Farmhouse style dining table -- benches instead of chairs?

3Girls3xsTheFun

H & I are hiring a local woodworker to make a us a custom farmhouse style dining room table (see below).  Would it be weird to have the benches on both sides and just the arm chairs on the end? It's the cheaper option. This is for the "formal" dining room (we have an eat in kitchen) and will only be used for large gatherings/ holiday meals. I feel like benches aren't as convienent for guests, and probably not as comfortable as regular dining chairs, but the table is going to be 12 ft long -- that's a lot of chairs to buy!

SJU1982

My friend has a long table, and she uses a bench on one side and chairs along the other side.  And keep in mind that you don't need the carpenter to make the chairs for you. You can find some affordable options at Ikea that are hip even though they are cheap.  

rander01

Like the PP, I've seen quite a few farmhouse tables that have a bench on one side and chairs on the other. I've also seen farmhouse tables that use mismatching chairs (same color usually). In addition to Ikea you could also hit up some yard sales, consignment furniture stores and/or Craigslist.

Sue-n-Kevin

I agree with the above comment, a bench on one side and chairs on the other, and ends, would work better, especially if this is in the dining room, not the kitchen. Think of older guests who have trouble getting around. Chairs work best for them, not a bench.

You can find great deals on chairs at garage sales and second hand stores like Salvation Army or Good will. If they are similar styles, but don't match you can always paint them all the same color, ie white or black.

That table has a country/rustic look, and chairs would work. Once they are all the same color, you can get matching seat cushions to tie on and that would create a unified look.

Jolililas

Not sure how "formal" you want your dining room to look, but the table and bench look very "outdoor park picnic bench." If you plan on using your dining room for special, large gathering occasions, you may want to skip the bench idea completely and invest in some chairs. I went the whole saving money route with the bench, which ended up being too uncomfortable. Then I went the Craigslist route and bought some chairs that I wasn't in love with but were a good upgrade from the bench. I hated that look for 2 years. I finally bit the bullet and bought my 8 "dream" chairs on sale from World Market for $100 each. I should have just bit the bullet and bought them in the first place. That being said, Ikea or even Target online has some great chair options for around $50.

kac

We have a farm table and a bench on one side and Windsor chairs on the other.  My in laws hate sitting on the bench.  I'm pregnant and sitting on the bench with a pregnant belly stinks too.  It works great for all the kids at family dinners, though.  I love my table and bench but I am really glad that I only bought a bench for 1 side. We have 4 chairs along the side and 1 arm chair at each end.