How to Get the Best Dining Table for Your Home

by Jessica Thomson Expert Blogger

Each room of your home serves a unique purpose and provides different experiences. While a living room may be the place where you unwind after a day’s work and entertain guests, a dining table is where families come together over a delicious meal and bond. Hence, choosing the right dining room table is no joke: it has to be within your budget, be of solid construction, fit perfectly into your available space, and match with the style of your interior décor.

A few factors need to be considered to choose the right one.

· Make Use of the Measuring Tape

More than the looks and style of the table, the most important factor is that it should fit in your dining space. This particular piece of furniture can be misleading if you try to measure it with just your eyes. Not only do you need to accurately measure its area, but the surrounding space too. The general rule is that a table should have a width of 90 centimetres. There are two different ways to take measurements for a correct estimation.

§ Table-to-wall clearance

To do this, you need to take the measurements of the space around the room. This will help you leave some space around the furniture allowing for sitting and getting up. Generally, it’s better to leave 100-120 centimetres of space between the furniture and the walls.

§ Table-to-furniture clearance

You may have other furniture in your room. In that case, start measuring from the edge of the furniture rather than the wall and apply the same rule.

A single individual requires about 60 centimetres of space to comfortably sit and eat. You can always squeeze in another seat or two but that will compromise the room’s comfort.

To properly design the space, you need to:

· Focus on Your Needs over the Shape

Don’t focus too much on options or shapes before you know your requirements. Square and rectangular designs may be more abundant and have a larger number of options regarding styles and sizes, but the round or oval-shaped options offer more space for moving around. They may lack the corners, but still, have a good amount of surface area. This is perfect if you have a smaller space.

· Choose the Right Table Support

The number of people that can comfortably sit at a table is determined by its base, which usually is the legs, a pedestal or a trestle. When you visit a store, sit at the table to see if your legs are colliding with the furniture legs. The perfect furnishing will leave you enough space for your knees or cross your legs. If you want more space for easy movement, then focus on getting furniture with thinner legs or make sure the legs are at least at the corners.

· Choose the Right Table Material

This can be tricky as the material not only has to match your personal style but also your budget while also being easily maintainable as well. If your dining table fails in fulfilling the aforementioned criteria, then you might end up paying for it later. The popular choices for materials include wood, stone, veneer, glass, metal, and plastic. Among all these, solid wood is the most durable and easiest to repair. Even though it is probably the most expensive option, the durability and easy-maintenance very much make up for it.

The proper dining table will accentuate your dining room in the best way possible. With so many shapes and sizes available, choosing the most suitable one for your home may seem difficult. But if you know the right factors and the right place to look for them, then making the decision becomes easier.