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Good Questions: What Goes With This Table Best?

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Hello AT,

I have a conundrum I'm hoping the AT community can help with. I recently ordered the kissi kissi table by miki astori in white for my super small dining room. Now I need chairs. My mom says go with the Panton S chair but I'm not so sure. There are so many cool dining chairs, I can't decide. I could use some other opinions. What chair do you see with this table?

Thanks, Crystal

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Dear Crystal,

Your mom is partially right, the Panton chair would be a very nice fit, but you may want to do something different that is more "you." What you want to keep in mind is that you'll want something as organic and modern as the Panton if you want to match the table. Otherwise you should aim to be completely eclectic and find something beautiful that is obviously not a match but still has some of the same organic qualities and curving shapes.

Anyone have specific recommendations?

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Comments (27)

What about Saarinen Tulip chairs?

posted by LJ on 2006-07-06 12:49:55

Damn beat me to it. This screams Saarinen. But I liked his tables more than the chairs.

posted by dc on 2006-07-06 12:51:13

i'm seeing something more traditional but with a round or roundish (oval ok!) seat or round seat-back, that you upholster in a matching blue. so you have a more traditional chair that's linked to the table. love that blue!

posted by robin on 2006-07-06 13:23:01

I think the small size of this table begs for a small chair like the $100 bellini from moma--or if $ is no object a cherner chair

posted by loli on 2006-07-06 13:29:41

So many different chairs would look fab with this table...

You could go eclectic and pair wooden schoolhouse chairs painted in different colours.

You could pair Bertoia side chairs for some sparkle. Add the seat pads in carrot for a pop of colour.

What kind of overall scheme are you going for?
That info would definately help in making suggestions.

posted by S on 2006-07-06 14:03:57

I think this chair is a little to large for the table. Opt for something that doesn't take up as much visual space on the bottom, something with slim legs.

Holly

posted by decor8 holly on 2006-07-06 14:18:49

There's a chair on the cover of the current issue of Domino (you can see it better inside in the feature on redoing your bed)that kind of hits what Robin's talking about. It's a somewhat traditional looking chair with a loopy open back that I think could be an interesting pairing with your table. Unfortunately, the magazine doesn't id the chair unless I missed it.

posted by Ruth on 2006-07-06 14:25:12

I still stand by my Tulip recommendation, but another thought is Phillipe Stark's Victoria Ghost chair (see the link in my name -- highbrow furniture seems to have the best price). I think the Louis Ghost might overwhelm the table with its (albeit see-through) arms.

posted by LJ on 2006-07-06 14:50:08

I think this would look lovely with some more ornate antique chairs, too. Nothing too heavy.

posted by Sophia on 2006-07-06 14:58:29

depending on your style, you could go for something that picks up the curves of the table but that is NOT modern -- like an unfinished louis xvi (upholstered in white, maybe even in white patent, or caned) or an armless thonet chair in a white high gloss finish

posted by abby on 2006-07-06 15:02:14

Forgot the link, didn't I -- sorry.

posted by LJ on 2006-07-06 15:02:47

I second (or is it third?) the tulip or ghost chairs, depending on your style. The ghost chairs are a little more eclectic yet still nice and clean due to the material they're made of. Personally, although they would look nice with the table, I'd pass on the tulip chairs in favor of something that looks less like a matched set and more like it was thoughtfully assembled to reflect your personal style. But that's just me. Matchy-matchy may indeed BE your personal style.

posted by kris on 2006-07-06 15:30:15

Diamond chair or Stark EROS chair would both be nice, even together!

posted by Rasmus on 2006-07-06 16:01:17

a cafe chair of some kind. preferably the cane seated ones with the two curved rattan arabesques. i think they're originally thonet? those very straight-lined metal folding chairs (a la Bryant Park) could be an interesting juxtaposition as well. what about those Umbra chairs the container store sells?

i'm divided as to whether i think a wooden chair would provide an interesting contrast, or whether everyone else in the thread is right about going with something equally contemporary and plastic. but i definitely think a cafe chair shape and proportion would be perfect.

posted by the opoponax on 2006-07-06 17:48:02

see today's chicago at for chair couture -- one of those chairs would be fun -- in white maybe with a fun fabric with a print that picks up on a color in your kitchen (but not something that matches) or in a crayon bright, depending on your decor

posted by abby on 2006-07-06 18:12:57

Hmm, it's hard to give a final answer without knowing how the rest of your apartment looks but I agree the Panton chair is too "matchy", as is the Saarinen chair.

A lucite or acrylic chair (the Victoria Ghost is spot-on, or also the La Marie would definitely fit) would provide more of a Hollywood Regency look; if you're willing to spend a bit the black& white Missoni Mademoiselle chair would be charming in a girly, Domino kind of way.

