16 of the best simple wooden dining chairs

It’s time for another ‘Best of’ post – this time 16 of the best simple wooden dining chairs. You’d think that would be simple enough, but I’ve discovered it’s surprisingly hard to find a beautifully designed wooden chair that is well made, sustainably produced AND won’t break the bank. There’s hundreds of wooden chairs out there, but only a handful that tick all the boxes.

Look online and it’s a minefield – there’s lots of use of phrases such as ‘natural materials’ and ‘high quality wood’, but very little information on where the wood has actually come from or how the design has been made. You have to do some digging to really know what you’re buying.

So what should you look for in a wooden dining chair?

– Price – wooden dining chairs don’t come cheap. And that’s because a lot of the best are hand crafted or hand finished, and that takes time and tremendous skill. Expect to pay more for a wooden chair than any other type of material, but know that solid wood is more likely to stand the test of time. It’s strong, durable and the tactile patina of the natural grain just gets better with age.

– Where is the chair made? – not all retailers specify where a design has been made and that immediately raises alarm bells. If they’re doing things right, they shouldn’t have anything to hide – it’s a simple enough thing to know where your chair has come from. Look for brands and companies that are transparent. Also in terms of sustainability, you don’t want your design being flown from the other side of the world. For me, based in London, I’m looking for furniture items that has been made in the UK or Europe.

– Solid wood or veneer? – There’s pros and cons for both. Parts of solid wood furniture can more easily replaced or recycled. Wood veneer uses thin slices of wood that are glued onto a cheaper, less visually pleasing core, for example fibreboard or MDF. Wood veneer uses less material than solid wood and produces no sawdust waste, but it can blister and peel at the edges over time. You might also want to consider the glues, adhesives and finishes being used to treat the furniture – some toxic chemicals or agents might not only be harmful for the environment, they may also release gasses or fumes into the home. Some companies will specify the glues or lacquers they use. Where possible look for water-based lacquers and glues with a low formaldehyde content.

– Where has the wood come from? – Take the time to ascertain where the material for your furniture has come from, to better understand the chair’s social and environmental impact. As you might be aware, some hardwoods may be illegally sourced and contributing to the destruction and deforestation of tropical rainforests. Most companies will have an environment report or statement on their About page. The best will have a readily accessible timber sourcing policy, such as this one from Ercol. If you want to do a bit more research, the WWF publishes a Timber Scorecard each year that measures UK retailers based on their timber buying – Ikea, B&Q, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer come out well, Made.com, The White Company and Wayfair less so. 

– Is the wood FSC certified? – The FSC label – a certification from the Forest Stewardship Council – has come under some criticism (a follower sent me a link to this documentary), but it is one of the only clear ways for the consumer to know if the timber has been responsibly sourced. It’s a standard that helps track the wood from FSC certified forests to the consumer, ostensibly making sure that its production is socially beneficial and environmentally conscious. There are three different labels – which can be a little confusing – but only FSC 100% ensures that all of the product has been certified and checked. The FSC Mix Label, for example, may only contain a small proportion of FSC certified timber. Sometimes you can see an FSC stamp on a piece of furniture or most companies with the certification will clearly list that the wood is FSC certified in their furniture description. If there’s no mention of it, nor where the wood has been sourced from, you can’t be sure it has been sustainably or responsibly sourced.

– Is the chair made to order? – you might roll your eyes when you see a 6-8 week delivery time and think I want it now, but it’s true when they say good things come to those who wait. Made to order items help reduce unwanted waste and often you might get more choice in terms of finishes.

– Could you get the same design secondhand? – if the chair is a design classic that has been around for a while – an Ercol chair for instance – you might be better off looking for vintage versions. It’s certainly the most sustainable option – why buy new when there’s already plenty of designs out there looking for new homes! Wooden chairs hold their value and there’s a huge secondhand market – you can find some really unique shapes and styles that don’t look mass-produced or poorly made. You’re also more likely to get a better deal for a group of chairs (say 6 or 8) than buying one individually. You can see my guide of the best places to buy second hand furniture online here.

So with that in mind, here’s my round-up of wooden dining chairs under £500. I’ve added a description for each chair and given a green star to those brands that are doing the best in terms of sustainability – something I’ll be continuing to do in my ‘Best of’ round-ups going forward. This is not a perfect list by any means, but hopefully it will help you make more informed choices.

There’s a real mix of styles and range of prices, but they’re all united by a simple, honest expression without the need for superfluous, complicated details.

1. J77 chair by Hay, £139, Insidestore – made of solid beech wood and available in multiple finishes. It was designed by Folke Palsson in the 1960’s with the intention of bringing good design to a wider audience. Although it is unclear where exactly the design is made or where the wood has come from, HAY’s website states that its wood is predominantly produced by FSC certified suppliers, and that the majority of their furniture production is located in Europe. However Hay is aiming for all of its wood supply to be 100% FSC certified by 2020, read more here.

