Round Dining Table

The purpose of a dining room in a home is to not only provide a place to have a meal, but also just as importantly, provide an area for your family and close friends to gather and socialize with each other. Often considered to be the most essential component in a dining room is the dining table as it is the centerpiece. With so many different dining tables, I’ll just focus on round dining tables for now in this hub.

I believe the main reason for a greater preference towards choosing a round dining table is because of practicality. Compared to a square or oblong dining table, round dining tables take less space as they don’t have corners. Given the wide selections available, I’ll go through some of important criteria that you should consider before you make your choice.

The very first thing you should do before even looking at any dining table is to take measurements of your dining room. The idea is that you want to be able to fit both your round dining table and chairs. Furthermore, there needs to be sufficient space around the table so that you and your guests can move freely and conveniently as well as have space to pull out the chairs without bumping into the walls or other furniture (or each other!). The rule of thumb is that you should leave approximately 48 inches of space between the edges of the table and the wall and nearby furniture.

Another practical factor that will determine the table size is the number of people you expect to be regularly sitting at the table. If there are only four people in your family, maybe a small round dining table is good enough. Remember how I mentioned earlier that the purpose of a dining area is for people to socialize over a good meal? If you get an overly large dining table, it can become difficult to carry a conversation across the table.

However, you also wouldn’t want to purchase a table that is too small as it needs to able to nicely fit the food you are serving and the place settings without needing squeeze them all together.

If you don’t wish to commit to one particular table size or you wish to have a level of versatility, you can consider a round dining table with leaf which allows you to adjust the size as needed. The common types are the butterfly leaf and the drop leaf round dining table. The former type has two sections of the table top that fold inward at the center. The latter type allows you to fold down either two or four end segments of the table.

It’s true that round dining tables are great for small rooms, but you should still take into account of the shape of your dining room. If the room is long, deep and narrow, probably you need to consider oblong or oval shaped tables instead. You might be able to just fit a round dining table in the room, but then the edge on two sides of the table might end up to be too close to the walls and be rendered unusable.

There is definitely no shortage in the options on the material from which a round dining table can be made. There are a couple of main factors that would affect your choice. First of all, you should consider the amount of time you have and the amount of effort you are willing to give for the proper care of your table. For example, a pine round dining table will likely scratch more easily than a round oak dining table being a softwood, so you’ll need to be more cautious in regards to the items you place on the table as well as how you treat it. Another example is if you have a particular preference for a round glass dining table. Fingerprints, especially from oily hands tend to show up more visibly on glass so you would need to regularly wipe it down with some sort of window cleaning agent.

Another factor affecting material choice is style. This is going to depend on a combination of the style of your dining room, style of your home and your personal taste. Ideally, you want the design of the dining table to not clash with the room and also emit a welcoming vibe to you and others. If traditional Victorian era style is the look you are going for, may be an antique round dining table with a pedestal and intricate carvings is suitable. Otherwise, for the contemporary look, a sleek modern round dining table made from metal would be better.

Finally, the amount of money you are willing to spend is an important consideration. Quite often, you may not be just buying a dining table by itself especially in cases where you are furnishing from scratch. People tend toward a round dining table set which consists of the table and matching chairs. This can quickly add up in costs. However, it may not be necessary to blow your budget in order to achieve the style you desire. For example, if you want the reddish color of oak wood, rather than buying a solid oak dining table, you can instead get a fiberboard (MDF) dining table with an oak finish.