Dining room

How large a dining table will fit in a dining room?

A dining table fits when you can leave roughly 90 centimetres between the edge of the table and the wall or larger piece of furniture where people need to pass. So measure the room with the chairs pulled out, not just the tabletop. In a narrow dining room, an elongated table can give better walkways, while a round table often makes it easier to move around the corners.

How much space is needed between the dining table and the wall?

Allow around 90 centimetres between table and wall where a chair needs to be pulled out and someone needs to pass at the same time. If the passage is rarely used, slightly less can work, but under 75 centimetres quickly becomes cramped. If you have a sideboard behind the chairs, you need to measure from its front edge, not from the wall behind.

How high should the ceiling light hang above the dining table?

A ceiling light above the dining table often works best when its lower edge sits roughly 60–80 centimetres above the tabletop, but the size of the fitting and its spread of light decide. A wide chandelier often needs a little more air than a slim pendant. Always sit down and check the sightline: the lamp should light the table without obscuring the person opposite. Do also measure from the underside of the tabletop if the fitting is visually heavy.

Which fabric suits dining chairs that are used often?

A fabric for dining chairs should be tightly woven, stable and suited to upholstery use, since the seat and front edge get considerably more friction than a curtain. Texture can be practical, since minor marks show less clearly. Always check the product's area of use and choose a colour that works with the table, the rug and the evening lighting alike.

How many chairs fit around a 200-centimetre dining table?

A table 200 centimetres long often seats three chairs of normal width per long side, so six places there, plus any chairs at the ends if the table's legs and width allow. Allow roughly 60 centimetres per seat and check the chairs' actual width. Carver chairs often need more space than chairs without armrests.

The dining table's dimensions govern the dining room

The dining room becomes easier to plan when you start with the dimensions rather than the style. A table needs to fit both when everyone is seated and when someone gets up with a chair behind them. On the dining tables page you can compare different proportions. A clear example is Mahogany Round Extending Dining Table 150–187 cm, where the round shape changes how the walkways work compared with a long rectangular table. For larger gatherings, Extending Refectory Dining Table offers a different kind of flexibility.

Once the table is chosen, the dining chairs become the next question of dimensions. The chair's width, armrests and the angle of the back affect how many places actually fit. Ebrington matstol is an example of a chair that should be judged together with the position of the table's legs, not just against the length of the tabletop. If you want more storage in the room, Hudson sideboard, dark — Theodore Alexander, Spindle cabinet with 4 doors — Uttermost or Bouquet 2 Door Cabinet can have a wall of their own without competing with the walkway around the table.

The light above the table needs to work from seated height

A dining room is often used once daylight has begun to fade, so the ceiling light becomes an important part of the room. Start with the centre of the table and then check the fitting's width and height. Asalea Medium Two-Tier Takkrona and Matthew 40" Takpendel demand more visual space than Norman One Light Takpendel or Limoges Takpendel Small. In a long dining room, several smaller points of light can also be easier to distribute than a single large one.

Do complement the ceiling light with lower lighting against a wall or sideboard. That way you can use the dining room after dinner too, without the whole room needing to be equally brightly lit. On the lighting page you can compare how different types of fitting can work together.

Textiles that stand up to long dinners

Dining chairs are small surfaces but are used intensively. An upholstery fabric such as Webbing Stripe Tyg or Morris & Co Tyg Fruit can add colour and texture without the whole room needing to be patterned. For a calmer expression, compare more options among fabrics and judge the sample together with the table's wood and the floor.

A rug under the table needs to be large enough for the chair legs to remain on the rug even when the chair is pulled back. Karachi 304x198 cm, Kelim 300x223 cm and Ziglar 307x248 cm show how different formats can affect the table's visual weight. See more options among rugs and always measure the rug with the chairs pulled out.

The walls can take more depth

The dining room can often carry bolder walls than a room you pass through, since the furniture is concentrated around the table. On the wallpaper page you can choose between texture and pattern without competing with the kitchen's more practical surfaces. If you want to compare adjoining rooms, move on to kitchen or living room; they need different priorities from the dining room.

Via the product page you can visualise wallpaper and fabric when you are logged in. It helps particularly when you want to see how a pattern relates to the size of the table and the position of the lamp. You can then book a free consultation or visit the showroom at Sturegatan 20 in Stockholm to compare materials and proportions at your leisure.

The position of the chairs decides whether the dimensions work in practice

A table can look just right on a floor plan yet still be impractical if the chairs have no room to move. So mark out the tabletop on the floor and add a zone roughly one chair deep all round before deciding on size. Against a wall that is almost never passed, the margin can be tighter, but by a door, serving route or sideboard you need more space. Carver chairs also take up more width than chairs without armrests. When comparing dining chairs, you should therefore check both the overall width and how the legs meet the table's base.

Serving furniture works best when it does not sit in the main walkway. Fusion Four Door Sideboard can provide storage along a free wall, while a smaller cabinet may be better in a room where doors and windows already break up the surface. Look at the dining room from seated height, too: that is where you experience the lamp, the wallpaper and the proportions of the furniture for the longest time.

Read on: Wallpaper for the Dining Room