The table sets the count. Allow about 23.5 in of edge per chair, or 27.5 in for a chair with arms. The chairs set the comfort: a seat of 18.1 to 19.7 in under a 30 in table leaves room for knees. The look comes last, and it is the easiest part to change later.
How do you put together a dining table and chairs?
Pick the table for the number of people who eat there most weeks, then the chairs that fit under it, then decide whether they match.
Dining table set for 4, 6 or 8: which table and how many chairs?
These are our published seat counts, deliberately generous so chairs with arms still fit.
The long-side counts hold for Ann, Melker and Diana. The ends are where Ann earns its place: it is 35.5 in wide, with the legs set 4.9 in in from the short ends, so one chair always fits at each end. We do not make an extending table, so buy the length you use and borrow chairs for Christmas. The full count, chair by chair, is in how many chairs fit around a dining table.
| Seats | Long table | Round table |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ann, Melker or Diana 63 in | Luna ø43.5 in |
| 6 | 94.5 in, or Ann 63 in with a chair at each end | Luna ø55 in |
| 8 | 110 in, or Ann 94.5 in with a chair at each end | Not round: buy a long table |
| 10 | Ann 110 in with a chair at each end | Not round |
Round or long set?
Round for four to six people in a square room or a small one. Long for six or more, a rectangular room, or an open plan.
Luna at ø43.5 in seats four. At ø55 in it seats six of Bella, Isabell or Karin, or six Sella or Erik. Past six, a round table stops working; that is a 94.5 or 110 in table.
A round set has no head of the table and everyone reaches the middle. A long set seats more and lines up with the room. The round dining table guide goes further.
Matching or mixed chairs?
Both work. Keep one thing the same and the set looks chosen.
A matched set is calm: Karin or Erik in exactly the table's oak finish, from the same oak. A mixed set is livelier: one chair model in two colors, or two models in one color. What usually fails is a near-match, two oaks that are almost but not quite the same.
Our oak tables and oak chairs share the same three finishes, Oak, Dark Oak and Black Oak, so an exact match is always possible. Black steel chairs such as Sella, Bella and Isabell give oak a clear contrast. The rules are in mix and match dining chairs.
Chairs with arms at the ends
A pair of armchairs at the short ends is the classic way to finish a long set.
Sella and Erik have arms. Their armrests sit at 25.2 in and 26.4 in, below the 28.7 in under our tops, so they push in. On a long side, a chair with arms needs about 27.5 in of edge; at the 35.5 in end of Ann there is room for one.
Armless chairs on the long sides keep the count up. Erik at the ends of a table lined with Karin is one model family in one oak.
A dining set with a bench
A bench on one side seats more people in less space, and children like it. It must sit at chair height and be shorter than the gap between the table legs.
Alva in solid oak and Wilma with an upholstered seat both sit at 18.1 in, the same as Sella, Bella and Isabell. Put the bench along the wall and the chairs on the open side, with chairs at the ends for long dinners: a bench has no backrest. Lengths and pairings are in the dining bench guide.
| Table | Bench | On the bench |
|---|---|---|
| 63 in | 51.2 in | 2 adults, or 3 children |
| 94.5 in | 51.2 in, or a Wilma made up to 63 in | 2 to 3 |
| 110 in | Wilma made at 63 in | 3 |
Check the heights before you order
Every seat at one table should sit within about 1 in of the others, and every seat should leave room for knees under the top.
Our tables are 30 in high with 28.7 in under the top. Sella, Bella and Isabell sit at 18.1 in, Erik at 18.9 in, Karin at 19.7 in. The benches sit at 18.1 in. Mixing an 18.1 in chair with a 19.7 in one is possible but noticeable; mixing the three steel chairs is seamless.
The dining chair height guide has the full rule.
How to buy a set without regret
Measure the room, order samples, try one chair, then order the rest.
Leave about 35.5 in between the table edge and a wall, so a chair can come out and someone can pass. Order material samples to see the oak finish and the upholstery in your light. You can order a single dining chair to try at your own table, with free returns. Tables are made to order and have no free try-at-home, so the table is the part to measure twice.
Table first, then chairs, then the look
- Seat height
- 18.1 to 19.7 in
- Per chair
- 24 in, 70 with arms
- Clearance
- 35.5 in
