tables and chairs need not form a matching set, but must sit comfortably together in shape and scale. Most dining chairs do not have arms - too cumbersome- although if they are custom-designed for a table, the maker will have ensured that they fit under the tabletop and sit together without jarring.

a simple four-legged table, whether square, circular, oval or rectangular, where the legs fall directly from corners - or in the case of the circle or oval at equal intervals - is still the most accommodating for family or small dinner parties, since chairs can glide freely beneath.