Mix and match is the modern way to furnish a dining room

LOS ANGELES -- When choosing the right dining table and chairs, there are no rigid rules. Think about mixing and matching pieces instead of plunking down money for a perfectly matched set, experts say.

"These days, we see people choosing opposite styles for the table and the chairs," said Amy Panos, a Des Moines, Iowa-based deputy editor at Better Homes and Gardens magazine. "It makes the room interesting and gives it personality. Everybody wants a very personalized, 'Oh, I threw this together and it represents my style' look. There are no 'I have tos.' There are only 'I want tos."'

So when my husband and I recently picked out a new dining table and chairs at a local furniture shop, we went for a rectangular walnut table with a built-in leaf, and then chose 1960s-style chairs with curving wooden backs and green upholstery. We wanted the table to fit in with our vintage and midcentury modern-style furniture, and the chairs to be chic and comfy.

Think about your style, budget, the size of your dining area, how you like to entertain and how you're going to use the table and chairs -- are they just for eating, or also for homework, kids' projects, work?

Start by measuring the space, whether it's a breakfast nook, kitchen, large dining room or small college dorm.

This photo taken on July 22 shows dining room tables and chairs at Los Angeles store Sunbeam Vintage, which sells new, on-site handmade, imported and vintage furniture, and mostly specializes in midcentury modern and midcentury modern inspired pieces. (Solvej Schou via AP)

"You have to have room to pull the chairs in and out, and be able to move around the table," said Panos, who suggested leaving 36 to 48 inches on all sides, away from walls and other furniture.

"Get something you love, that really speaks to you," she said. "Are you in it for the long haul, to have that table as an heirloom, or are you someone who frequently wants to change your look?"

Tables and chairs can range from a $200 wooden dining table and $30 wooden chairs from IKEA, to $250 to $800 tables at chains Cost Plus World Market and Crate & Barrel. Higher-end tables can cost thousands of dollars at boutique stores, antique stores and upscale outlets such as Restoration Hardware. Shipping furniture bought online can bump up the cost, Panos said.

At Sunbeam Vintage, a Los Angeles store that sells new, on-site handmade, imported and vintage furniture, owner Ebee Martinez, 37, walked between tables and chairs of different shapes and sizes packed deep into the high-ceilinged shop. The store specializes in midcentury modern and midcentury modern-inspired pieces, as well as '70s-style Hollywood glam chrome, gold, copper and brass accented tables and chairs, which are making a comeback, Martinez said.

Tables start at $350, and prices generally hover between $750 and $950, with chairs around $250 each. The shop sometimes sells pricier items, such as a $2,500 dining table made of acacia wood, with steel legs.

This photo taken on July 22 shows dining room tables and chairs at Los Angeles store Sunbeam Vintage, which sells new, on-site handmade, imported and vintage furniture, and mostly specializes in midcentury modern and midcentury modern inspired pieces. (Solvej Schou via AP)

"If you have a small space, a glass top dining table is really fabulous, since it creates the illusion of space," said Martinez. "In smaller spaces, pedestal tables -- tables that don't have legs in the corners, but only in the middle, like a tulip table -- work well, and allow a lot of knee space. You can basically put any kind of chair around that table."

Based on a late '50s design by architect and designer Eero Saarinen, tulip tables -- with a smooth central column resembling a water drop -- have become popular. Sunbeam Vintage carries reproduced versions with wood, white laminate, Formica, marble, and less pricey faux-marble round, oval and rectangle tops.

"We believe that furniture is expression. It's like art," Martinez said. "People have fun with it. We have customers who are artistic and want something unique."