When looking through different styles and shapes of tables, chairs, and other dining room must-haves, consider how big your space is, as well as how many people you want to seat at the table. Some of the best places to find dining room furniture, such as Crate and Barrel, Wayfair, and Cost Plus World Market, offer a variety of styles and price points so you can compare options for every aesthetic and preference. Here are the best places to buy dining room furniture. Crate and Barrel dining sets are expensive but well made, and they last for years. There are over 112 stores in the United States, making design consultations easy. Most larger furniture pieces must be ordered and aren’t in stock, although the website does show which stores nearby might have smaller pieces ready to pick up. Another perk of choosing Crate and Barrel dining room furniture is that the company focuses on sustainability; many furniture pieces are certified sustainably sourced by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Many of Article’s pieces have a tapered leg, which is very trendy. There isn’t much that could be considered traditional, although if you want to mix and match styles, all of the available dining room pieces are high-quality and made of solid wood to stand the test of time. You can also draw inspiration from Article’s feed of real-life photos from customers and how they have styled their own dining rooms. Because CB2 is online-based, you likely won’t be able to see samples of furniture colors and finishes in person. But the company does offer complimentary design services, so you can talk with an expert about your style, needs, and how you want your dining room to look and feel. The return policy makes sure any quality issues are corrected quickly or issued a refund. Like most retailers, CB2 doesn’t accept returns for custom furniture orders. You can search by style, seating size, and category. Once you’ve found a piece you like, you can see whether it is in stock near you or whether you’ll need to order it. Target keeps a number of smaller furniture pieces, such as chairs and folding tables, in stock, but you’ll likely need to order larger sets and dining tables. You can have them delivered right to your home or to your nearest Target for pickup. There are a range of price points, but you should expect to pay a lot for the best quality furniture. There are a few collections that can be customized with different table sizes or seating configurations. You can also put your own set together by selecting a table and pairing it with any chairs you like. As you search, pay attention to which items are only available online and which you can pick up or see in person before purchasing at the store. These pieces are expensive and meant to be handed down as heirlooms. One way to get the style for less is to invest in chairs for the head and foot of your table. Not only does this create a showstopper in your dining room, it also fits right in with the classic look of traditional design. While Frontgate’s pieces do run high in price, the store’s clearance section is a great place to find a fantastic deal, although you’ll still likely pay more than you would at a big box store. The store’s online feed of pieces in actual customers’ homes looks more like a catalog than lived-in spaces. This dining room furniture makes for gorgeous inspiration and style, but it may not be the top option for people with families or busy homes. Sideboards or cabinets are great ways to add some minimalist modern style to spaces that tend to be more traditional. Like Pottery Barn, many of West Elm’s furniture items are made-to-order, which can take a month or two. Upon delivery of larger pieces, they also offer white-glove service at no extra charge. They will carry-in, unbox, assemble, and remove all the packing materials—a hassle-free service. Because this retailer carries furniture from so many different brands and designers, the quality can be hit-or-miss. One of the best things you can do is read through reviews from other customers who bought the pieces you’re considering. Many include photos of the furniture in real homes and provide honest feedback about the quality and functionality. Pottery Barn’s dining tables tend to be very bulky and hard to move, although this is also a testament to their high-quality construction, design, and materials. The tables in particular have extra-sturdy bases that feature architectural details, such as turned legs, pedestal bases, or specially-designed hardware. One of our favorite things about Pottery Barn is the attention to every detail that makes its furniture worth its high price. The sideboards from AllModern should get special attention. Not only are they some of the more affordable options, given their high quality and style, but they also have plenty of interest and texture. Prices do cover a wide range on AllModern, and the retailer does run a lot of sales through the year. If you need your dining furniture ASAP, you can browse the ready-to-ship section, where you’ll find pieces that can arrive at your door within a week. Birch Lane is a bit pricey, especially for chairs. You can find some simpler options at a more affordable price point, and sales do happen occasionally. All of the company’s pieces are well-made, so if you want dining room furniture that’s high-quality, and aren’t as picky about the exact style, look through the wide selection of chair pairs and dining sets. If you need inspiration, however, we recommend trying Castlery’s Virtual Studio. You can walk through a virtual showroom to see how different pieces look next to each other and get a good idea of size and shape, without leaving home. You can also Shop the Look in photos onsite by clicking on pieces that interest you, or take a look at real-life customer photos to see how other people have styled furniture in their own homes. Because each piece is made to order, the time it takes to have your furniture delivered can be quite long. Tables, chairs, and other dining room essentials are also expensive, and some variation, even among furniture in the same line and model, is normal. Natural variation in the wood grain, dye lots of the fabric, and hides mean that no two pieces are exactly the same. Some people love this aspect, while others may prefer furniture that matches in each and every way. Furniture from Interior Define is on the expensive side, but it’s made-to-order exactly to your specifications. Many of the available wood materials are also certified sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council. If something is wrong with your order, or if the furniture isn’t a good fit, the retailer’s 60-day return policy allows you to get a partial refund after the 50 percent return fee, even on custom orders. Returns of stock items only have 30 days, but these carry a much lower return fee of 15 percent.
Shape
Modern shapes tend to be more organic, like those from the artisans at Maiden Home. Some retailers, such as Castlery, have a lot of pieces with similar shapes and focus on different materials and finishes. Dining room furniture can take on classic and clean shapes or more creative and abstract design cues, depending on your desired style.
Construction and Supports
Well-made furniture will last for years and can even be passed down through the generations, if it’s constructed for strength and with solid supports. Attention to detail, like what Pottery Barn focuses on when designing furniture, means that everything from the materials used to the hardware is intentional and part of both the style and quality. Maiden Home is another retailer known for its high-quality construction using traditional techniques.
Style
One of the biggest things to consider when selecting dining room furniture is the overall style and look of your room. The best dining room furniture can be styled in different ways. Pieces with clean lines, like those from West Elm, can work with a variety of styles. Wayfair has a lot of options for easy comparison of styles in one place.
Material
High-end materials tend to be more expensive than their more basic counterparts. Solid wood, exotic woods, and natural stone are typically the most expensive, but they last the longest and look great. Fabrics such as velvet, tweed, and thick wool cost more but will hold up to years of sitting. If you’re searching for high-quality materials, Maiden Home is known for using them in all of its furniture.
Why Trust The Spruce?
This article was researched and written by Katie Melynn, a freelance writer who specializes in home and family products. Katie has been writing for The Spruce since 2019. To find the best places to buy dining room furniture, Katie considered a variety of styles and price points. She also looked for retailers that included information about the materials used in their furniture, easy-to-use search functions, and customization.
