How to Choose Dining Chairs (Without Paying Big-Showroom Prices)
In a heimish home, the dining room chairs work harder than almost anything else in the house. Every Shabbos, every Yom Tov, every simcha, and more and more seats as the family grows and the married children come home with their own children. So when it's time for new chairs, you want them beautiful, comfortable and strong. And then you see the price tags.
Why dining chairs cost so much in most stores
It usually isn't the chair. It's everything around it: rent for a big storefront on a busy avenue, a huge showroom to fill, a selection from many different brands, a full staff on the floor all day, and extra charges for custom fabrics and finishes. All of that gets built into the price of every single chair. For a family that needs eight, ten or more chairs for the Shabbos table, it adds up to a number that makes people say "maybe next year."
Why we do it differently
We started Prime Seating because we saw how many families need good dining chairs and don't want to pay for someone else's overhead. So we built it lean:
- A small showroom in Brooklyn instead of a big storefront. Walk-ins are welcome during showroom hours (just call or text first in case the hours change), and we take the time to help you ourselves, privately and without pressure.
- A curated selection instead of hundreds of models. We carry styles we believe in, so choosing is easier, not overwhelming.
- The same mid-to-high-end look and quality you see in the bigger stores, at a fair price. Luxury for less, without cutting corners on the chair.
What most families are looking for is simple: chairs that are beautiful and modern, comfortable and decent, and priced fairly. Here's how to choose them, whether you shop with us or anywhere else.
1. Start with your table, not the chair
Most dining tables stand about 29–30 inches high. For that height, a dining chair with a seat around 18–19 inches high is the usual fit, leaving roughly 10–12 inches between the seat and the underside of the table.
- The apron: the wood rail under the tabletop. Measure from the floor to the bottom of it. Arm chairs especially need to clear it if you want them to slide in.
- Width: give each chair about 22–24 inches along the table so nobody bumps elbows, a little more for wide arm chairs, and leave about 3 feet behind the chairs so people can walk past.
Kitchen island or counter? A counter about 36 inches high needs a counter stool, not a dining chair.
2. Count for Yom Tov, not for Tuesday night
A weeknight supper might be six people. Pesach, with the married children, their spouses and the grandchildren, can be twice that or more. Many families buy a full set of six or eight, and many buy more so the whole family fits at one table. And if the chairs you have now are the ones from your wedding, wobbly and worn after years of good use, this is the moment to replace the whole set at once.
A practical approach: one matching set for the table, plus a few extra side chairs in the same style that can live in another room and come out for guests. Ordering them together keeps the color and finish identical. And if you want the new chairs in place for Pesach or the Yamim Tovim, start looking early. That's when everyone else is shopping too.
3. Arm chairs or side chairs?
Side chairs (no arms) are lighter, take less space and slide fully under the table. Arm chairs feel like a seat you settle into for a long meal. Many families put two arm chairs at the heads of the table and side chairs along the sides. It looks finished and gives the host a comfortable place to sit.
4. Choose a material for how you really live
- Velvet: soft, rich color and a dressed-up look. Beautiful for a formal dining room.
- Bouclé: the cozy, nubby weave. Warm and modern, and it hides small marks well.
- Leather and leather-look: the easiest to wipe clean. A strong choice when the grandchildren are at the table.
If the dining room is used every day, a wipe-clean seat makes life easier. If it's mostly for Shabbos and company, velvet or bouclé brings more warmth.
5. Sit before you decide, and check how it's built
Photos show color and shape, not comfort. Seat depth, the angle of the back and the firmness of the cushion are things you feel in a few seconds of sitting. Look at how the chair is made, too: a solid frame, tight joints, legs that feel steady when you shift your weight. A chair that feels shaky in the showroom won't get better at home. And if you'd like to show your husband or the family before deciding, just ask and we'll send photos of the exact chairs you liked.
6. Make the room feel new
Chairs don't have to match the table exactly, but they should agree with it. Repeat one element: the wood tone of the legs, a metal finish, or a color already in the room. Often new chairs alone are enough to make the whole dining room feel new, without replacing the table.
Majestic chairs for Yom Tov, without emptying your pockets
Many families like to have new chairs in place before Pesach or the Yamim Tovim, when the table is fullest, so it's worth starting early. Some customers come in alone, some as a couple, some sons bring their mother. However you shop, we'll help you choose, and the price will be fair.
Come sit in the chairs and feel the velvets, leathers and bouclé. Visit our showroom at 95 Stockton St #1, Brooklyn (Sun–Thu, 8–10 PM; walk-ins welcome, but call or text first in case the hours change), browse the collection at primeseatingny.com/shop, or text a photo of your table to 929-556-6778 and we'll help you choose.