Gather Round
A dining table is a place where memories are made, where families meet for celebration dinners, regular meals and sociable chats, so getting the right one for you is essential
In many homes, the formal dining room has largely disappeared or been turned to other uses such as a kids’ TV room. Now, it’s more usual for eating areas to be part of a kitchen, an open-plan living room or somewhere between the two. This change in habits also means the large rectangular dining tables designed for more formal meals are no longer fit for purpose – so it’s worth finding a dining table that works for the space you have and for your actual lifestyle (as much as we may dream of smart dinner parties!). Here are some tips for choosing a dining table that is perfect for you.
Firstly and most obviously, think about the room the table is going into: will it suit the size and shape? Will it allow easy access to other essential pieces of furniture like storage cupboards, dressers and side tables? A good rule of thumb is to have at least 1m of clearance space behind chairs so people can sit and get up easily, and get around seated guests.
For example, a big open space can easily fit a large round, oval or square-shaped table. If your room is narrower, a long table is better suited.
Consider placing your table so it follows the lines of the room and draws the eye along it. This can help make a small room seem longer than it is and also helps with natural movement in the room.
In a small space, such as a cottage kitchen or a studio flat, a round table may be the best option. Not only does it make moving around easier, but it will also create breathing space, helping the room to feel less ‘boxy’ and more ‘cute’.
Conversely a round table also works well in a knockedthrough open living-dining space that can feel a bit tunnel-like and overwhelm pieces of furniture. A rounder shape at one end of the space will soften this impression, as well as providing a focus and identity for one part of the room. Also useful in open-plan spaces, is to make a feature of the table without making it feel overly formal and use it as a dividing zone between the kitchen and the living area.
This will help to bring the whole room together and also bridge the gap between everyday and special occasions. It’s also practical, as you will have easy access with hot dishes from the kitchen without the obstacle course of the everyday mess of the family living room.
If space is tight, forget about dining chairs and choose benches and/or stools as a more ergonomic way of fitting several people around the table. Most benches are designed to tuck neatly under the table when not in use, further reducing the table’s footprint in a small space.
What should your table be made from? Wood is the obvious choice – it comes in a range of natural shades and can be stained or painted any colour you want. It’s also hard-wearing (with a little care and attention now and again) and for many of us, the dings and scratches family life inevitably create make it a more precious belonging.
However, if you are not blessed with much natural light in your dining space, a glass-topped table is a better choice. It will open up and lighten the space and a swipe of glass cleaner will keep it shiny. The other advantage is that it allows you to make much more of a design statement with the dining chairs, so it’s an opportunity for some bold shapes and colours.
Finally, metallic finishes such as gold, silver, copper and iron are a strong statement and will work with whatever colour or pattern you choose elsewhere in the room for rugs, wallpaper or textiles. You could go all over metallic (a copper effect surface works really well with on-trend monochromes) or just have the table legs in metal.