From family Christmas dinners to big birthday buffets, your dining room table is the centre of so many important moments. So how do you choose the right dining table for your space and needs?

Style, material, size, and shape are all important when choosing a dining table but sometimes the amount of choice can be overwhelming. We looked into each of these factors to help you narrow down your options and find your perfect dining room table.

How Do You Use Yours?

Before we delve into the specifics, it’s first important to think about how you use your dining room table. We tend to find most households fall into one of the following categories:

Daily Dining

If you’re running a busy family home, your dining table is most likely the place where you all come together for your daily meals. Depending on the size of your family, you’ll need a sturdy table that can accommodate you all. Functionality is key.

Home Hub

In open-plan homes, the dining table is often a central feature in the room. If that’s the case in your home, you’ll want your table to be as attractive as it is functional. Go for something eye-catching that brings the space together.

Special Occasions

If your home has a dedicated dining room, your table might be tucked away and only used for special occasions. Sound familiar? You don’t need to worry so much about hard-wearing materials or functional pieces. Your table is for big events so go for something fancy.

Office Space

Does your dining room table double up as your office? In this case, versatility is most important – make sure your table looks just as good as a desk as it does a dining space. Industrial-style dining tables often work best.

white oak table oak legs

Style and Material

Choosing the right materials for your dining room table should be influenced by your existing interior decor. If you have a very bright, spacious, Scandi-style home, materials like light woods and glass fit in nicely. Lots of chic greys, blues, or other dark colours in your home? Go for dark woods and metals to match.

If you’re not sure what your interior decor style is, or your space is somewhere in between, you can always go for a more neutral option like this simple white oak table.

Romford Traditional dining Table

Shape

The shape of your dining table should be dictated by the size of the space. Rectangle dining tables are the most traditional and work well for big families with big spaces. If you have a smaller dining room or area though, a square dining table is easier to fit in.

If you’re more likely to use your dining table for dinner parties or gatherings, you might prefer a round table or an oval table instead. Round tables allow all of your guests to see each other and interact at once, while oval tables give you a bit more space to seat a higher number of guests.

Oak Table

Size

Talking of guests, it can be hard to know which size dining table you need, especially if your dining room plays host to a whole range of different occasions. If your dinner parties often fluctuate in the number of guests – or you want the option of throwing the occasional event – go for an extending table.

Extending tables are perfect for small spaces as they can be extended as needed then put away when your gathering is over to save room. This Ancona round extending table grows to seat an extra two people, while this Scandi-style Stockholm extending table goes from 90cm to 130cm, adding six extra places and making it ideal for a smaller dining area.

Ancona oval

Some of the best times at home are spent around the dining table so be sure to choose yours wisely. You can browse our entire range of dining room furniture online – or contact us today if you need more help finding your perfect dining room table.