We love dining rooms with mismatched chairs because it brings eclectic style and attitude to a space. The trick to mixing and matching, whether you’re after an offbeat vibe or something more traditional, is to group the chairs by color, height or shape. Scope out these hot seats for inspiration below!
Risky, fun and unexpected, designer Barbara Purdy juxtaposes classic upholstered captain’s chairs with black farmhouse-style seats in this gorgeous ’60s bungalow .
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home April 2020
Designer: Barbara Purdy; Architecture by Abbott Design
Tucked into a traditional wood trestle table, a mix of chairs is charming in this laidback dining area that’s loaded with country appeal.
Photographer: Robin Stubbert
Source: House & Home June 2018
A breezy combination of wicker and painted dining chairs makes for a relaxed cottage porch , located in Ontario’s Kawartha region.
Photographer: Alex Lukey
Source: House & Home May 2016
Designer: Joel Bray
This dining room by St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based Martha O’Hara Interiors combines velvet and rattan chairs for a formal yet fun vibe. A vintage tiled Turkish rug and a fabulous alabaster stone chandelier bring in more textural interest.
Photographer: Spacecrafting
Designer: Martha O’Hara Interiors; Builder: MDS Remodeling
A pair of blue velvet chairs sidle up to the more neutral numbers in this dining room that’s been layered to the max by New Jersey-based interior designer Beth Diana Smith. The result? Head-turning personality!
Photographer: Mike Van Tassell
Designer: Beth Diana Smith
In this exquisite eye-candy-of-a room , designer Montana Burnett breaks up the monotony of caned and woven chairs with a chunky, sculptural bench.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home May 2018
Designer: Montana Burnett
Cottages are inherently casual — a perfect place to show off a variety of chairs, like homeowner Heidi Smith did in her Cape Cod-inspired retreat. Heidi added a green wicker chair for a dose of color to the built-in nook.
Photographer: Jean Longpré
Source: House & Home July 2013
Whimsical spider-like legs and fun colors: what’s not to love with these playful chairs? They bring such cheer to the custom 14-foot-long table interior designer Ali Budd devised for a large Toronto family .
Photographer: Alex Lukey
Source: House & Home January/February 2021
Designer: Ali Budd; Architecture by Anna Voineskos
Four different chairs in the same pale wood tone are eclectic — but not over the top — in this dining room by Australian stylist Jessi Eve Deakin. “The tip to achieving a cohesive look is to ensure there is some connecting elements between the chairs,” says Jessi. “Whether that be scale, color or leg style.”
Photographer: The Palm Co.
Designer: Jessi Eve Interiors
In this breezy, bohemian L.A. home , rattan peacock chairs on either end of the table add texture and character, especially topped with that fabulous chandelier. Much more interesting than a matched set of seats!
Photographer: Petra Ford
Designer: Jessi Eve Interiors
In this dining room designed by Maureen Stevens in Austin, Texas, striped chairs from Anthropologie are just the right counterpoint to the solid seats — and every bit as bold as the cheetah-print wallpaper. Wild just works!
Photographer: Lauren Logan
Designer: Maureen Stevens
Cascading plants, a perforated tin Moroccan pendant and an eclectic combo of chairs is a winning formula in this sunroom in Prince Edward County, Ontario, by designer Vi Jull. The wicker chair really lends heft to the space.
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home July 2016
Designer: Vi Jull