How to make good chair choices

Planning and measuring up are essential when buying dining chairs, writes Carol O’Callaghan, who is currently on a mission to find the right ones for her new table.

Cork-born Aiveen Daly makes exquisitely upholstered furniture in her London studio, including the Chevron dining chairs which are made to order. Here they are finished in lilac satin, but are also available in metallic vinyl which looks and feels like satin but is cleanable and practical (price on application from

It has to be said, shopping for a table with matching chairs is easier than buying your table first and then looking for chairs to work with it, as I’ve just discovered.

My new and much-loved table is a mix of practicality and simple finishes, a purchase prompted by the need to seat more than just six, (which my old table could accommodate), and the longing for something white to lighten up a room that was just a bit too woody.