Outdoor dining chairs, chosen for the table you have

Outdoor dining chairs work harder than the table. People drag them, stack them, leave them in the rain and pull them over to the grill. Dedon, the German maker that weaves its furniture by hand on Cebu Island in the Philippines, offers two chair families that run from the dining table to the bar: Roii by Benjamin Baum and Seashell Nuo by Jean-Marie Massaud.

Start with the table

The table decides the chair. A dining table sits at about 30 inches, a kitchen counter at about 36 and a bar at about 42. Both families here come in three heights, so one look can cover a dining table and an outdoor kitchen island.

Next, count the seats along each side. Armless side chairs fit tighter than armchairs. A common plan puts armchairs at the ends and side chairs along the length.

Roii: light enough to carry

Dedon Roii by Benjamin Baum is the family you pick up and move. The frames are light and the pieces stack, so you can clear the terrace in minutes or carry a set from the balcony to the pool deck as the evening goes on. Dedon pictures Roii on a beach dune, on a city balcony and next to a pool.

Two weaves meet on each piece. The frame wears a herringbone in Dedon Fiber touch, a matte fiber that feels close to braided leather, and the herringbone was a new weaving style for Dedon. The seat and back get an open triaxial weave of classic Dedon Fiber. Tobacco is the signature color, and Dedon also lists silica. See the Roii collection.

Seashell Nuo: a shell at the table

Dedon Seashell Nuo revives the Seashell chair that Massaud first drew for Dedon years ago. Each chair curves around you the way a shell curves around what it holds. You feel it most in the lounge chair at the end of a long day, and at the table the curve gives the side chair and armchair a calm outline.

Dedon master weavers make the pieces by hand on Cebu Island in Dedon EcoCycle Fiber. Dedon makes that fiber 90 percent from renewable plant-based resources and says it matches standard Dedon Fiber in look, feel and weather resistance. The colors are Pearl and Sepia Sea. See the Seashell Nuo collection.

Cushions or bare weave

Both families sit well on the bare weave, and both take optional cushions from the Dedon fabric families, among them Natura, Caleo, Tucson, Gaia, Muse, Nube and Borneo. Cushions make a long dinner softer. Bare weave dries fast after a summer storm and suits a pool deck.

You can split fabrics: one for the dining chairs, another for the lounge pieces.

A plan for a long table

Put the chairs with arms at the ends, where the hosts sit, and the side chairs along the length. For an island in an outdoor kitchen, add the counter height barstool in the same family, so the kitchen and the dining table read as one room. Roii stacks, which helps on a narrow terrace: keep six chairs out on a weeknight and bring the rest out for a party.

Seashell Nuo suits a set that stays in one place. Pick it for the shell outline and the EcoCycle Fiber, and let the lounge chair and the beach chair carry the same look to the pool.

Care for chairs in daily use

Clean the weave with a soft cloth or brush, warm water and a mild cleanser. Wipe off wine, citrus and soda at once, and keep alcohol and solvents off the fiber. Store cushions dry through the wet months.

Send us the length of your table and the number of seats through the form below. We reply within one business day with a chair plan in Roii or Seashell Nuo and a price per chair.