How to Shop for a Dining Table

Increasingly, home entertaining is becoming a big part of the social fabric of western culture. Because food, friends, and family so often are the focus of life, many homeowners want a dining room that is warm and inviting. There, they can celebrate holidays with family and develop wonderful memories with friends.

In the search for such a dining room, choosing the right dining table is essential. There are literally thousands of different dining tables on the market, which can make it difficult to decide on just the right one. However, if you know a little bit about what to look for and how to properly shop for a dining table, the process can actually be a lot of fun.

Start With a Measuring Tape

The process of shopping for any furniture starts with measuring. There are a number of measurements you need to make (and make accurately) before you ever set foot in a furniture showroom.

First of all, you need to measure all doorways, hallways, and corners between the entrance to your home and the dining room. There is no better way to ruin your dining table shopping experience than to find the perfect table and not be able to get it in the room.

Next, measure all dimensions of the dining room itself. Furniture showrooms tend to be large spaces. This can make judging the size difficult by sight only. When you walk in, you should know exactly how big you want and how big you can afford to have your dining table be. The general rule is that your need about 35 inches around the table at the very least. This is to allow for people to move chairs in and out as well as move around the table during meals.

Having these measurements done before you shop can go a long way in helping your dining table shopping experience to be a good one.

Know Your Needs

Once you know how big the table can be, you should probably think about how big the table needs to be. Not everyone entertains 22 people at a time, so it is important to consider how many people you will need to sit around the dining table at maximum.

Once you have come up with that number, it is important to know how much space needs to be on a dining table in order for it to accommodate the number of people you need. The rule of thumb is that each person needs a space in front of them about 22 inches wide and about 14 inches deep. Decide what your needs are and then be prepared to measure the table on the show-floor accordingly.

Square, Round, or Rectangle? That is the Question

At some point while you are shopping for a dining table, you will need to decide what shape you want the table to be. Consider the pros and cons of each:

The square table: Square tables are great for smaller rooms. They create a more intimate feel in the room. They can be very aesthetically pleasing when they match up with the size of the room proportionately. On the downside, they do not do well when you have medium to large groups for entertaining.

The rectangle table: When you have a larger room, there are a couple of advantages to a rectangular table. For one, they seat more people than a square table. A rectangular table will seat more people than a square one as well, which makes it ideal for dinner parties, having family over, and playing on the length of a dining room.

The round table: A round table can do a lot to promote conversation around the table and create a more intimate setting that still seats more people. When you use a round table, it is more communal; everyone can see each other more easily, everyone can reach items in the center more easily, and most everyone is equidistant from everyone else. The drawback, of course, is that they are not real efficient in terms of space.

The Look

The next thing you have to consider is the finish you will get. Assuming you will go with the more common wood tables, you have to decide what your taste and your décor dictates.

Darker finishes like walnut give your room a more formal look to them. On the other hand, the lighter finishes like maple give you a more contemporary look with a lighter feel to the room. Then there are finishes like oak that fall somewhere in between and offer a more neutral look and feel to the room.

If you don't think that you want a wood finish. You, of course, have other options. You can look for a glass top table. While glass tops can look nice, keep in mind that every fingerprint and every paw print (if you have cats) shows up and must be dealt with to keep the room looking nice. In the end, though, you have to decide what look you enjoy the most for your dining room table.

Then There are the Leaves

You may decide, no matter what shape you get, that you want a table with a leaf. The leaf will allow you to have some flexibility in who you can accommodate, but will also allow you to keep the table from overwhelming your room. If you decide you want a leaf, there are a couple of things to consider.

First and easiest, there are the newer tables that hold their own leaf. While more expensive, this is going to offer you the most ease of use. In most cases, the leaf rotates under the table. This will save you space and still allow you the flexibility of having the leaf.

The other, more traditional leaf is the type that comes completely out of the table and must be stored separately. If this is what you go with, it is important to know how to store your leaf. In order to prevent warping, you should store the leaf flat, rather than leaning up against a wall or standing in a corner somewhere. An ideal place to keep it is lying flat under your bed. Additionally, make sure that you keep the leaf covered so that dust and other materials do not gather on it thus weakening it.

Shop

Once you know what you want, what you can afford, how much space you have, and what finish you think you will like, it is time to shop. Be sure to ask a lot of questions and see plenty of tables before you make a final decision.

While buying furniture can be stressful, buying a dining table does not have to be. By understanding the process of preparing to shop for dining tables, you can make your decision easier and thus the entire process a lot more fun.