An Ant or Series 7 chair would pick up the curves and could be done in either white or a fun contrasting color; the Cherner Chair would also be very pretty in white or a wood depending on the surroundings. Or you could pick up the white with a fun pop look with Jonathan Adler's Love chair. With this many choices, you clearly picked the right table! ;-)

posted by eeeck on 2006-07-06 18:24:14

If money were no object, I'd vote for Ross Lovegrove's Go Chair (about $900). But if you were to stick with the Panton chair, good quality repro's can be found for about $120. I also like the the idea of updated, modern cafe chairs.

posted by Enrique on 2006-07-06 19:26:38

I'd seriously consider the previous suggestion of the Bertoia side chair from Knoll. You can usually pick these up pretty inexpensively on ebay and they are easily cleaned up or re-enameled, although the chrome version would be the most elegant/classic. The relative "transparency" of this chair assures that it will not fill the room as much as the Panton would...IMO.

posted by John on 2006-07-06 19:50:35

The Bellini chair from Heller is beautiful, affordable, stable, and very petite. You could happily fit 4 around the table, or two and stack two in the corner. And they come in pretty colors, and at 100 bucks a pop they're hard to beat. Although it's meant for outdoors, I keep them around a rather large dining table (ten feet long!) and they look like a million bucks. Everyone who visits and sits in them thinks they're comfy and splendid. The Maui, from Kartell, is also really tasty and elegant, but a bit pricier. I myself prefer it to the Louis Ghost or too-ornate EROS chair. The shape and size of this particular table seems to call for something more slim and angular in my view, frankly.

posted by lissonifan on 2006-07-06 22:13:49

I hate to weigh in twice, sorry, but I also must add that I've seen the low-priced Panton Chairs (as opposed to the super ritzy Polyester ones), and they do look cheap! Whereas the bellini's, the maui's, and the starck kartell chairs do not look cheap at all. I'd steer clear of the Pantons. If you live near a DWR showroom you can check out most of the chairs people have suggested here; if you can find your way to a Kartell showroom, even better!

posted by lissonifan on 2006-07-06 22:27:36

I like, as always, chosing a companion chair by playing "compare and contrast."

Select a chair that either intentionally mimics the table (in which case, another vote for the Panton) or intentionally departs from the table in either form, color, or material (or any combo of the above). And then you sort of pick the "level of departure" you're comfortable with.

Example:
No Departure: Panton in white (same material, same color, same form)
Minor departure: Panton in a color
Little more: (as mentioned) Starck e/r/o/s in clear (similar form, simialr material)
Little more: Starck e/r/o/s in a color
Lot more: Emeco Kong (color and material, but form references cuves of table)
Lot more: Emeco icon chair (different in form, color and material)

I could also see the Eiffel Tower based-Eames chairs working nicely here.

The chairs can (and probably should) be a bridge to the rest of your home. So if your home is all white, another nod for the Pantons. If your home has metals elsewhere and is more linear or geometric, go the Icon route.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2006-07-07 14:45:16

Another route: Cherner Chairs in natural or colored wood. Form of the hourglass shape of the chair backs relate, color/material departs.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2006-07-07 15:04:51

Just picking up on Patrick's (the other one) comments, it really all depends on what is going on in the rest of your apartment and where you are going with your style.

Personally, I go for contrast, and so my top choices would be the Cherner chair in walnut (the wood contrasting with the white man-made surface, shapes echoing); the Series 7 in either walnut or silver (a special edition out right now); or the Herman Czech chair in white -- I particularly love the armchair.
http://www.conranshop.co.uk/productdetails.aspx?pid=258623&cid=ChairsStools&language=en-GB
The latter is my preferred option - a modern take on traditional Thonet, which is where the contrast comes in, and the white would make it a good fit with the table.

Another option, if you would like to create a real bistro feel, is the Toledo - ttp://www.unicahome.com/p12117/knoll/toledo-stacking-chair-by-jorge-pensi.html

As much as I love the Bertoia chair, I think it would beg the question as to why you didn't get a Saarinen Tulip table to go with it -- the two are just such a natural pairing.

My only other piece of advice would be that since you have a small dining area, try to make it as functional and comfortable as possible. Make sure that the chair you get is the right height and angle for dining at this table; I have matched chairs and tables before on looks alone, to my great regret. ( For example, I question whether the ghost chair is truly comfortable for sitting.)

posted by Monika on 2006-07-08 10:06:30

Your modern side table might be better paired with an old antique chair (one with clean lines). The contrast between the two can create some unexpected interest to a room. Modern furniture doesn't alway have to be paired with another modern piece from the same era or designer.

posted by Mike Morin on 2006-07-08 21:24:22

I am thinking about getting the kissi kissi table to go with some vintage herman miller chairs I have. It's the opposite problem, need the table to go with the chairs. I'd like to see the table in person before I buy it, but can only find it online. If I do get it I'll let ya'll know how they go together.

posted by Joanna Hartell on 2006-11-02 13:28:57

I think wishbone chair by Hans Wegner will look good with this table. It will blend both complementing & contrasting lines.

posted by Jonas G. on 2006-11-03 12:33:39

The SUPERNATURAL chair by Ross Lovegrove(with perforated back) is a perfect match if ya wanna get your freak on(175.00)..Eros is choice 2..and bellini is cheap yet sharp...but the SUPERNATURAL is the most current and freshest I've seen and at a great price:)

posted by Greg C on 2007-02-25 22:43:48