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How to Calculate the Best Table Size for Your Dining Room

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Congratulations on your decision to get a new dining room table. Choosing a new style of table can change the whole vibe in your dining area. It's important to choose a table that fits the size of your room so there's room for everyone to walk around. Taking the time to measure the size of your dining room and comparing your open floor space to standard table sizes can help you choose a piece of furniture that's a good fit for your home.

Determine the Size of Your Dining Area

Hook the end of a tape measure to something solid against the wall, like the door trim, or have a helper hold the end against the wall. Measure all the way across the room to the opposite wall. Make a note of this size, and then repeat the measuring process on the other two walls in the room. Multiply the two numbers together to determine the size of the room in square feet. If you're choosing a dining table for a room in a house with an open floor plan, measure to the edge of the area where you want the dining area to end.

Draw the Room

Sketch the room on a sheet of grid paper or enter the dimensions in a 3D room layout planning tool. While a larger open space around the table gives a room a casual, airy feeling, allow a minimum of three feet around the perimeter of the room for walking space. The remaining space in the center of the room is the maximum to allow for a dining table. It's easier to fit a small table into a large room than it is to crowd an oversized table into a tiny room. If you have extra floor space available after placing your dining table, you can adjust the way it's positioned in the room to enhance the flow of foot traffic and increase visual appeal.

Consider Decor Elements Around the Room's Outer Edge

Some pieces of furniture are big enough they're hard to move, making them almost a permanent part of your floor plan. If there are other large furnishings around the outer edge of the room, such as a hutch or curio cabinet, be sure to include the dimensions of those items in your sketch and in your calculations.

The Role of Table Top Shapes in Choosing Table Size

This is a tip you may see at play if you look closely at tabletops for restaurants. This is because restaurant tables are often packed in snugly to provide seating for as many patrons as possible. When space is at a premium — for example if you have a small dining area and can't arrange it to leave floor space around the table — consider a round or oval table. The rounded edges of the tabletop can allow for foot traffic.

Consider a Table That Has a Leaf

Choosing a table that has a leaf is one easy way to accommodate an occasional large group while enjoying the coziness of a small table. Just add the leaf when guests are coming over and remove it when there's a smaller group present. Floor space may be tied up with the leaf is installed, but it's also freed up when you restore the table to its smaller leaf-free size.

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