The prospect of choosing a dining room table is an exciting one whether it's for a home you've just purchased, or you're simply replacing an old one. But since a dining room table is hardly a throw-away item, buying one should never be a snap decision. You have a lot to think about before you decide on one.
Think First, Buy Later
There's the matter of style, shape, and color, as well as
the type of chairs to set around it. But before you even set foot into a furniture
store, lest you fill your head and heart with an impossible dream, consider,
number one - the size of your dining room and secondly, the maximum number of
guests you're likely to ever invite over for dinner. Both these details will
help you decide on whether a round, square, or rectangular table will serve you
best. And if your everyday family is small, but your extended family is......
well, extended, you might want to limit your choice to ones that come with
a space-extending leaf.
Think and Think Again
Once you've taken all these into account, you can hone in
on tables that will suit your space and go on
to play a part in making many happy memories. But first, the brass tacks:
·
Does its price tag fit your budget?
·
Is it solidly constructed?
·
Will its style reflect your tastes for years to come?
The reason for asking yourself the first two of these questions
is self-explanatory, but the third requires taking a longer look. If it's
trendy your guests may envy you for keeping up with the latest style in home
furnishings. But what will they think in a few years when it becomes
out-of-date?
Ready, Set Go
Once you have all these nitty-gritty details in mind,
it's time to visit the furniture store or outlet. Yes, visit the store, as in
person, Don't even think about shopping online. Much of what goes
into choosing a dining room table requires
real-life, real-time in-person examination.
Measure it
Take a tape measure along with you so you can measure any
tables that meet your fancy. But don't forget to measure the dimensions of the
dining room before you leave home, since knowing how long and how wide a table
is won't tell you much about how it will fit in your dining room unless you
know how long and wide the room is.
In order to protect your walls, you also need to factor in
three feet of clearance space on all sides of the table, since this is how much
room your guests and family members will need to push back their chairs when
the meal is over. Anything less than that will subject your walls to marks or
dents on the backs of their chairs. This is how chair rails came by their
name.
Having said that, neither should you be too cautious. There's
nothing more pitiful than a small table adrift in a room that calls for a
bigger table, So go a bit bigger than you initially thought you
needed.
Consider Comfort
There is physical comfort and then there is social comfort. Shy
people can get lost at a long rectangular table, especially if they can't get
the attention of the more talkative individuals who are holding forth at the
far end. A round table will give everyone an equal footing.
Speaking of footings, take a peek under the table. What type of
base does it have? Pedestal? Trestle? Or legs? And how much room do the
supports take up? If it's a pedestal, is there enough room for you to
scoot your chair up to the tabletop while dining without your knees
hitting the base? Do the supports give you enough height to cross your legs?
What will happen if you have to squeeze in extra people at holiday time?
Pedestals, because of their ventral base, allow you flexibility when it
comes to fitting more people at the table; while trestle tables can be
deceiving since more people can squeeze in along the sides, but depending on
where the trestle supports attach to the tabletop, can limit space at the ends
of the table.
With all these
considerations swimming in your mind, it's wise to go home and let your
thoughts solidify. Because only when you can see the table in your
mind can you choose dining room chairs to go with it.
But that's a mission for another day.
