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A bench seats more people in the same length, costs less than the chairs it replaces and disappears under the table. Chairs win on comfort and on getting in and out. Most dining rooms do best with one of each.
Seating. A 60-inch bench takes three adults or four children on one side of a 72-inch table, where chairs give you three at most. When nobody is sitting on it, the bench slides fully under the table, which in a small room means the floor is clear and nobody trips over chair legs.
Price. A 60-inch solid wood bench starts at $211 CAD. Two chairs in the same finish start at $317 each. Over a table that seats six, two benches instead of six chairs saves a meaningful amount and a lot of storage.
Kids. Children slide onto a bench without help, there is nothing to tip over backwards, and a wood bench wipes clean.
Comfort. A chair has a back. For dinners that run two hours, for older guests and for anyone with a bad back, a chair is simply more comfortable, and an upholstered seat more so.
Access. The person in the middle of a bench has to ask the people on either end to move. With chairs everyone comes and goes on their own.
Formality. Six matching chairs read as a dining room. Benches read as a kitchen or a farmhouse table, which is a look many people want, but not every room.
Put the bench on the side against the wall, where chairs would be hard to pull out anyway, and chairs on the open side and the ends. That gives you the seating and the clear floor of a bench where it matters, and the comfort of chairs where people sit longest. The Plank & Beam dining sets with a bench plus four chairs are built around exactly this layout.
If you want a bench with a back, the Risa corner banquette is the one option in the range, designed for a breakfast nook rather than a long dining table.
Dining sets with a bench and four chairs · Banquette seating guide
A bench should be 12 to 14 inches shorter than the table so it slides underneath with the legs clear. The 46 to 49 inch benches fit 60-inch tables, the 58 to 61 inch benches fit 72-inch tables and the 83 and 85 inch benches fit the 94-inch tables. Every Plank & Beam table collection has a bench in the same finish, so a Modern table takes a Modern bench in Pecan, Walnut, Blonde, Black or Coastal White.
Two on a 46 to 49 inch bench, three on a 58 to 61 inch bench and four on an 83 or 85 inch bench. Children fit one more than adults.
For a normal meal, yes. For a two-hour dinner, a chair with a back is more comfortable, which is why most people put the bench on the wall side and chairs on the open side.
Yes. A 60-inch bench from $211 CAD replaces three chairs that start at $317 each.
The Risa corner banquette has a backrest and an optional cushion. The straight benches are backless so they tuck under the table.
Dining benches · Dining chairs · Dining sets
Last updated 2026-10-22.