These $62 Small-Space Chairs Helped Me Create a Dining Nook Out of Thin Air
One thing about living alone in a small space is that it’s common to go back and forth on whether you truly need a dining table or not. There’s really no right or wrong answer here! I’ve eaten many meals at the coffee table (don’t judge me!), but also enjoy sitting down at a proper table every now and then — especially when I’m having friends over.
If you’re on “Team Dining Table,” there are many excellent dining table and extra chair options that will fit seamlessly into a small apartment — and by no means do you have to give up half of your living room in the process. I added a tiny dining nook to a corner in my living room last summer and have been super happy with my round marble table and dining bench.
Finding chairs to finish off the area proved more difficult. Because I don’t have guests over for meals that frequently, I didn’t want to spend too much on additional seating. I do care about the look, though, and knew I wanted chic but still comfortable chairs.
EDWELL Dining Chairs, Set of 2
Amazon
$122.98 (was $158.99)
Luckily, I finally discovered an affordable yet stylish chair solution while browsing Amazon a few months back. This pair of chairs with sleek metal bases and stylish bouclé upholstery popped up in my search, and I was immediately intrigued by the $123 price tag. Only $60ish per chair is a steal, if you ask me!
The chairs arrived in just a few days with Prime shipping and were easy to put together. The frames are sturdy and solid. And while the chairs lean contemporary in design, thanks to their minimalist legs and rounded seats and backs, they fit right in to my more traditional dining nook wonderfully.
I’ve seen similar styles retail for hundreds of dollars each, but I didn’t want to over-invest in pieces that aren’t going to get a ton of use. And I definitely went the trendy route here with the bouclé fabric upholstery. So I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t regret that decision, particularly if the fabric doesn’t hold up. I chose the creamy camel colorway because it goes with everything and would brighten up my already-moody room, but I know I’m potentially up against stains and spills showing.
What’s also nice about these chairs is they’re comfortable but have a relatively compact footprint, so they don’t take up too much space in my living room. I wanted my dining nook to blend in and not feel super-prominent in the layout (it’s in the corner of the room right by my front door), but I also would never want my guests to feel uncomfortable squeezing into too small, dollhouse-like chairs either. These are easy to tuck into my round marble table, and they’re not visually heavy in the space either because of the simple thin frames and neutral materials.
When I host larger groups of friends at my place, I’ll plan to move these chairs into the main area of my living room for extra seating. They’re lightweight and endlessly repositionable.
If you do have more space, keep in mind that these chairs are also available in sets of four and six, and they’re still super reasonable in price. If the camel color isn’t your jam, they also come in six other colors. I’d definitely recommend them and would buy more in a heartbeat if I had the space.
Further Reading
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
