. Also, you don’t want a set as I’m not entirely sure it’s the most comfortable thing you will ever sit on but it would also make a great bedside table (says someone currently typing cross-legged from a covid bed) as well as an extra little table. It’s more versatile than you might think.
Ambi Wooden Stool tall Nkuku

You will never go wrong spending money on a good wooden stool. Tall ones can double up as plant and lamp stands and short ones as bedside or side tables. This is made from sustainable mango wood and while it looks perfect au naturel you could also paint it again and again as the mood takes you. Perfect for the renter who is trying to build up a collection of furniture that will work in any house no matter what its size or ownership.
Handpainted school chair Rockett St George

I remember writing about these chairs years ago on the blog and I still love them now. These vintage school chairs have been reconditioned and updated to fit a more modern kitchen (or a traditional one come to that). Various colours available this is the new way to do mismatched – same shape different colours.
Rattan indoor outdoor bistro chair Anthropologie

These chairs are massively fashionable at the moment but they are also a French café classic so don’t worry about them dating – they’re just having their moment in the sun but when at the end of the day (as it were) they will still look good in your kitchen. They’re also a great way to bring a splash of colour into a room and, if you have a wooden floor and a wooden table it’s always good to find a new material to use.
Alix Dining Bench Made

Now this is billed as a dining bench but I would gently suggest that at £379 it’s not going to be the sturdiest and longest lasting piece you will ever buy. However, the shape is great and it’s a good looking thing. If you have room in a bedroom, or even a hall where it will have only occasional sitting I think it’s a great buy. The brass tips on the navy version make it look cheaper so I’d stick to the white but you can now order a free fabric sample so that’s probably worth doing. And you can maybe even paint the legs if you don’t like them.
Bell Stackable Armchair Made In Design

The problem with garden furniture is the space it can take up when you need to store it during the winter. These stackable chairs by Magis solve that problem and, if you don't want to stack them (on a balcony or in a garden) then they work perfectly indoors round the kitchen table. And they're made from recycyled polypropylene, from waste collected at the Magis factory (and local car factories) in Italy which is a brilliant way for a company to use its own waste. It can also be recycled at the end of its life. Winning. Oh and it's £80 a chair, which is a good price.
Bistro Style Dining Chairs La Redoute

I have become mildly obsessed with dark green dining chairs but these also come in a deep burgundy red which would do just as nicely. A painted wooden chair can ring the changes if you have a wooden table and floor and feel it might all be a little too much. These come in sets of two and in natural, black and walnut as well.