If you are thinking of doing up your dining area, you’ll have lots of options to pursue. Maybe you’ll want a bar, an island, or a dining set? If you go for a dining set, what kind of seats will you go for? Something soft and squishy? Or something solid and sophisticated? Will you go for a bench or a chair set? That’s the answer we’re here to provide today. We’re breaking down the benefits of benches and chairs in the dining room so that you can land on a decision.
Table of contents
Dining room chairs
Primarily, dining room chairs offer something that no bench can really replicate: lumbar support. Even the most uncomfortable dining room chairs allow you to sit back. If you are sitting at a bench for long periods of time, it can be hard to not feel the strain on your back.
If you are looking for cheap furniture, when it comes to dining chairs, there are a lot of options. You can get them upholstered or not, knowing that they can stain, that’s a benefit. They can be made to fit into any style. They can be sleek or rustic, sophisticated or intimate.
Practically, dining chairs really win. You will have all manner of people coming by who might need something to grip when they get up, where it might be inappropriate to get so physically close, etc.
There is also a lot of versatility in dining chairs. They can be stiff and force you into good posture, or they can envelope you and let you sink into them, and there are others that are a mix of both. Aside from adding a cushion to a bench, you don’t have much option on comfort.
Benches
Benches offer a lot to tables. For one thing they offer more space. Depending on just how close you want to get with your dining guest, you can fit two or three on each side, and add a chair at the headers.
Benches also make for a lot less formal seating arrangement. People can come and go, stepping over the bench rather than the formality of tucking your chair under the table. If you’re going for a more casual vibe in your home, like a rustic or boho style, you can incorporate a bench for a family friendly look.
It can also make mealtimes a more intimate experience. In sharing the space rather than having your own designated spaces, you’ll be able to give a more interactive vibe to the night.
However, you can also get sleek designs that would suit the minimalism trend sweeping interior design magazines right now. Chairs will look a lot more cluttered than the one single bench around the dinner table.
And they’re multipurpose. Benches can be used all over the home, as additions to hallways, and extra seating in guest rooms, or placed at the end of the bed as an ottoman.
There is also the idea of using them as storage space. If you get a bench that has cabinets in it, you can keep anything you want, like towels and bedding, hidden in a space that is in plain sight.