A silk kidney pillow graces all of my Chippendale dining room chairs. You can be creative and use different, but complementary, fabrics and trims, as I did here.
Dining room chairs are inherently delicate due to their pierced backs and delicate splats (the exposed portion of the wood design behind your back). Traditional chairs such as Chippendale, Hepplewhite and ribbon-back are not meant to support your back. In fact, formally, your back should never touch the back of the chair! Remember that sitting up straight always looks more handsome and engaging than a slouching back.
Mummy said that both men and women should sit down gently and gracefully. Leaning on the chair is not only just not done, it is quite embarrassing for both the guest and the host if the chair back breaks (which I have witnessed). So, unlike a fireside chair or a fully upholstered chair, purposely designed for comfort, a classically designed dining room chair remains an elegant adornment for elegant dining.
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Forbidden Faux Pas
No-no: Touching your hair while seated at the dining room table. I have noticed younger generations feel quite comfortable flicking their long hair back or stroking a ponytail.
No-no: Applying any type of makeup at the dining room table.
The exception to this rule exists in some parts of the South, which I am accustomed to, at an informal dinner where a lady can apply lipstick, very discreetly.
This is an example of a ribbon-back chair with a needlepoint seat. I designed a kidney pillow with documented historic Brunschwig & Fils fabric and trim for a touch of pink in my living room at Fox Hall!
Millennial Tip
Adding a down-filled, kidney-shaped pillow (see above) to the back of a dining room chair adds comfort for your guests’ back, and also looks quite lovely.
Upholstering your dining room chairs in traditional leather (depending on the texture and how it is tanned) can look quite handsome and is also practical, as it is durable and easy to wipe off any of the “hopping tidbits” from a child’s fork!