Luxury Dining Room: the table people stay at

Why six centimetres of table width matter more than any decorating theme

A dining room is rarely judged by how it looks but by how long the guests stay seated. That depends on a few things: enough room per place setting, chairs you can bear for two hours, light that falls on the table rather than into the eyes, and a room that does not echo.

This page works through those points in order, with the measurements interior designers use. The sequence for the whole flat is under furnishing an apartment, the lighting in detail under lighting a flat.

Table size follows the walkway, not the room

The most common mistake with the dining table is choosing one that is too large. The calculation runs the other way: subtract one hundred centimetres on each side of the table from the room dimension, so a chair can be pushed back and people can stand up without hitting the wall. What is left is the possible table size.

For width the rule is sixty centimetres per place setting, eighty if it should feel generous. A depth of ninety to one hundred centimetres is enough for plates, glasses and a centre that can hold something. Four people sit comfortably at 120 by 80 centimetres, six need about 180 and eight around 220 centimetres in length.

Round tables have two advantages: everyone sees everyone, and nobody sits at the head. A diameter of 120 centimetres seats four to five people, 150 centimetres seats six. For narrow rooms an oval table is the better choice, because it keeps its corners out of the walkway.

Chairs: the piece that decides the evening

At a dining table you sit for longer than in any armchair, and without leaning back. That is why quality in chairs pays off particularly well. What matters is a seat height of about 46 to 48 centimetres, a gap of 28 to 30 centimetres between seat and table top, and a back that supports the lower spine.

Upholstered chairs with fabric covers have a second advantage: they damp the sound. A dining room with a hard floor, a glass table and wooden chairs becomes loud with six people, and volume is the most common reason guests leave early.

Carver chairs need more width, about 65 to 70 centimetres per place, and must fit under the table top. A proven solution is two carvers at the heads and plain chairs along the sides.

Light above the table

Above a dining table the light hangs lower than most people dare: around eighty centimetres above the table top, in tall rooms up to seventy. It should light the table, not the room, and must not dazzle anyone seated. The cone of light belongs on the top, the rest of the room stays darker.

For long tables a single fitting is rarely enough. Two or three lights at equal spacing, or one wide chandelier, cover the area. The rule of thumb for width: about a third to a half of the table length, so the proportion holds.

Two additions make the difference in the evening: wall lamps on the long wall and a table lamp on the sideboard. Once there is some light around the table, the table stops looking like an island in the dark. Colour temperature stays warm, 2400 to 2700 kelvin, with high colour rendering so food and wood look right.

The rug under the dining table

A rug in the dining room is possible and useful if it is large enough. The rule: about seventy centimetres are added to the table area on each side, so the chairs still stand on it with all four legs when pulled back. A chair leg tipping over the edge is an annoyance every single evening.

For material, short pile and dense qualities are the right choice, because they can be vacuumed and chairs glide over them. Deep pile does not belong under a dining table. Sizes and materials are under rug sizes for the living room, the range under rugs.

The sideboard that completes the room

A dining room without a surface to put things on forces everything onto the table. A sideboard on the long wall takes crockery, glasses and table linen and carries lamp, mirror and flowers on top. It is also the piece that gives the room a horizontal line.

In smaller rooms a narrow commode does the same job. Anyone wanting to show glass and porcelain uses a display cabinet, but should then keep the contents strict: a cabinet with a few good pieces works, a full one looks like a cupboard with a glass door.

Above the sideboard a large mirror is ideal. In the evening it doubles the candles and the light above the table, which makes the room instantly more festive.

When the dining area sits in the living room

Most flats have no separate dining room but a dining area within the living space. It then needs a zone of its own: a rug or its own light, better both. As soon as a dedicated light hangs above the table, a corner with a table becomes a dining area.

What matters is that seating group and dining area share a common tone, the same wood or the same metal finish, without everything coming from one series. How to separate zones is described under furnishing an apartment and for very small spaces under furnishing a small flat.

How much baroque a dining room can carry

The dining room is the space where classical furniture feels most natural: a long table with carved legs, upholstered chairs and a chandelier produce an effect few modern rooms achieve. The limit lies at the walls. As long as they stay calm, the room carries a great deal of ornament.

If you prefer the style mix, combine a straight table with classical chairs or the other way round. Both routes are described under combining baroque and modern, the range is under baroque furniture.

What Casa Padrino supplies for dining rooms

Dining tables in wood, marble and glass, chairs with and without arms, sideboards, display cabinets, chandeliers and rugs come from one source. Dimensions, material and seat height are given for every item, which makes planning the clearances considerably easier.

All models are new productions in the respective style, not antiques. Private customers buy on the same terms as hotels and restaurants. An overview of the house is on the home page and under luxury furniture.

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Frequently asked questions about the dining room