2. Scandi dining chair in French Grey, £299, John Lewis (affiliate link) – a Scandinavian-inspired design with a lacquered beech wood frame and a woven paper cord seat. Made in Italy. Earlier this year, John Lewis was named by Ethical Consumer as one of the better companies for timber sourcing.

3. Hven armchair by Anton Björsing for Skagerak, £465, Tea and Kate – a solid comfortable chair. Made of 100% FSC certified wood from European forests. Skagerak is also a certified B Corp, a group of companies meeting the highest standards for social and environmental performance and transparency, find out more here.

4. Nordic Wood dining chairs set of 2, £350, Rose & Grey – made of oak with a natural varnished finish, a great deal for a pair. It should be noted that there are little details on the sourcing of the wood on the website.

5. Linea Akademia chair by Wesley Walters and Salla Luhtasela for Nikari, £436, Viaduct – a minimalist chair inspired by Shaker furniture and Japanese design. Made in Finland. Nikari have its own hydro power plant that provides renewable energy for its studio and workshop. Their timber comes from sustainably managed forests in Northern Europe. They use natural surface treatments and water-based lacquers. Nikari try to deliver products without packaging, but where that’s not possible their packaging is recyclable and includes plastic pads made of polyethylene that convert to water when incinerated. Read more here.

6. Originals stacking chair by Ercol, £390, Heal’s (affiliate link) – a redesign of a mid-century classic, carved from elm. Made in the UK (so no carbon guzzling air transportation to get it to you if you’re based in Britain). Ercol’s factory in Buckinghamshire is heated by a biomass boiler that is fuelled by wood waste and sawdust from the factory. Ercol’s website states that its wood comes from sustainable forests from North America, Europe and China.

7. In Between SK1 chair by Sami Kallio for &tradition, reduced from £345 to £276 (receive 20% off your fourth chair when you buy four), Nest.co.uk – a sculptural design made of solid wood and form-pressed veneer. &tradition don’t offer any information on the sourcing of the wood. 

8. 69 Chair by Alvar Aalto for Artek, £319, twentytwentyone – an iconic chair designed by the Finnish designer in 1935. Made of FSC certified Finnish birch wood. The majority of Artek’s products are made at their a-factory in Turku, Finland.

9. Narin folding chair by David Irwin for Case Furniture, £299, John Lewis (affiliate link) – A lightweight chair ideal for small spaces. Winner of the Design Guild Mark Award and Wood Award for Best Production Made project in 2017. Made in Thailand.

10. Workshop chair by Cecilie Manz for Muuto, £299, Utility Design – a minimalist chair handcrafted from solid oak or pine, with a veneer seat and back. Available in a range of finishes. Muuto’s website states that their wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests but there is little detail about where those are based or where the chair is made.

11. J41 chair by Hay, £255, Insidestore – a reproduction of Børge Mogensen’s classic J41 chair, with a broad plywood seat and frame in solid oak or beech. See number 1 for more details on Hay’s production.

12. Soft chair by Thomas Bentzen, £219, Takt – a simple, functional chair made of solid ash. Produced with FSC certified wood from sustainable forests, the Soft chair is 100% eco-certified. Indeed, Takt states that the whole supply chain is certified. Takt only uses water-based lacquers. The chairs can be dismantled into pieces so that worn parts can be replaced or recycled. And it is shipped in compact, space-efficient flat packs made of recyclable material.

13. RÖNNINGE chair in birch, £70, IKEA – a 1950s inspired design with a solid birch frame and moulded veneer seat and backrest. Also comes in green and black. IKEA came top in the Ethical Consumer‘s survey of furniture companies sourcing timber. IKEA is aiming for all their wood to be defined as recycled of FSC certified by 2020, read more here.

14. Wishbone chair by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son, £443, Heal’s (affiliate link) – a design classic that’s been in production since 1950, available in a variety of finishes. Carl Hansen & Søn is certified to produce FSC-certified furniture; its wood comes from sustainably managed forests and responsible sawmills. The paper cord for the handwoven seat comes from renewable forests and is biodegradable. Read more here.

15. Pause dining chair by Kasper Nyman for Woud, £299, Nest.co.uk – a contemporary chair with simple, clean lines. It comes in soap treated oak and black. Woud don’t offer any information on the sourcing of the wood. 

16. Cross chair, £199, Takt – like Takt’s Soft chair, the Cross chair is made from FSC certified wood and is 100% eco-certified. Takt only uses water-based lacquers. It is also shipped in compact, space-efficient flat packs made of recyclable material. 

What do you think, do any of these chairs catch your eye? Which would you choose? I’m a bit biased as I have them in my home already, but my pick would be Hay’s J77 chairs – they’ve got a beautiful silhouette with that contemporary take on a traditional spindle back. But if I were to buy again, I would choose Takt’s eco-certified wooden chairs – not only are they a better choice for the environment, they’re also the most competitively priced chairs I’ve seen for those sustainability credentials.