Eating is one of the great pleasures in life, so kit out a dining area to tempt the family back to the table. But what do you need to know when buying a dining table and chairs? Find out here…
By Caroline Rodrigues
Heal's solid oiled-oak table with mix and match chairs
1) What’s My Style?
Whether you want to feast like Henry VIII or recreate Abigail’s Party, there’s a table to suit. Whet your appetite on elegant painted designs with curvy carved legs, opt for seriously chunky solid wood or go for space-enhancing glass tops. Then there are monkish refectory styles, Victorian pedestals, and practical gate-leg tables.
Above: Go for the casual approach, teaming a solid oiled-oak table with mix and match chairs. The table extends to seat 10 people. Franklin table (H75 x W200-302 x D100cm), around £1,495; Tommy green leather chair, £150, Gaia chairs, around £100 each, all Heal’s.
Choose your finish with care; dark wood furniture has a rich, inviting appeal but can seem to close in the space, while glass or high-gloss white are the only options for your designer pad. Instead of buying your dining chairs to match the table, picking an eclectic mix will make your room the envy of the street.
John Lewis Wharf dining furniture
Do your homework before you shop, considering where you’ll place the table and how you’ll use it. An open plan kitchen diner needs furniture that will co-ordinate with kitchen units, and it’ll be used for everyday family meals so choose a table top that’s hardwearing.
Left: The walnut finish and sleek styling of this table, matched with leather covered dining chairs makes this Wharf dining furniture a great match for a kitchen diner or open plan space. Table, £395; chairs, £175 each, all John Lewis.
High back chairs are a good way to section off a dining area in a living room or kitchen, while low-back ones help to enlarge the feeling of space. In a room that’s solely for dining, you can choose your furniture to create a particular ambiance, whether that means rich woods, polished to a shine, or glamorous glass. A circular table is a neat use of space, while a rectangle or square table has an expansive look. An oval shape is a good compromise.
The easiest way to find out the table size to fit your room is to lay newspaper on the floor, allowing space between the paper and the walls for the chairs, and any other furniture. You’ll need at least 61cm between the table and the wall, or ideally 90cm.
To work out how many people you can fit around the table, allow at least 53cm, or a more generous 60cm per place setting; for a round table, allow around 75cm, or alternatively, measure the diameter in inches, then divide by eight.
At Christmas or for dinner parties, extra places are often needed, so consider tables with drop-leaf, drawer-leaf or centre and end leaves – and allow for these when you’re measuring the space in the room.
If you’re buying a set of chairs, this will often include two carvers (chairs with arms), but you’ll be able to fit more people around the table if you simply choose side chairs. Those trendsetting benches are fine for kids, but most adults won’t thank you for an evening on one.
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