Eating meals together is an easy, and enjoyable, way to create connections and strengthen bonds, choosing the right dining furniture an important means of tempting loved ones back to the table and into our lives. But how to choose the right dining furniture is an important question that should be well thought out before any purchase. Below is a quick outline
Choose A Furniture Style
It sounds obvious but first and foremost you need to decide on the right furniture style you want for your dining table. Is your home traditional with lots of rustic or period pieces? If so, pay attention to simple leg styles, such as turned, or tapered, and classic colors and finishes such as rich chocolate mahogany or smooth golden pine.
What is your dining room style?
Is your house more contemporary in style with lots of shiny surfaces, marble perhaps and acres of light? A glass topped table could be more appropriate in such a setting.
Is your décor harder to pin down to a specific label, showing your inner character by favoring a more eclectic mix of periods, design styles and materials? Consider choosing an item with a standard shape and size, but has a custom hand painting, or custom color. Alternatively, choose a custom designed item with a more subtle color palate.
Decide On A Wood Finish/Color Scheme
The size of your room should help dictate the finish of your new dining table. Specifically, in small spaces, a dark stain on the table top can make the petite proportions seem smaller still. If your room boasts large proportions, lighter colors can get lost in the space. In both cases, you’ll need to decide if you want to play by the rules and use a light finish in a small space and dark in a large room.
What color scheme is best for your room? Get creative!
Q: What Suits The Room?
To some extent the other furniture and fixtures in the room will dictate what kind of dining furniture and table you should buy. If you have a kitchen diner for example and are buying a farmhouse table to take pride of place in the heart of the home, you’ll want to consider surrounding elements such as the style and color of cabinet doors and work surfaces to ensure there is no jarring juxtaposition or harsh mish mash of styles in the same space.
If you have a standalone dining room, you have more scope to start from a blank page, particularly if you are choosing new dining chairs at the same time. If you’re only purchasing the table and already have chairs or benches to go with the new acquisition, you’ll need to pay them heed. The same for any accessories that you plan to keep in the room – storage, shelving even window dressings and floor coverings will all need to match up to give a seamless final look.
Client’s Beach House Blues
If you already have the dining chairs, you’ll clearly need to consider what will work with their existing styles. Consider the design era they pay homage too and the material or finish of the seating. If you can’t get an exact match, can you find something that goes the opposite way and gives a smooth contrast? If seats have cushions, can they be reupholstered to give more choice
Farm Table in NYC – made by ecustomfinishes
The only foolproof way to answer the question of size is to clear all other furniture out from the room and measure it from corner to corner. As a tip, try mapping out the dining and seating area with painters tape to help visualize. When choosing the right dining furniture, you must also remember to leave room to pull the chairs out. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want between 20-24 inches per place setting from the table to the wall to allow diners to get into and out of their seats comfortably. If you are space conscious, try opting for a trestle base and/or a dining benches instead of chairs, as both will help save space.
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To further help answer this question, we have created a dining table seating guide.
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What top tips do you have for choosing new dining furniture? Let us know in the comments.
