Dining Table Design Basics

Dining tables are humble, hardworking home furnishings. We eat at them day after day, pretty them up for holiday dinners, yet pound on them when we need a work table. A well made table requires almost no maintenance, and in return gives generations of solid service. I’ve made over 2,000 tables in my 20 years as a reproduction furniture maker. What follows are basic points to consider in table design.

How much room to allow for each person?

Along the side of a rectangular table, allow 23" minimum width per place setting or per side chair. A roomier arrangement is 30" per setting, and that’s what you need with most arm chairs. Allow about a foot in front of each chair for a place setting, plus whatever space you need for food or centerpiece type décor in the middle of the table.
A 30 inch wide table can be really intimate, or can work in tight quarters such as a small kitchen. A table of this width unfortunately leaves little room between diners for food, dishes or décor. Table widths between 36 and 40 inches gives you about 12" in the middle of the table for dishes and décor. Forty-two inch wide tables give ample room in the middle. For extra large tables, or in extra large rooms, tables with widths of 44" work well. Widths greater than 44" begin to be almost too wide, making conversation and food passing more difficult.