How to Choose the Ideal Dining Table for Your Space

In the fast-paced world of today, spending time with loved ones is getting rarer and rarer as our list of important tasks increases. This is true for those who commute to work every day, as well as those with home offices. This shows the importance of sharing meals, as families that eat together stay together. But, eating in front of the TV or laptop doesn’t count – it’s the dining table that makes all the difference.

Why Is the Dinner Table Important?

Because it’s the actual piece of furniture that unites all of the family members, simply said. No matter how busy you all may be, it’s where you all get to reunite during the day, to share breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In addition to the opportunity to socialise and bond around it, and get some time away from the screens, it’s also crucial if you want to set some healthy habits about choosing healthy foods and doing mindful eating.

How to Buy the Right Dinner Table?

Now that you have a general idea about this crucial piece of furniture, it’s time to consider choosing the perfect one for the hub of your home: kitchen/dining area. The fact there’s an assortment of tables for dining room setups at the homeware stores and showrooms doesn’t make shopping easier as they’re all created to bring the fine dining experience into your home. But, you can make shopping less of a headache if you consider the following aspects.

Find the Ideal Size

For a table to be used properly and purposefully, it needs to be in an adequate size. For that reason, it’s advisable to get the measuring tape and get to work. Not only should you consider the room and space as a whole, but also the layout and the furniture already present in it.

This would help you get to the options that are suitable for your home. Ideally, there should be around a metre of space left on all sides of the table for you all to be able to sit and move comfortably. While you’re at it, be sure to look into elbow space too, with about 70 cm being the ideal number. This would give you an idea of the suitable size of tables for dining room setups as well as the chairs you could pair them with to make the most of this available space.

If you’re not shopping in-store where you actually have the chance to see and try out the table arrangements yourself, then check all the product specs about the desired table when shopping online. This would provide you with all the info you need, and then you can move on to checking the size of the chairs you can work with too. When you simply need to get a bigger table than your space allows, mainly because you plan on doing some entertaining every now and then, there’s the solution in the form of an extendable design.

And the Ideal Shape

The shape of the dining tables is just as important as the size, and what you prefer may not always be ideal for the home. Your decision comes down to the room’s size as much as the room’s shape. For example, while a round table could be the perfect match for a smaller square room, it’s not the best choice for a smaller rectangular room.

A different shape, like oval, could work better in a rectangular room, whereas a rectangular table won’t work that well in a smaller square room. Moreover, if you’re looking for more closeness, and you love socialising, the round and the oval shapes are options to go for, while the rectangular and the square are choices that give you more space fit for serving dishes.

Keep in mind that the overall comfort can depend on the size and shape of the table supports too, so you should check whether the trestle, pedestal, or legs are your ideal supports. It all depends on how many people you normally have at the table, as well as the type of chairs you match the table with.

Then Move On to the Material

Since dining room tables are considerable purchases, you want to make it right with the choice of material, because in the best case scenario, this is a furniture piece that’s supposed to last for at least ten years. One great material known for its sturdiness, durability, as well as aesthetic appeal, is wood with teak wood being one great choice for indoor as much as outdoor use due to its incredible resilience.

Pine, acacia and oak are other excellent popular choices. Still, if you’re looking for something less expensive (though it may be of less quality), wood veneer is more affordable than solid wood. In addition to the choice of material, there’s some effect on the durability from the finish too, so be sure to focus on the treatment of the table as well. Lastly, give the style some thought too, remembering that wood and wood veneer are great for enhancing the space with warmth, and a more elegant and traditional style, whereas glass, stone, metal, and plastic are modern options that offer a more contemporary aesthetic.