Short answer
Dining chairs with arms are more comfortable for long meals and easier to get up from; armless chairs take less space and slide fully under the table.
Armrests carry the weight of your forearms and shoulders, which is what makes a chair with arms the one people stay in after the plates are cleared. They also give you something to push against when you stand.
Armless chairs win where space is short. They fit closer together, suit round tables and small rooms, and disappear under the table between meals. For most homes the choice is not either-or: it is where the chairs with arms go.
Allow 70 cm (27.5 in) of table edge for each chair with arms, against 60 cm (23.5 in) for armless chairs.
That extra 10 cm (4 in) per chair is what lets armrests pass each other as people pull in and out. Over a whole table it adds up: a 180 cm (71 in) table seats six armless chairs but four with arms.
The chart below gives the width, arm height and table edge needed for each of our dining chairs.
| Model | Width | Arm height | Table edge per chair |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sella, with armrests
| 50 cm (19.7 in) | 64 cm (25.2 in) | 70 cm (27.5 in) |
 Erik, with armrests
| 54 cm (21.3 in) | 67 cm (26.4 in) | 70 cm (27.5 in) |
 Bella
| 43 cm (16.9 in) | No armrests | 60 cm (23.5 in) |
 Isabell
| 43 cm (16.9 in) | No armrests | 60 cm (23.5 in) |
 Karin
| 45 cm (17.7 in) | No armrests | 60 cm (23.5 in) |
They fit when the armrests are lower than the underside of the tabletop or apron, ideally with a few centimetres to spare.
Measure from the floor to the lowest point under the edge of the table, where your thighs and the armrests will go. Then compare it with the arm height of the chair.
Our dining tables are 76 cm (30 in) high with the underside at 73 cm (28.7 in), which leaves 9 cm (3.5 in) above Sella's armrests and 6 cm (2.4 in) above Erik's. A table with a deep apron can bring the underside down to 65 cm (25.5 in) or less; there, chairs with arms stop at the edge of the table. The dining chair height guide covers the other measurements to take.
A carver is the British name for a dining chair with arms, traditionally placed at the ends of the table; in the US the same chair is usually called a host chair or an armchair.
Traditional dining sets came with two carvers and four or six side chairs, the carvers for the host and the guest of honour.
The idea still works as a way to give a long table a head and a foot, and as a way to add comfort without giving up the seats along the sides. Today it is just as common to use chairs with arms all round, where the table is long enough to allow 70 cm (27.5 in) each.
Yes: the classic arrangement is chairs with arms at the two ends and armless chairs along the sides, from the same family so the frame and fabric match.
Keep one thing constant, the material, the colour or the silhouette, and let the armrests be the difference.
Our chairs are designed to pair this way. Sella, with armrests, shares its black steel frame and fabrics with the armless Bella and Isabell. Erik, with armrests, shares its solid oak, finishes and two-piece seat with the armless Karin. Our guide to mixing and matching dining chairs covers combinations across families.
Isabell Dining ChairArmless partner for Sella · from £399View Isabell
Yes: armrests give something to push against when standing up and to lower yourself onto when sitting down, which makes them the better choice for anyone with stiff knees or hips.
Seat height matters as much. A seat at the upper end of the standard range, 47 to 48 cm (18.5 to 18.9 in), is easier to rise from than a low one, as long as it still suits the table.
Erik combines armrests at 67 cm (26.4 in) with a 48 cm (18.9 in) seat, and Sella armrests at 64 cm (25.2 in) with a 46 cm (18.1 in) seat. Both carry 200 kg (440 lbs) per seat. Our guide to dining chair weight capacity explains what that rating means.
Sella Dining ChairFrom £479Steel · armrests at 64 cm
Erik Dining ChairFrom £499Solid oak · armrests at 67 cm
Erik Dining ChairFrom £479Oak and bouclé · armrests
Bella Dining ChairFrom £399Armless partner for Sella
