Did you have a rude awakening as you were sitting down for your Christmas dinner and realized you didn’t have enough seats for anyone? For most of us, large dinners like Christmas and Thanksgiving don’t happen often enough to warrant buying a lot of extra chairs, which can end up being quite expensive. It makes more sense to use items you already have around the house. Just because you’re using different items for extra seats doesn’t’t mean it has to look thrown together though. We have suggestions for options that are both practical and stylish.
Arm chairs are one of the most basic ways to create extra seating at a table. My grandmother has a formal dining room table and matching curio cabinet and arm chairs. During the year, she keeps a pair of matching arm chairs on each side of the curio and they function as a place to throw your coat, purse or shopping bags before your ready to put them away. Pressed up against the wall, they don’t take up too much space and putting one on each side creates a nice balanced look. When she has company over, she pops the leaf in her dining table and can use the two arm chairs to ensure everyone has a seat. Once guests are gone, she puts them back on each side of the curio where they barely take up any space. Although not all dining sets have a side chair option, many do. Someone popular formal dining sets with arm chairs we have are the Wedgewood Arm Chair by Pulaski Furniture, the Del Corto Arm Chair by Pulaski Furniture, the Grandover Arm Chair by Hillsdale Furniture, the Keegan Arm Chair by Homelegance Furniture, the Bexley Arm Chair by Homelegance Furniture and the Keller Arm Chair by Homelegance Furniture.
Many dining sets come with a bench seat option along with the standard side chair option. Benches are good for more casual dining sets and there are many sets that actually have a matching bench. Benches can be pushed up against a wall or large bay window when not in use to create a homey vintage cottage style look. Some popular casual dining sets that have a matching bench are the G020 Bench-Beige Leatherette Cushion and Wenge Wood by Global Furniture, the Devlin Bench by Homelegance Furniture, the Clayton Bench by Homelegance Furniture, the Rivera Bench by Coaster Furniture, the Maddox Bench by Coaster Furniture and the 4361 Bench by Coaster Furniture.
Benches can have a lot of other functions besides just standard seating, which means that even if have a bunch that usually functions well somewhere else in the house, it can still be used to create extra seating at a dining table when needed. Benches have functions throughout the house and I think they are especially functional in foyers and halls. A popular look I’ve seen is to put a bench near the front door with a shoe basket underneath. This way, when guests enter the home, they will see that the host prefers you remove your shoes and there is a place for them to sit while they take them off. When you need to create extra seating, you can just move the bench into the dining room. I once even went to a dinner party where the host used a work out bench as a seat! Some popular benches on our site are 2930273 Natural Wood Bench by Butler Furniture, the Myrtle Double Bench by Zuo Modern, the Cassara Bed Bench by Pulaski Furniture, the 5049102 Old World Cherry Bench by Butler Furniture, the Sonoma Cubbie Bench by PrePac Furniture and the Charleton Lodge Bench by Cooper Classics Furniture.
These are just some suggestions for ways to create extra seating, but there are many more options out there, such as ottomans, boxes, desk or office chairs or anything that will be able to support a person. Get creative and ensure that every person you have over has somewhere comfy to fit!