How to Choose the Best Dining Room Tables

When you want to buy a table for your dining room, there are a few factors that you need to consider first. For one thing, it must be a table that matches your lifestyle and daily habits. Choosing the proper size, shape, and style is imperative for your table because you’ll need to be able to position it in your room correctly.

 

So many people make the mistake of not thinking about these factors before purchasing a table. Then they wonder why the table doesn’t fit in their dining room. You have the chance now to plan for the table you want to put in your dining room.

 

Will it be a table where you will watch television? Do you have multiple family members who will use the table too? These are a few considerations to make, as well.

 

Here are two necessary steps for calculating the proper table size:

1) Grab a measuring tape. Measure the length of the dining room in centimetres. Write down or memorize that number. Now measure the width of the dining room.

 

2) Add the length and width of the dining room together in centimetres. It is recommended to have 92 centimetres of extra space between each side of the dining room and the dining table. To make sure you do, you need to subtract 184 centimetres from the total sum of the length and width of the room.

 

For example, if the table is 200 cm x 100 cm, then your dining room cannot be smaller than 384 cm x 284 cm. The reason is that you need to have 92 centimetres on each side of the table. Therefore, you would add 184 cm to the 200 cm (length) and 184 cm to the 100 cm (width).

 

Plan Your Room

 

It would be simple if you just had a dining table in your room and nothing else. However, you might also want to have other furniture and cabinetry in the dining room too.

 

For instance, if you have a large cabinet next to the wall in your dining room, then you need to consider that when measuring your table size. The 92 centimetres would no longer be from the side of the table to the wall. Instead, it would be from the side of the table to the cabinet. As a result, you would need a smaller table than initially planned.

 

In addition, measure the area of the room as well as the windows and doorways in it too. You must account for every feature in the room.

 

 

Table Shopping Tips

 

Once you have measured everything in the dining room, you can start going shopping for your table and chairs. Since your chairs will stick out a little from the sides of the table, you need to leave at least 60 centimetres of space between each chair and the nearest wall or object behind it.

 

So, if you have 92 centimetres between the side of the table and the wall, then each chair cannot take up more than 32 centimetres of space. That way, it is easy for people to walk around the chairs without having to squeeze through them.

Stability

 

Aside from the measurements of the table, make sure you choose a very stable table. Duck down and see if the legs are firmly placed on the floor. If the table jiggles or wobbles in the slightest, then try out a different table. Some tables might have extendable features and moving parts, so be sure to test them out too. Please do not choose a table with metal parts because they can rust or jam easily. Wooden parts and legs are better.

 

Finished Surface

 

Your table should come with a prefinished wooden surface so that you won’t have to perform much maintenance on it. However, be careful when you place tablecloths or other objects on the wooden surface because they can scratch the wood easily. You should also avoid exposing the wood to heat.

 

Alternatively, you could choose a glass or stone surface for your table if you only care about durability. Unfortunately, it is less attractive and appealing to guests.

 

Shape

 

If there are a lot of people passing through your dining room, then a round table is more appropriate for it. The fewer legs underneath the round table, the better it will be for the room and the people in it.

 

On the other hand, a smaller square table is better when you have a few people in the house. You could also fit a square table in the corner of the room and use only two sides of the table. Then you’d have more free space in the room. But if you have a larger family, then you won’t get away with this. In fact, you could try a rectangular table in the centre of the room for large family gatherings.

 

Chairs

 

Please follow the Australian Standard when choosing dining table chairs. Otherwise, you could run the risk of purchasing unsafe chairs that might injure someone.

 

Test the flexibility of each chair before you purchase it. Place your knees down on the seat of the chair and push the back of it. Place your hands on the arms and press down. If you don’t hear creaking but notice flexibility in the chair, then it is an excellent purchase to make.

 

Wood chairs are great to match the wood table. If you choose chairs with fabrics built into them, then you might need to add removable covers over them to protect their lifespan.

 

Lighting

 

You can make your dining table surface shine with the right lighting setup in your dining room. For instance, you could have a pendant light hang down from the ceiling toward the middle of the table. There should be at least 0.5 metres of distance between the light and the surface of the table.

 

You could add more lighting sources or use natural sunlight for a different shine effect on the table. It all depends on how many adjustable window treatments you have set up in the dining room. Some people have a dimmer switch installed to set a specific mood in the dining room. Just have fun with it.

 

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