Remember those days that you walked into a Rooms To Go and you bought the “set”. The entire room. Everything matched. From the coffee table, to the couch, to the lamps to the dining set. It was all matchy matchy. Why did we do this? Maybe it was easy, and affordable. Not really sure. But having mismatched dining chairs was most definitely NOT an option there!
I’ll be honest though in that I’m guilty of this too. My dining chairs AND my bar stools are THE SAME. Why didn’t I branch out and get something different? I blame my age.
I was in my early 20s and thought I just had to have everything from West Elm and all the same. It’s now the one thing in my house that’s left to update in my opinion. But I have no good reason because they’re in perfect condition and still in style. I’m just personally sick of them.
Insert the fun concept of mismatched dining chairs. Mixing and matching different styles and colors for a fun and interesting look. It may seem crazy. I know.
But here are 5 really great times when it totally worked. There are a few things to keep in mind when creating this look because trust me, it takes a little bit of work. You can’t just grab a handful of chairs and call it a day and it works. Because it honestly likely won’t. Sorry.
Mismatched Dining Chair Ideas
5 Tips To Pulling Off The Mismatched Dining Chair Trend
Stick To A Similar Color Palette (or don’t!)
So that’s confusing, right? Here’s what I mean. If you’re going to add five totally different styles of chairs to your table, keep them within the same color palette. It’ll be easier on the eye and less distracting.
But if you want to change things up and have several contrasting colors, then keep the chairs more similar. Think five great Eames chairs in varying colors. It still feels cohesive even though you’ve gone bold with an array of colors.
Also keep fabric in mind. I love the green kitchen with a few different natural woven chairs. They’re all similar, but different. It keeps the eye moving through the room without being distracting.
Keep Things All The Same Height (or just about)
To make things easier on the eye, and to make your space feel more put together, keep things the same height. They don’t have to be EXACT but having one random large chair that towers over everything else will definitely seem off.
It’s also kind of important to keep the seat height at the very least similar. The height of the back of the chair can vary. But when guests sit down you want them to all be sitting at a similar level.
Anchor Your Ends
You can completely add taller, bolder, more colorful chairs to the end if they’re your anchor. Keep these the same chairs, and mix up the rest. Having an anchor keeps things feeling more consistent and allows the ends to be your focal point. A fun idea could be having bold navy chairs on either end and then mixing in white chairs in between.
When In Doubt, Grab Pairs
You can’t go wrong with two or three sets of pairs that complement one another. Alternate them for a consistent look that feels put together and intentional. I think that’s truly the main takeaway here is that your mismatched chairs should look intentional and cohesive and not that you just had a bunch of random hand-me downs.
Stick To A Decor Style
If your house is mostly mid century modern, or French country, keep your pieces the same as well. There are always several great options for every type of decor style and work within that. I’m a mid-century modern kind of gal, here are some of my favorite mid century dining chairs under $150 to try.
It’s also fun to add a little something different to compliment it all. I love mixing something more feminine with an industrial style. Think about using that as your anchor, or your one bold hue to switch it up. You can definitely try to mix and match design styles, but think about your space overall so it flows.
