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Written By Lucy @The Luxe Home
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So, you're thinking of getting a new dining table, you might prefer a round dining table or a marble dining table, whatever it is you want, you want one big enough to get your friends and family round but not so big it takes over the whole room and everyone has to slide by the walls to get to their seat!
Choosing the right size dining table for your kitchen/dining area can be difficult but fear not because this easy guide will make it so much easier for you to find the perfect size dining table.
People vary in sizes and shape but an average each person will need 60-70cm of room from elbow to elbow. 10cm can make a big difference to the number of people around your dining table and how comfortable they will be. I suggest going with 70cm that may mean less seats but you and your family and friends will all be comfortable and if there is too much room you can always add another seat. Just remember anything less than 60cm and be prepared for a cosy encounter with whoever you're sitting next too.
The Native Home & Lifestyle Dining Table in Marble Glass Silver 160 x 90 x 75cm
Measuring the number of seats you'd like and finding the size of your dining table is a great start but quite often we're limited by the size of room. It'd be great if we could all have a 20 seater banquet table but unfortunately most of us (including me) just don't have the space.
A good general rule of thumb is to leave roughly 90cm of space, whether thats from a wall or counter, on every side of the table that you plan to put chairs. This means people will have enough room to walk past when someone is seated and your friends and family will be able to slide their chairs out without smacking into a wall. You can of course make the clearance smaller but it might mean people have to slide down one side of the table to get to their seats!
When your measuring your 90 cm of clearance you might be thinking, thats a lot of space for a dining table. But remember you've still got to fit your dining chair and a person sat down in that chair! No one wants to eat a lovely meal whilst being pressed into the dining table!
Another thing we often forget to take into consideration is where the legs are placed on a dining table. This is important as the length of the dining table might be 120cm but the legs are placed 40cm from the edge and you don't want your guest to have to sit with a table leg in the middle of their own legs. Meaning you've almost lost a full seat!
So you've measured the size dining table you need for the number of seats you'd like, then you've measured to see if that size table will fit into your dining room/area. Now you need to consider what you want to use the table for.
You might be thinking, well, i want a dining table we can eat around, of course, but what else will it be used for? Will it be a table that gets used every day or maybe its a table that sits in a room that's only used when you have guests over. Will you, your family or friends be working or studying at the table? Is the dining table where you sit when your having a cuppa and a catch up with a friend?
You need to consider what your dining table will be used for because if its a table thats used daily and for eating, studying and catching up with friends well then you might want to get a table that fits well within your room size so that people can manoeuvre and walk around the table easily. However, if your buying a table that will only be used for special occasions then buying a table with room for more seats but is a little bit of a squeeze might be a better option!
Choosing the shape of your dining table will also effect what size dining table you might be able to fit into your dining room. Round and square tables are perfect for smaller spaces and rectangular tables are usually more suited to longer more narrow rooms. So keep in mind the shape of your room when picking the shape of dining table.
There are occasions when you might want a bigger dining table than you can 'fit' in your dining area. If this is the case you can use a few sneaky tricks to make it 'fit'.
For example, you've bought a rectangular dining table that's a little too big. Rather than having chair on both sides, you can use a dining bench on one side and chairs on the other. Place the bench against the wall and push the dining table against the wall so it covers your bench. Just make sure your bench fits in between the table legs on either end. You can pull the table out when you have guest and slide the table back against the wall when they're gone!
Another more obvious choice is to use extendable dining tables. Similar to above you can extend the dining table when you need to and pack it away when the guests are gone.
Just remember if you are planning on squeezing it in, you still want whoever is sat down to be comfortable so don't squeeze too much!
| Number of Seats | Dining table size (Length x Width) |
|---|---|
| 4 seater dining table | 75 - 90cm x 75 - 90cm |
| 6 seater dining table | 120- 40cm x 75cm - 90cm |
| 8 seater dining table | 150cm - 220cm x 75cm - 90cm |
| 10 seater dining table | 180cm - 280cm x 90cm - 100cm |
| 4 seater round dining table | 107-122 cm (diameter) |
| 6-8 seater round dining table | 152 cm (diameter) |
That's it, you should now have some idea of what the right size dining table is for your home. Now all you need to is go and find it. We do stock a gorgeous range of dining tables so be sure to check them out when you're having a look around.
