The 10 Best Dining Chairs of 2026
My criteria for the perfect dining chair is simple. They should be comfortable, utterly stylish, and impeccably designed. Other than that, anything goes.
Well, almost.
There are gorgeous dining chairs in every style, but to win my Oscar for Best Chair, they need to be bold without being overly ornate. Let’s call it strong simplicity.
When it comes to upholstery, velvet, mohair, and leather win the day every time. These materials are classics that stand the test of time and hold up despite hard, everyday use.
Best Modern Comfort
The Beetle Chair looks the part and sits like a dream, which is exactly why you’ll spot it in half the high-end restaurants you love. The counter stool is also a scene-stealer and far comfier than most on the market.
I like this chair best in green velvet with gold legs, but the look can lean more contemporary in canvas with black metal.
Best Cult Classic
Everyone knows the Ghost Chair, and for good reason. Its iconic, tongue-in-cheek take on an antique silhouette gives it a wit that makes it the ultimate transitional piece.
Best Vintage Find
Vintage is so very now, and these 1940s French chairs are making chunky legs cool again. I love the simple, slightly overscale details.
We are using them in a contemporary Craftsman style home right now, but they could also star just as easily in a much more rustic space.
Most Style for Your Money
These beauties from CB2 are the Greta Garbo of dining chairs: sophisticated and sinuous. I mean, the fabric is literally called “Mink.” Enough said.
Best Outdoor
The Sketch Chair from Janus et Cie is a sexy little number. Yes, it’s hardworking (they are stackable and super durable), but it’s also curvaceous and genuinely comfortable.
Most Charming
Picture Bridgitte Bardot sipping Sancerre at the base of the Eiffel Tower. That’s precisely the vibe Anthropologie’s Coastal Rattan Bistro Chair serves up. And I’m here for it.
Most Versatile
The Paolo Dining Chair from Chaddock, designed by my fab friend Benjamin Johnston, is like the very best actor in a film. There’s more talent in one leg than most chairs have in all four, and it can swing between contemporary and classic with a simple change of costume.
Best Mid-Century Modern Vibe
Inspired by the legendary Dorothy Draper, Julian Chichester’s Dorothy chair looks like it walked straight off the set of Mad Men. Funny that Jon Hamm’s character was named Don Draper, isn’t it?
Best Classic
Like a classic film, Gregorius Pineo’s lattice-back dining chair has an enduring, pass-it-down-to-your-kids vibe. In leather, it’s a co-star, but put on a punchy floral and it has serious star power.
Pop the bubbly…the winner is:
Best Overall
I’ll admit it, I’m biased. Bright Chair Company’s Elana Side Chair plays a featured role in my own dining room. They are so comfortable that guests never want to leave, and the peacock mohair is to die for.
The polls are open. Which chair earns a seat at your table?
