Selecting a dining table seems simple enough, but it's one of the most important home furnishing purchases you'll make. Your dining table serves as a gathering place for your family every night and the place where loved ones gather to celebrate holidays and milestones, and that makes it a significant piece of furniture. This dining table buying guide will help you get to know how to buy a dining table that will be as lovely as it is lasting.
To connect with your ideal dining room table, imagine it from the ground up in terms of these categories: size, capacity, shape, style, material and finish.
Dining tables come in many sizes. Be sure the dining furniture you choose is sized appropriately for the room. A bistro table set could be cute for a breakfast nook or a patio, but it tends to look strange in a large room. Before choosing a dining room table, measure your dining room. Remember that you'll need space around the table for walking and pulling out chairs. Try to leave at least 48 inches between the edge of the table and the wall or closest piece of furniture. Also, dining tables need to measure around 36 to 42 inches wide to accommodate food and place settings. Any wider and your dinner guests will find it difficult to carry on conversations with anyone across the table.
One common mistake people make in a smaller dining room is to buy a large dining table and push it against a wall to maximize the walking room on one side. This will actually make your dining room look smaller. Instead, choose a smaller, round dining table; traffic will be able to flow on all sides of the round table and your dining room will feel much larger.
The capacity of a dining table refers to how many people can be seated around it comfortably. If entertaining is kept among close friends and family, then a small table works just fine. Seating four or five people around a large dining room table isn't very inviting; instead of promoting conversation, it can feel impersonal and distant. If you are filling a large space with a large formal dining table, consider a drop leaf table with extra leaves, so you can add or subtract space as needed. As a general rule of thumb, choose a table that affords each diner at least 24 inches.
The shape of a table has a direct effect on its size, capacity and style. Round tables are generally smaller, but they can be very large. Oblong and rectangular dining tables come in a wider range of sizes and tend to be more common. For a large room, choose a large, long dining table to create a dramatic setting. Select a rectangular dining table and create a clearly defined "head" of the table to distinguish the guest of honor on special occasions.
Round dining tables tend to encourage conversations because they let everyone see each other. These tables are great for creating a social atmosphere. You will need to be careful with round dining tables, however; a round table large enough to seat 12 people will be huge, and it probably won't fit in your dining room.
Small, square dining tables are perfect for small groups, and large square dining tables can be surprisingly accommodating. Square dinner tables, like round tables, are social and intimate. Conversations flow easily, and -- if the square table isn't too large and the corners aren't too sharp -- traffic will be able to move around the table with ease as well.
What tone do you want your dining room to set? For a room that reinforces the architecture of your home, from Georgian to Queen Anne to French Colonial, choose dining room furniture that reflects that style. Style is also where the material of your table plays a supporting role. If your home is sleek and modern, then an ornately carved table will look dated and out of place. If your molding includes richly colored woods and carved finials, then an aluminum table will clash and a straight-legged wood dining table will stand out.
Wood dining tables have always seemed a little more formal than metal and glass dining tables, but that doesn't have to be the case. Pine dining tables, along with most lightly stained woods, will have a fairly casual feel to them; on the other hand, darker woods, like cherry and mahogany, make wonderful formal dining tables.
Metal and glass dining tables, even though they're more modern than wood, can be just as formal as a dark mahogany ornate dining table in the right room. Dark metals lend themselves toward more reserved occasions, whereas shiny steel and aluminum evoke a casual, retro feel.
There are several finish options for wood and metal dining tables. Wooden dining tables can be finished with a clear, light finish to enhance the natural color and grain of the wood, or they can be finished to look like other, rarer woods.
Common wood finish colors include:
Walnut: a chocolate brown color
Mahogany: a medium brown to deep brown and dark red
Cherry: a light brown to dark reddish brown
Oak: a greyish brown if it is white oak or a reddish cast if it is red oak
Pine: a light yellow color
If you'd like to experiment with color, pick out a wood dining table that you can paint to your exact specifications. For a contemporary, masculine dining table, consider metallic options like a powder-coated black dining table or choose between aluminum and stainless steel.
As you are choosing your table, consider the care you're willing to put into it. Many wood dining tables are durable and may need only the occasional application of furniture polish; softer woods may be more susceptible to scratches and could benefit from the use of a tablecloth. Glass dining tables won't scratch or stain easily, and any window cleaner can be used to clean fingerprints from glass dining tables.
Wood dining tables often have removable legs or leaves. When cleaning or polishing your table, check the legs for any wobble. If you have a drop leaf table, pull out the leaves from storage once in a while and give them a polish. Place them in your table and check them regularly to see if they have warped. Regular checking can save you from aggravation later. Rotate the different leaves, so they will have even wear and exposure to light.
What size table should I buy?
Use these basic guidelines to determine how many people you can fit comfortably at your dining table. Factor in 24 inches of width per person and consider everybody's size to ensure personal comfort. Dinner tables may or may not have leaves that can extend the length of a table; dimensions with leaves will differ. The sizes and seating capacities are approximate; available dining tables may not be in these exact dimensions.
Square tables:
52 inch x 52 inch (seats 6 - 8)
Oblong and oval tables:
52 inch x 70 inch (seats 6 - 8)
60 inch x 84 inch (seats 8 - 10)
60 inch x 102 inch (seats 10 - 12)
60 inch x 120 inch (seats 12 - 16)
60 inch x 142 inch (seats 12 - 16)
70 inch x 64 inch (seats 10 - 12)
70 inch x 72 inch (seats 10 - 12)
70 inch x 96 inch (seats 10 - 12)
70 inch x 114 inch (seats 12 - 16)
70 inch x 126 inch (seats 12 - 16)
70 inch x 144 inch (seats 12 - 16)
Round tables:
36-inch diameter (seats 4)
48-inch diameter (seats 4 - 6)
60-inch diameter (seats 6 - 8)
What should the height of my chandelier be if placed over the dining table?
For crystal chandeliers, if you have 8 feet ceilings, hang the chandelier about 30 to 34 inches above the table. If the ceiling is more than 8 feet high, shorten the chandelier chain an extra three inches. If you have a "bowl" style chandelier, it should hang higher, but be careful: If you hang your chandelier too high, you will have glare, too low and it will be in the way.
What size tablecloth should I buy?
Tablecloth sizes vary depending on the kind of drop you want. The drop is the distance the tablecloth hangs over the table's edge. Eight inches is an excellent drop for any occasion. Tablecloth sizes are determined by the size and shape of your table. Measure the width and length of your table and add 16 inches to each measurement, an 8-inch drop for each side. And if you add a table runner, the runner should hang no lower than the tablecloth.
Dining sets
Purchasing your dining room furniture piece by piece can be very expensive. Buying dining sets and discount dining tables will save you money and guarantee matching furniture. A dinette set could save you enough to pick up a buffet or sideboard.
A companionable kitchen
Just as much as your dining room, your kitchen can be the social center of gatherings large and small. Make it even more hospitable with a kitchen table or counter height table complete with a few kitchen chairs or bar stools. You'll find them all when you are online shopping on Overstock.com.
Take it outside
Outdoor patio furniture gives you many more choices and much more room when you are entertaining. Tie in the outdoors with decorative planters that lead outdoors. Your dining room will flow naturally outside and create another place to enjoy. With the many elegant patio tables and counter height tables available on Overstock.com, your parties will be remembered fondly for years!
