How to Style Mismatched Dining Chairs
Words by Emma Hughes
November 05, 2025
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6m
A dining room is the perfect place for stunning décor that can amaze your guests, but it’s also a space that can invite experimentation, letting you test your interior design ideas. For years, the norm has been to choose matching dining chairs for a cohesive and well-styled finish to your dining space, but as we get bolder with our design choices, many homeowners are now mixing dining chairs for a unique look.
Our guide to mismatched dining chairs will give you all the top style tips you need for creating the perfect dining space even with a mix of furniture styles. In no time at all, you’ll have all you need to nail the look of a mismatched seating area in your dining room.
Why should I opt for mismatched dining chairs?
While matching chairs can help give your dining room a uniform look, trying out a mismatched effect can show off your personality and break up any monotony in your space. It’s the perfect method of self-expression for anyone looking to unleash their creativity in a dining room.
It also lends itself perfectly to a range of designs. Shabby chic style rooms often use mismatched furniture for a rustic effect, while boho designs are characterised by their vibrant, layered blends of colours, textures, and materials. Both styles are perfect fits for a mismatched dining room.
Choosing the right chairs for your room
Finding the right chairs to mix and match in your dining room is the most important part of the design process. It’s essential to weigh your options carefully and choose a style that reflects your personal taste. Here are some factors to consider when choosing furniture for your mismatched design:
Think about the rest of your palette
If you add too many bright colours to your design, you’ll end up creating a space that feels overwhelming and distracted. To avoid letting your mismatched design feel too chaotic, it’s important to create a sense of balance in your space by choosing your furniture wisely.
Try to choose a common theme for your furniture to maintain consistency, even when mixing different styles of dining chairs. For example, if you’re pairing a wooden dining table with mismatched chairs, consider using more wooden seating to keep a common thread running throughout your design.
Neutral furniture can be reliably styled into almost any palette, so try subtle colours if you’re worried about causing a clash. You could also try colour blocking your dining room by grouping your mismatched dining chairs into different shades. This can help split up your design into segments, drawing attention to different parts of the room and letting you give each area its own unique feel.
Try a blend of materials and fabrics
It’s not just your colours that can vary across your mismatched dining chairs, but also the materials used in their designs. Mixing up your fabrics can make your dining room feel more inviting while also adding a unique visual appeal to your space.
If you’re opting for upholstered dining chairs, try using a mix of fabrics such as leather and velvet. This will help separate your design while keeping a common, elegant theme across your seating area. If you’re looking for a blend of old and new styles, consider mixing wooden seating with metal or plastic chairs. This look may not appeal to everyone, so try experimenting to see if it could work in your design.
How to style your mixed dining chairs
Once you’ve chosen your dining chairs, it’s time to let your creativity run wild and start styling them into your dining room. There are numerous ways to add your mismatched dining chairs to a seating area, but it’s crucial to follow a layout rather than placing them randomly around your table. Here are some of our favourite arrangements:
Try pairing your chairs
Arranging your mismatched dining chairs in pairs can help break up your design nicely, dividing your seating area into evenly spaced sections rather than giving it a chaotic finish. For a neat look in your dining room, consider purchasing your chairs in pairs, then placing them on opposite sides of your dining table, facing each other. This will help create a matching pattern on both sides for a cohesive and professional look.
Go for a symmetrical look
For a similar finish, try positioning a pair of mismatched dining chairs on each end of your dining table, while using a different design for the rest of your seating area. This method will help give your dining space a line of symmetry down the middle, so you can keep your area looking evenly balanced while blending multiple styles.
Keep it functional
When mixing your dining chairs, it’s important to remember that making your guests comfortable should be your number-one priority. If your mismatched chairs don’t combine to make a functional seating area, then they’ll function more as décor than furniture.
Ideally, you’ll want to accommodate as many guests as possible in your space, so consider whether your dining area can fit larger groups. An extending dining table is ideal for accommodating extra guests at dinner parties, while adding a bench to your seating area can fit more people on one side of your table. If you’re struggling for room, try experimenting with your furniture to make your design as efficient as possible.
Tips for mixing and matching dining chairs
Getting creative and adding your own personal touches to a mismatched dining area is an important part of the process, but there are still some key rules to follow when styling your room. We’ve assembled some of our favourite tips to make the most of your mixed dining chairs, so you can take your design to the next level.
Keep your heights consistent
Mixing dining chairs can be lots of fun when designing a room, but at the end of the day, your furniture should still be as functional as it is stylish. When you’re sitting around the dinner table, the last thing you want is to interrupt the flow of conversation, so it’s essential that your mismatched chair layout still encourages your guests to be social.
One important consideration is height, as nobody wants to feel like they’re above or below the rest of the group in your seating area. Try choosing chairs with similar dimensions to put everyone on an even level, which will help your guests feel more relaxed.
Don't go overboard
Mismatched dining chairs can give your room a unique look, but it’s essential to keep your ideas grounded. If every chair in your set is entirely different, then your space won’t have any cohesion to its design, making your room feel chaotic and garish.
Try to keep some elements consistent between your chairs, or group them into small sets rather than using individual pieces that all contrast with each other. For example, you may want to stick to a similar material, such as wood or velvet, or perhaps you’d like to split your dining chairs by colour. There are numerous properties you can focus on for your theme, and it all depends on your personal taste, so consider what you want to match when buying your chairs.
Consider your space
When styling a small dining room, it’s essential to ensure that you and your guests have sufficient space to move around comfortably. If your furniture interrupts the flow of your room too much, you may feel crowded and uncomfortable.
Before purchasing dining furniture, measure your space and take note of the dimensions of the chairs you have chosen. This will help you style a room with enough space for easy movement, as well as ensuring your guests don’t feel too crowded at mealtimes. It can also open up floor space to allow for more décor in your dining room.
Get more style advice for your home
Mixing and matching dining chairs can be a challenging task, but with enough creativity, it can yield beautiful results. By using our style guide, you should be able to find the perfect mismatched dining chairs for your home, regardless of your design preferences.
Looking for more advice on mixing and matching furniture? Try reading our guide to mismatched sofas and chairs to bring more personal style to your seating. Stay tuned to our blog for helpful tips and style guides, such as our table decoration ideas to add some stunning décor to your dining room.