They've Been A Staple Since The 1700s –– How Spindle Back Chairs Are Still Trending Today

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Furniture classics endure because they tie us to the past while still being functional and fresh. Case in point, take spindle chairs, which were popular in English, Nordic, and colonial American homes in the 1700s and have never left. They have a beloved construction you've most likely seen around many dining room tables: evenly spaced vertical rods (the "spindles") make up backrests attached to a seat and four legs, without much upholstery masking the bones of the design. As exaggerated furniture shapes are replaced by subtler designs and natural curves, spindle back chairs remain timeless pieces that have never really gone out of style. In fact, they are still trending.

People choose these chairs today in part because they can make a room look more spacious due to the open gaps between each spindle. The sturdy but airy chairs can also complement a wide range of decorative styles. With small differences in their construction and finish, they're equally at home in a contemporary living room as they are in a farmhouse breakfast nook. 

The sense of history that spindle chairs bring lends itself especially to the 2026 trend of embracing traditional, well-crafted furniture that's intentionally collected rather than playing into passing fads. It helps that they offer surprisingly comfortable seating, with back support and air flow to keep you cool, and they can last through many years of wear and tear.

Since spindle back chairs have endured for so long, contemporary designers use both vintage and new pieces, sometimes mixing and matching them for a layered look. Sharing the same basic features, spindle back seats from different eras and makers can happily coexist now that overly matching furniture is a trend we're ready to leave in the past.

When you're fully leaning into the vintage trend, wooden dining chairs, including those with a spindle back style, are pieces of furniture you should always thrift. Just be willing to combine chairs from different time periods, since finding a matching set in working order may prove tricky. If one of your treasures stands out from the rest, you can use it as an office chair or to bring some old-world charm to a bedroom. Traditionally-made chairs have rods with rounded bead shapes that artisans turned on a lathe, while 1940s styles have straighter, unadorned backs made of sleek rods. In more modern styles, the color often does the talking.

Blending vintage with new furniture is also in vogue now, and today's brands continue releasing spindle back chairs that update the classic form. Serena and Lily, an upscale brand known for its breezy coastal-style furniture, started offering its spindle back Carter Dining Chair in more colors in 2026. The options range from a beachy light blue to a deep paprika color. Other brands use more durable material and add cushioning to a spindle back base, from luxury brand Nickey Kehoe's Metal Spindle Back Viewing Chair to the budget-friendlier Spindle Accent Chair from Duhome, available on Amazon.

Versatility is a big part of why spindle back chairs continue to be stylish, which means there are a plethora of ways to make them work in your home. Wood dining chairs are always worth the splurge, so you can simply let the natural grain of a spindle back chair shine or paint them to complement or accent your décor.

Painting thrift store spindle chairs is a perfect way to breathe new life into them, particularly if they're made of different types of wood that all change in their own ways, resulting in uneven coloring. Choosing a deep black for your paint color can provide a note of contrast around a lighter-colored table. To achieve this uniform look, give them several coats of paint, then rub on a decorative wax to seal it in. Using a sponge to paint the spindles will give you more maneuverability than you would have using a paintbrush.

If you have upholstered spindle back accent chairs, you can reupholster them with a different color cushioning to change up the color and add a new dimension to the room. Whatever you decide to do with spindle back chairs, they're adaptable and malleable enough to easily improve any DIY job.