Retro Style Furniture for Dining

Chrome Bar Stools, Retro Dining Tables and Modern Homes

Nov 13, 2009

Retro dining furniture from the 1950s retains a great deal of appeal for modern homes. Utilizing retro kitchen furniture can add color, whimsy and fun to kitchen designs.

Chrome bar stools, or a retro chrome dining table can add a lot of modern appeal, while working in multiple settings. Use these classic looks to update a design, while providing retrospective appeal.

Mid-century furniture design continues to influence modern designs in furniture into the 21st century. Sleek lines and introduction of new materials such as chrome, PVC, and plastics helped to create and usher in a new era in furniture design.

Styles of Retro Dining Furniture

While mid-century furniture design encompassed a wide range of designers and styles, one of the most popular and long reining designs remains the chrome and vinyl dining furniture. Heavy tops of Formica, some encased in a thick layer of glossy plastic, paired with chrome legs, and vinyl seats on chairs and bar stools characterize the furniture.

Colors range from cool grays and blacks, to a wide variety of bright blues, yellows, pinks and reds. The seating ranges from swivel bar stools, to high backed chairs, all with soft, vinyl covered seats.

High, round bar tables are complimented by rounded shapes in bar stools, with or without backs. Slightly rounded squares and rectangles are available in dining table shapes, which are mimicked in the slightly squared off backs of the matching seats.

One of the biggest draws of retro style furniture is the vast array of colors and styles available, most of which are able to coordinate well with one another. This can help to create either an eclectic look of an array of varying colors and styles, or a sleek, contemporary, monochromatic look.

Colors can be pulled from the top of the table itself; may styles of tables will have thin ribbons of color making up their design. Others will have black and white, granite appearances. These can make a stepping off point for matching stools and seats.

Try picking two colors, and arranging the seats opposite one another, or choosing four distinct colors, each with slightly different styles. Choosing two bar stools with backs, and two without can add interest, without overwhelming the space.

Retro style furniture can be integrated into nearly any home décor. Choose tables and seats with a great deal of chrome and black seats in modern homes, or accent with pops of red to show off the style. Homes with a great deal of color and pattern can benefit from having a dining table in one dominate color, pulled from nearby pallets. Try using a retro dining table, with four cobalt chairs in a kitchen with cobalt pendant lights, a glass backsplash and large format tiles on the floor.

A loft style home can use a smaller, bar style table near a bank of windows, with backless bar stools, which can be tucked under the table when not in use to help save space. Large rectangular tables, with two tone chairs of contrasting colors makes a family gathering place that fits in with multiple style kitchens, while remaining easy to clean and care for.

True collectors can purchase pieces separately, as they are discovered in antique stores, mixing and matching for an eclectic and varied look. Most stools and seats can be purchased in singles, or pairs, making it easy for anyone to customize the look of their dining furniture to fit their style and their budget.

Bring color into the home, by adding some retro style dining furniture and embrace nostalgia with modern sensibilities today.

The copyright of the article Retro Style Furniture for Dining in Home Furnishing is owned by Sarabeth Asaff. Permission to republish Retro Style Furniture for Dining in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.