Be it food or furniture, juicy mouthwatering colours add sustenance and style to everyday dining. I like my colours served up on the dining chairs that circle a table — sometimes in a rainbow of shades all mixed together, sometimes as a single pop of a bright hue. It’s a great way to break up a matching set or bring an edgier feel to a traditional room.
U.K. design legend Terence Conran believed that, “The setting for a meal should be as joyous as the sharing of it.” Seating in a cheerful palette of primary red, yellow and blue instantly lifts the mood of this mainly white room without overwhelming it. The classic scheme also gives the mix-and-match assortment a cohesive look.
Decorating with a trio of colours is a tried-and-true recipe for chic results. In this sophisticated white and pale grey space, chairs painted a sunny shade of goldenrod can be painted a new accent colour with little fuss.
L.A. designer Kelly Wearstler is known for her irreverent mix of colours and styles. At the Eos restaurant in the Viceroy hotel in Miami, she used bold orange chairs, marble floors and burnished brass accents to impart a sexy downtown vibe.
Former Elle Decor editor-turned-designer Ilse Crawford punches up her own dining room’s dark velvety walls, old world herringbone hardwood and trad-ish white table with mid-century modern chairs in pretty pastels and preppy kelly green.
Hot pink is unapologetically pretty — and a perfect foil for a minimalist modern loft.
Suppliers, designers and retailers are encouraging the look by issuing classic chairs in hot new hues. Last year, to mark the 60th anniversary of Danish designer Hans Wegner’s coveted Wishbone chair, the company that makes them, Carl Hansen & Son, released the design in 12 new colours. Toronto architecture firm AKB, chose the fiery red to give a modern chalet in Collingwood, Ontario a little sizzle. Mission accomplished.
For more inspiration, see our Inviting Dining Rooms photo gallery.
1. Decora Tu Alma blog
2. The Detailed Designer blog
3. Viceroy Hotels & Resorts
4. Ilse Crawford’s home, photography by Magnus Marding
5. Ant chairs by Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
6. Maison Glissade home in Collingwood, AKB