what's a hyacinth chair?

I'm assuming hyacinth is water hyacinth, like a woven rush chair. ???

In our dining room we have three different styles of chairs but they are unified in that they all have the same basic shape (Louis XVI): two of them are wrought iron, four of them are wood, and two of them are the Kartell Ghost chairs (clear acrylic). The iron and wood chairs are upholstered exactly the same way, so the shape and fabrics unify them. The Ghost chairs usually sit on either side of our mizuya (Japanese buffet) and are only pulled to the table when needed.

So that's me.

I've seen examples of hodge-podge chairs pulled up to a table and it's charming, but that's part of that funky farmhouse / eclectic vibe, and I don't know if you have that going on in your house. ???

Why can't you get a set of four and then a set of two which speak to you, your style? Or, if you find a shape you like you could just keep your eyes peeled for that similar shape and get those.

I don't know if I'm being at all helpful, but I think once you find a set of four which you like it'll be that much easier to find the next two, because you'll already know what the majority of your chair weight is.

Congratulations on your new table, and please post pics once you've painted it!

The key to it will be keeping a common theme in the shapes and sizes. Like, don't try to mix a Louis XV with Parsons Chair -- that's an extreme example, but you see what I mean. They should be similar heights & widths, similar lines, similar shapes. Not exactly the same, though. And if you need to unite the look further, paint them all the same color.

Hth!

Thank you for the pointers and tips. And, yes, a hyacinth chair is a seagrass looking chair. Z-Gallerie has some I love, but can't afford right now :-(.

Pier 1 often has them, as does World Market. I just can't drop $600.00 right now, so I'm craigslisting and praying ;-).

Here is a link that might be useful: Hyacinth chair

finz -- if the chair you pictured is your dream hyacinth chair then you should look for Parsons chairs -- it's the same shape. Because you like the beachy feel you could get them slipcovered in a fabric / print you like, and they'd go well with your pictured hyacinth chair.

I'm glad you shared a picture of the chair you like.

I had the pine chairs first and acquired the oak table later--even though the wood doesn't match, I actually ended up liking how they look together.

You might get lucky and find a set of chairs like you are looking for on CL. I have seen them listed a time or two. I also like the idea of slip covered parsons chairs as suggested for the look you are after.

I've always liked the use of mismatched dining chairs and have collected lots of pics of rooms where they've done this, BUT, and this is a huge BUT, it depends on the rest of the decor whether it will work if the chairs are quite diverse. It only works IMO in a casual, cottage, eclectic, even funky room or if the chairs are reasonably similar in style. Trying to use mismatched chairs in a more formal traditional dining room will just look like you didn't have enough chairs and borrowed more. The only time it works, again IMO, in a traditional formal room is when the chairs at the ends of the table are (usually) upholstered and the other chairs are not, but of a similar style.

Painting mismatched chairs all the same color is another possibility to create unity. If you find chairs with simple clean lines I think it can work.

In my casual dining area, especially when there are more than 6 people, I use some black painted chairs. The 6 chairs are oak and part of my DR set and the black chairs are painted the same as a sideboard in the adjoining kitchen so it's almost as if there are 2 'sets'. Works for me in my casual home.

Check out the link below to see most of the rooms are casual, cottage, and/or eclectic altho there are a few modern and European rooms as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: mismatched dining room chairs

For me the back heights would all have to be very close. They would all have to be refinished so all the wood would be the same, and they would be upholstered with the same fabric. I could live with two head of the table chairs being the same and larger than the four others.. I think it is a tricky thing to pull off well. It isn't necessarily easy or inexpensive.

I think 6 of the hyacinth chairs might be too overwhelming for that size table. Would they even fit? Is there a leaf extension and does the leaf keep the round size or does it make it an oval size?You often see 2 parson-like chairs at the head of a table, but I think chairs should match at a round table.JMHO.

When my daughter was looking to furnish her first home on a shoestring, she decided on "farmhouse windsor" and collected 6 one at a time. They come with 4, 5 and 6 back spokes. She decided on those with 5. Some were painted and she stripped them.
I know someone else who collected oak pressed back chairs with caned seats....but that doesn't seem to be your style.

Here is a link that might be useful: farmhouse windsor chairs

Thank you all for the ideas and pictures! They are incredibly helpful.

The table does have two leaves when all 6 chairs are need :-).

The style in the rest of the house is fairly casual and evolving. We are finally getting rid of everything IKEA ;-). I like beachy-coastal, casual looks, though I lack the talent to bring it all together. I like Pottery Barn style, but more personalized. The Lettered Cottage blog draws me in everytime!

We are only in this home until Spring (if it sells), then we are looking at some bungalows and cottage style home in the larger city near us (Birmingham, AL). The space in those homes will be tighter than what we have now, but they will have character :-).

Thanks again!

Don't forget to check unfinished furniture stores too.

One aspect to keep in mind with mismatching chairs, which I don't think anyone mentioned yet, is seat height. I had a client who was trying to make the mismatched-chairs thing work in her dining room, but the chairs had different seat heights so it was a mess. It is really weird to sit at a table with other adults when some are sitting 3" lower/higher than others!