How To Choose a Great Dining Table for Your Home

If you’re looking for a new dining table, there are many different factors you will need to consider. The dining table is the heart of the kitchen or dining room and can make or break the look and feel of the room that it is in, so choosing one is no simple task.

The dining table is where both friends and family come together, so making a great choice is essential. If you’ve been shopping around already, you’ll have noticed that there are quite literally limitless options available on the market, in a variety of styles, models and materials.

Finding your perfect dining table

Whether you’re looking for something small, large, circular, or rectangular, whether you have a big or small family, or are looking to find a piece that caters to large dinners for multiple guests, there is something available for you – you just have to know how to look for it.

The first thing to consider is how you are going to use your new dining table. Sometimes, we have multiple dining tables for different occasions, so we must consider whether we’re looking for a table that will be used for everyday dining, for special occasions, or something to double up as a workstation or desk.

Which dining table size should you choose?

We also need to consider how many people will frequently be using the table - larger families need larger tables! For example, having six seats, when usually only four people sit at the table, is a great choice as it caters for a couple of guests at each meal. You can also opt for an extendable table and keep a couple of spare chairs tucked away, so that if need be you can extend the table and seat a couple more people.

Dining table styles

Deciding on a glossy or matte finish for your table is yet another thing to consider when purchasing a new piece. Wood finishes tend to be glossy, whereas tempered glass or other materials can be matte. Glass tables can also be clear, and help to make the space feel more open, but a frosted glass piece will be durable and look astounding in the centre of a minimalist dining room. Only consider extending tables if you are not short on space, there’s no point in having an extending table if it’s going to make your kitchen feel cramped.

Dining table shapes

There are a variety of options to choose from when it comes to the shape of the table. Rounded, oval tables always make a space feel a little more social, yet rectangular tables seem to be more practical and easier to fit in most circumstances. Going for a round table is a great choice, however, if you have a massive amount of space in your dining room.

You want to make sure your dining table has appropriate dimensions, so seeing dining tables in a showroom will always help to give you a better feel of how the table will look in your home than simply viewing the piece online would.

Choose your chairs

Once you have set your sights upon the dining table that you think is perfect for you and your home, you will want to think about the type of chairs that you are going to use. In conjunction with a new dining table, the chairs you choose are important to the overall look and feel of your dining room.

Height is a big factor, ensuring that you are comfortable when sitting at your table is a must – you don’t want guests sitting uncomfortably as you serve them dinner! If you’ve gone for a tall dining table, height adjustable seats are probably the way to go, as everyone will want to position themselves in their own way, whereas if your table is of a regular height, chairs with good lumbar support are a must.

Making sure your new chairs match the theme of your dining table can be difficult, perhaps ask the vendor from which you purchased your table if there is a specific set of chairs intended to go with your table, if not, search around until you find something suitable!

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