When you start choosing a luxury dining table, you might get easily spoilt for choice. Read this article to get to know how to pick the best furniture item!
A luxury dining table should become an ideal focal point of your living room. When you don’t have guests, you can use it as a part of your home office and your kids can do homework on it. From this article, you’ll get to know how to choose a perfect high-end dining table for your house or apartment. We’ll analyze different design styles and materials as well as share recommendations on smart measuring.
Contents
Style and Ambiance
Before you start looking for a dining table, you should understand which kind of ambiance you would like to create in your dining room: formal or informal.
Here are the distinctive characteristics of a formal dining room:
- Features a matching table and chair set, normally in luxury materials and with refined upholstery
- Most likely, there should be a buffet or sideboard, a china cabinet and an eye-catchy centerpiece
- Offers crisp, pressed linens and a full dinner service complete with serving dishes and a silverware service
- You can organize special dinners, celebratory meals and fine dining here
An informal dining room typically meets the following criteria:
- Is more relaxed
- Is suitable for everyday use
- Requires less storage space thanks to its proximity to the kitchen
- Tableware basics replace full dinner service
You don’t need to have a separate room for an informal dining room. You might consider using a designated area in an open-plan kitchen or conservatory for this purpose.
Now, let’s consider the most popular design styles of dining tables:
- Dining furniture that belongs to this style is typically made of wood. Instead of buying just one table, you’ll probably get a whole set that includes matching chairs, breakfront china cabinets and sideboards. The most popular interior accents for this style are crystal or wrought iron chandeliers or wall sconces.
- The primary characteristic features of this style are bleached, aged or painted white woods, neutral or pastel color palettes and organic materials like wicker or rattan. The most common type of seating is wooden ladder-back chairs and benches with soft removable seat pads.
- It’s a broad term that comprises such styles as Rococo, Gothic and all the design of the Louis eras. A decorative table is most frequently made of wood with carved elements. To make the most of it, you should consider using gilded tableware, statement chandeliers, brocades and damasks.
- Most likely, you’ve come across such tables in high-end hotels. They are defined by timeless silhouettes, flawless cutlery and crisp cotton table linens. The predominant color of textiles is white.
- This term is often synonymous with “forward-thinking”. You might either buy a modern dining room set or pick a table that becomes a contrasting accent to the overall interior of the room. The color palette of this style has no boundaries: it includes both purist tones and vibrant brights.
When choosing the optimal style, you should keep in mind the average age and aesthetic preferences of your guests.
Materials
Manufacturers usually create luxury dining tables from the following materials:
- It never goes out of fashion thanks to its versatility and extensive range of colors and textures. Depending on your taste and the overall aesthetics of the room, you might choose from various types of grain and finish.
- It’s a thin slice of wood fixed to a solid panel. This material is cheaper than wood but is also available in multiple finishes and colors. The veneer is durable and flexible.
- Glass tabletops work wonders in compact rooms, visually filling them with light and air. Tempered glass is the strongest option.
- It can be powder-coated, hammered, brushed or glossy. Manufacturers usually use metal to make the bases of dining tables but not tops. It looks stunning when paired with wood, marble or glass surfaces.
- Typically, manufacturers would make a marble tabletop and pair it with a metal or wooden base. However, you might come across full-marble tables as well. This material is the heaviest of all, so it would be wise to double-check flooring requirements before the purchase.
When selecting a dining table, don’t forget to ask the consultant which kind of maintenance each of the used materials requires.
Measuring
The size of your table should depend on how numerous your family is and how many guests you like to invite. If the table is too big, it might be challenging for you to create a sense of intimacy during a conversation. If the table is too compact, your guests might feel cramped.
Here are the recommended dimensions:
- Try to allow 23.6″ per guest
- If you use carver chairs, leave 27.5″ per guest
- An ideal height of a dining table is 29.5″
- There should be at least 7.4″ between the top of a diner’s legs and the lowest tabletop element
These dimensions might vary depending on the construction of the chairs you use. If you have chairs that are higher than average, the table should be higher too.
A smart tip to detect the ideal size: you might want to create a 2D mock-up of your dining table out of paper and lay it on the floor where you’re planning to place the real table.
If you opt for a conventional four-legged table, you should place the chairs around it so that the dining table legs won’t get in the way of human limbs. To avoid this problem, you might want to get a table with a pedestal base.
Extendable dining tables are a superb solution for those who like to invite guests frequently but would love to save space when there are no guests.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article came in handy and now you better understand how to select a premium dining table. Feel free to choose between formal or informal ambiance, traditional, classic, country, decorative or modern styles. Opt for materials that look stunning, last a long time and are easy to take care of. Thoroughly measure the room and the furniture to make sure everyone will feel comfortable during the dinner.
