In the Mix

When you walk into a showroom and see all the tables and chairs, they usually appear to be in sets and, because of this, each manufacture\vendor is going to want you to purchase the complete set from them. What if you find one element, say - the table and don't love the chairs, or you find the chairs and don't love the table. Mix it up. Look for another table or different chairs. If you are able to do this within the boundaries of the same manufacturer then you will not have issues with color or pattern matching your selections.

If you decide to move completely from one manufacture to another, you will have to consider frame color, height and style. Selecting furniture this way can be daunting but it is not impossible. Here is one important thing to keep in mind - Make sure to correctly calculate the arm height on your table. You will need to measure from the floor to the underside of the table to make sure that the arms can go under the table. Leave room for a finger width gap and be aware of any supporting structures under the table top that my prevent your chairs from being placed flush or evenly against the table sides. Also make sure to give yourself enough room laterally for you and your guests to be seated at the table comfortably.

Having made this mistake early in my career for a client, it is not so easy to fix the mistake when chair height is too low for the table. Fortunately, I was able to correct for the chairs being far too low for the frame by going to a third vendor and pulling in a base that was the perfect height. The clients where gracious and patient but it was an additional six weeks (and this was a rush job) to get the base. A loaner table had to be provided for their use and several functions they had planned were slightly disappointing as they missed the opportunity to show off such a fabulous mosaic top table.

Here are some fine examples of mixing element with your table and chairs:

One table, four very different chairs.

This table is by Room and Board The Rand is a great choice for mixing and matching chairs and it comes in just about any size you can imagine. Yes! You can send them the size and they will make the table for you. You can also choose the thickness of the handcrafted stainless steel base and an all-weather top. The tops are available in glass, frosted glass, black granite and brown granite.













The chairs are all designed by Casprini of Italy. Here are the details:


The Caprice stacking chair with shell in shiny technopolymer or transparent.















The Tiffany stacking chair for in and outdoor use in shiny technopolymer or transparent polycarbonate moulded with gas technology of the second generation.

Scratch resistant, self-extinguish classification V2, antistatic, UV resistant tubular frame in chromed or painted steel.











The YuYu chair is constructed entirely in sheet-steel, with a thermosetting powder coating.

One Table and four chairs giving a very different look. Don't be afraid to try mixing things up a little... Just take a tape measure and make sure you have the correct height. If you choose a chair that swivels and or rocks, be very sure the height is correct when you are sitting back in the chair.