One of my favorite things about my new dining room table is that it's paired with this pretty settee. 
I've been wanting some sort of couch situation at our table for a while so when we started the process of getting all new dining furniture I knew right away that a settee had to happen in here.
I love how this one looks here and how the gray and white design shows under the glass top on the table. And it pairs so good with our new white chairs. 
Seating styles play such a huge part in the overall look of a room, and all it takes is a different chair style to completely change the feel of an area- especially one like this that's so full of seating. Because of that I agonized forever over chair and settee options. Luckily my tight budget narrowed my choices quite a bit; otherwise I'd probably still be on the hunt, and with 87 tabs open in Safari.
Because the choice of what type of seating to put in a room is so critical, I love anything that helps to educate me as a consumer on different chair styles. So when One Kings Lane invited me to try out their new Home Decor Resource to help identify the roll my new chairs and settee play in my dining room, I couldn't wait to check it out.
Their resource guide has a whole section dedicated to settees and their different types and styles.
After reading up on several styles and the history behind them I'm feeling so much more knowledgable about this type of seating. My settee is definitely patterned after the newer age of furniture styles since it's in a more simplified style (no tufting, curvy back, carving, moulding, etc). But it was neat to see how the styles of our day (even the ones that seem totally "new" and not like reproductions of classic pieces) are still influenced by styles from the past. 
One of my favorite things about my dining room is that it's one big dose of pattern comes from the settee, which makes it a major focal point in the room.
I also like that the pattern itself is in a soft gray and white color palette, so even though it's got a lot going on as far as it's design goes, the subtle colors keep it from feeling too busy.
After studying up on settees at the One Kings Lane site, I switched over to their section about chairs to learn more about the chairs I chose for our dining room.
I knew when I got them that they were knock-offs of the mid-century modern Eames shell chairs, but it was really interesting to read more about mid-century modern chair design and about Charles Eames specifically and see more of his famous chair designs.
I really love how the simple, white plastic chairs look paired with the patterned settee. They are very different in style but they work so well together.
Plus I feel like the chairs keep the seating arrangement looking stylish but relaxed. I love the vibe they give the room.
Check out the One Kings Lane Home Decor Resource Guide if you're curious about any of the seating styles in your home. It was really fun to educate myself on mine!