French Cane Dining Chairs

Chloe Hughes Interior Design Expert

Chloe is a highly-regarded expert in all things vintage and antique. She’s excited to share her vast knowledge with readers and clients wishing to infuse their homes with a mixture of old-time warmth and modern comfort. In addition to her design work, Chloe regularly volunteers at her local community center, teaching DIY projects to adults and kids.

Updated 07/11/2022

Elegant, classy, and sure to make you feel like royalty, French cane dining chairs are perfect for your dining room. The cane back design will infuse sophistication into any space due to the charming Southern-inspired vibe. From tall to short, plain to printed, there’s a dining chair with a cane back to suit every style. We’ve picked out some of the best French cane dining chairs below so you can enjoy your meal in style.

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Our Picks

Regal French Cane Dining Chairs

This set of six dining chairs is perfect for a traditional dining room. Originally from the 19th century, each chair features a Louis XV style and is crafted from solid oak with scrolled feet. The beige cushions are also original.

Designer Advice:

We love that all of the original pieces come with these chairs, making them a true collective item. For an authentic French look, we recommend pairing them with a dining table with scrollwork detail to match the scroll feet of the chairs. A dark brown or cherry wood stain would be best to bring out the richness of the wood.

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Open French Cane Back Dining Chairs

From the 1990s, this set includes two chairs. The frames are curved at the top and bottom with a cutout in the center. Each chair features a mid-brown frame and a blue, pink, and yellow checked fabric cushion seat.

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Tall French Cane Back Chairs

Including four chairs, this set will make a statement in your dining room due to the tall backs. Each chair has a flower motif on the frame and a cushion with tapestry upholstery. The cane back is designed in a ladderback style.

Designer Advice:

The tall backs of these chairs mean they would be best suited to dining rooms with taller ceilings. The ladderback design also means you might want to pair them with a slimmer dining table, so the detail isn’t hidden when the chairs are tucked in. Accentuate the tapestry cushions with a rug underneath your table in a similar pattern.

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Light Cane Back Chairs

Slightly more modern than the others on this list, this set includes four chairs. Made from solid wood with a whitewashed frame, each chair features carved floral accents. You can customize the chairs by choosing the cushion fabric yourself.

Designer Advice:

These chairs are an excellent option if you are looking to cultivate a French country space with a contemporary feel. They would even look great separated into pairs of two and tucked around smaller tables for an elegant afternoon tea vibe. Place a cream fringed rug underneath and a vase of flowers on the table to complete the look.

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Printed French Cane Chairs

This set of eight chairs is from the 1980s. Each chair features a dark walnut frame with a contrasting cane back in a lighter brown shade. The cushions are upholstered. There is some minor wear on some of the chairs.

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Curved French Cane Chairs

Featuring beige and gold upholstered cushions, this set has four chairs. The design is classic, with dark brown frames and lighter cane backs. Moreover, the legs are slightly tapered, with the curved backs jutting out at the top and edges.

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French Cane Dining Chairs

Buying Guide

Cane chairs come in a very specific and unique style. You are likely to have seen them before, or you may even have owned one yourself. While not often seen in modern homes, there is a beautiful traditional charm to these items of furniture, making them comfortable additions to many rooms in your house. Here are some of the factors you should consider before buying any French cane chairs.

Where to position French cane chairs?

French cane chairs are often seen either outdoors or indoors. Since they are so versatile and suitable to a wide range of environments, it makes them ideal for rooms such as a conservatory, or on an outdoor balcony which is covered by some form of shelter. Environments which fall halfway between the outdoors and indoors are ideal for French cane chairs.

Once you have decided where your chairs are going to be positioned, you can start thinking about the finer details.

How many cane chairs to buy?

Most chairs require a space of three feet squared, but it's still important to take measurements and find out exactly how large each chair is.

Deciding how many chairs to buy can be a challenge, especially if you live on your own or you're not sure what you intend to do in the future. It's easy if you have set plans for the future, for example, if you know that you're going to host several garden parties over the next few months. However, if you're unsure, you should buy just one or two chairs and then decide in the future whether you want to add more.

You will also be confined by how much space you have in your home for the chairs. If you already have furniture in your conservatory, or you have a small balcony which doesn't allow more than two chairs, then it won't be possible to include any extra seating even if you really wanted to.

What's the best shape for a French cane chair?

Nowadays, you may see an increasing number of square-shaped chairs, but these aren't always the most comfortable for your back. If you know that you are more comfortable with a rounded back on your chair, or your doctor has recommended that you use this type of furniture, you should bear this in mind. Always try out the chairs for yourself before buying wherever possible, but if you can't, try to gather as much information as possible.

Some French cane chairs will have a back but no arms. In this case, the shape becomes less important, since the back is not rounding or joining in a square shape to provide extra support.

While people worry about the size of the chairs and the material used to line the chairs, the shape is often forgotten. It isn't something which is easy to forget when you're looking at chairs, but if you're shopping online, you may forget the importance of a comfortable seat. The shape of a chair can have a lot to do with this.