We asked our design team a simple question: if you could gather your favorite people around any dining table this season, which would it be, and which chairs would you pull up to it?
Their answers had a common thread. None of them talked only about beauty. They talked about long dinners that stretch past dessert, cousins playing bingo after the plates are cleared, and chairs so comfortable that nobody wants to leave. Because the dining table isn’t simply furniture. As the holidays approach, it becomes the place where the year’s best memories are made, over second helpings, candlelight, and conversations that go on just a little longer than planned.
Here are the six pairings our team would choose for their own holiday tables.
Laura didn’t hesitate: the Van Rossum Beam dining table with Van Rossum Bracci dining chairs. “In Italy, we spend a lot of time around the table,” she says. “In many ways, the dining table is like a fireplace: it brings people together. It becomes the heart of the home.”
The Beam celebrates solid wood in its most honest form, raw and minimal, just as nature intended. “A dining table needs to be beautiful, but also practical, easy to maintain, and warm to the touch,” Laura explains. “It should be something you actually want to live with.”
The Bracci chairs complete the picture with generous proportions and wide, embracing arms that feel almost like lounge seating. “Try sitting through a four-hour Italian dinner in a chair that isn’t exceptionally comfortable!”
Pairing: Overhead, Laura would hang the Henge Crystal Evo in a long composition stretching nearly the full length of the table, sharing the furniture’s restraint while adding the richness of natural stone. Together, she says, the pieces feel “warm, tactile and understated, minimal, but never cold.”
Images courtesy of Van Rossum
Alyssa’s pairing brings together two pieces that, in her words, “speak the same design language while expressing it in different ways.”
The Van Rossum GOT table, designed by Andrea Tognon, rethinks what a dining table can be. Asymmetrical tabletops rest on interlocking crescent-shaped legs, creating a sculptural piece that feels grounded yet open.
Around it, Alyssa places Poliform’s Leopold chairs by Jean-Marie Massaud, which offer the enveloping comfort of an armchair on a minimal solid wood frame that keeps them visually light. The result, she says, is a dining room that “feels architectural and sophisticated, yet warm and comfortable.”
Pairing: Alyssa would complete the space with the Nokori Ichi Chandelier, the newest collection by Giopato & Coombes, which explores how light can be held within a material.
Images courtesy of Poliform and Van Rossum
“After some debate and consideration, I’m going Van Rossum all the way for this one!”
Mimi starts with the Van Rossum Anvil dining table, a personal favorite on display in our Aspen showroom. She loves its softened edges, the sculptural pedestal base that seems to melt seamlessly into the tabletop, and the exceptional wood finishes Van Rossum is known for.
Her chair of choice is the Van Rossum Abi, whose organic form echoes the Anvil without feeling overly matched. “Whether it’s a quick dinner or a long evening of entertaining, these chairs make it easy to settle in and stay awhile.”
Pairing: To emphasize the organic, cozy feel, Mimi would hang the Giopato & Coombes Scarabei Chandelier above. “This setting would be the ultimate showcase of craftsmanship and natural form. The kind of space I dream of gathering around for hours!”
Viewing: The Anvil dining table is on display at Studio Como Aspen and the Abi dining chair is on display at Studio Como Denver.
Images courtesy of Van Rossum
Emily’s selection begins with the Baxter Nairobi dining table, which she describes as “a fusion of appreciation for where East meets West.” Designer Roberto Lazzeroni infused its solid wood silhouette with a Zen sensibility, creating a wabi-sabi table that’s durable, versatile, and adaptable across design styles.
Her philosophy for the chairs? “Comfort first, style complementary.” Baxter’s So Far chair pairs an homage to the past with innovative tubular metal and a nod to the ’70s aesthetic we’re thrilled to see returning. Emily also loves that it moves easily into the living room on nights she hosts, letting the evening flow naturally from dinner to lounging.
Her verdict on the pairing: “Chef’s kiss.”
Pairing: “To light the night away,” Emily would add Moooi’s Drape Light, a textile-inspired design with a touch of whimsy.
Images courtesy of Baxter
“The Grand Stand is truly a work of art,” says Gabriela, and one look at its surface explains why.
The table features Henge’s Forest Fusion finish, which revives traditional briar-working techniques to create intricate micro-mosaic wood patterns with a depth reminiscent of marble or stone. Metal inlays at the corners of the legs add a precise, architectural counterpoint to the organic movement of the grain.
For chairs, Gabriela chose Henge’s Bach dining chairs with armrests. Fully upholstered in leather, they add softness without competing with the table’s complexity, while cutouts between the arms and backrest keep them visually light.
Pairing: Overhead, Gabriela would hang the Scarabei Linear Chandelier by Giopato & Coombes (making her the second consultant to fall for the Scarabei), which shares the Forest Fusion wood’s organic character through a modern, sculptural lens.
Images courtesy of Henge
Lauren’s pairing is a celebration of natural materials and quiet craftsmanship. She starts with Riva 1920’s Sky Natura Plank dining table, from the Italian workshop renowned for its devotion to solid wood and for letting the beauty of each board lead the design.
She pairs it with De La Espada’s Sela dining chairs, specified with both back and seat cushions for an added layer of softness. The result is a table setting that feels grounded and honest, with the kind of relaxed comfort that suits everything from an ordinary weeknight to a full holiday spread.
Pairing: Lauren would complete the room with Bocci’s 16.9 a.1 armature suspended above the table, its cast-glass forms glowing like a cluster of lanterns, and anchor it all with a B&B Italia Milos or Timo rug underfoot.
Images courtesy of Riva 1920 and De La Espada
Why the Table Matters Most
Listening to our team talk through these pairings, one idea kept surfacing: a great dining table invites you to stay. Every pair here balances beauty with comfort, presence with warmth, and craftsmanship with everyday livability. They’re pieces built for the long dinners, the extra leaves, the spilled wine and the laughter, and for being passed down to the next generation of hosts.
If you’re imagining a new table at the center of this year’s Thanksgiving or Christmas celebrations, now is the time to begin. Many of these pieces are crafted to order, so connecting with our design team early is the best way to have your table ready by the time your guests arrive.
Visit our showrooms to experience these pieces in person, or contact our design team to start planning your holiday table today.
