The dining table is an essential part of any home, as it provides a space to sit and bond over meals and drinks. However, choosing the right sized dining table for your home will need a good amount of consideration. Space is always an important factor, especially for smaller homes in Singapore.
How to Select The Right Dining Table?
Here are some tips you can check out to find your perfect dining table.
The material
Perhaps one of the most important choices to make when looking for a dining table, the material of which the table is made out of should reflect your home’s overall style and theme.
Are you more in line with having wooden furniture for a more contemporary look, or perhaps you want things to look ‘cleaner’ with marble, the choices are typically aplenty. Moreover, there are even more choices in these two categories in terms of the wood and marble colour shades.
Space, space, space
Now that you’ve identified the style of the dining table you’re going with, you will also need to know exactly how much space you have, and how many people you envision to have sitting at one time. As a general guideline, it’s good to have a clearance of 3 feet from the edge of the desired dining table to the wall, and also 3 feet of space between the desired dining table to any other furniture such as buffet cart or a cupboard in the dining area. This clearance should be sufficient for comfortable seating, as well as space to walk behind a seated person.
Based on this 3 feet of space from the walls and other furniture, you should now be able to know the right size of dining table to choose for your dining area.
Here’s an added tip, use a bed sheet folded into a typical dining table shape and lay it down onto the floor of your dining area. This way, you can envision the space and the size in a more visual way.
The shape of it
Now that you have an estimated size of the right dining table, the second thing to consider is the shape of it. Does the space at home allow for a rectangular/oval table, or a square/round shaped table? This is where envisioning the amount of people to be seated at one time also comes in handy.Â
See below diagram for a handy guideline on the shape of dining tables and how many seats it regularly fit:
| Size (Diameter) | Oval & Rectangular | Round & Square |
| 4 feet (48 inches) | 4 people | 4 people |
| 5 feet (60 inches) | 6 people | 6 people |
| 6 feet (72 inches) | 6 people | 6 people |
| 8 feet (96 inches) | 8 people | Not typical size |
| 10 feet (120 inches) | 10 people | Â Not typical size |
Table 1: The size of the dining table for different shapes
Some may gravitate towards oval or rounded shaped dining tables as they can take less space, able to squeeze in more seats if the need arises, as well as providing a more communal seating arrangement. It is typically the better choice for homes with smaller, yet square-ish dining spaces.
On the other hand, the evergreen seating arrangement of a rectangular or square shaped dining table is still favourable among homes with more space to accommodate more diners at any given time, as well as spaces that are narrower yet spacious lengthwise.
Taller, or shorter, it matters
Although the size and the material of a dining table is what people are looking for the most, another factor that can affect your dining experience is the height. Granted, most of the time, designers and manufacturers of dining tables will usually build standard-ish height dining tables, but sometimes they don’t.
This can especially be troublesome when you’re planning to complete the dining table with chairs that are not necessarily coming together as a pair. Imagine picking the perfect table to complete your dining space, then to only realise that the chairs are a tad too short (or tall) for it. A quick remedy to this is to always consider the height of the table as opposed to the chairs that will be going with it. Avoiding this issue altogether is to pick out a dining table set that also comes with its complementing chairs.
So, just a short reminder here to also take into account the height of the dining tables you’re browsing online before making a purchase!
 
Recommendation for Dining Table
Now that we’ve outlined the types of dining tables to consider, here are some of our recommendations:
1. Bolero Dining Table
 
The sleek and elegant design of the Bolero table by Poltrona Frau, enhances the beauty of its elements. The solid wood base meets a table top with large wood tiles that create horizontal and vertical veins unique to the senses. Fit for six in an indoor dining space.
2. Olive Dining Table
The Olive table by Camerich, derived its inspirations from handmade metal sculptures, combining creative artistic aesthetics with daily function in one to create an aesthetically pleasing furniture for your dining area.
3. Saarinen Dining Table by Knoll
The Saarinen dining table by Knoll, a unique standing dining table created by architect Eero Saarinen, he vowed to address the "ugly, confusing, unrestful world" he observed underneath chairs and tables - the so-called "slum of legs." Perfect for small group chit-chats and drinks.
4. The Secret Garden Dining Table
The Secret Garden table by Poltrona Frau, imbues extraordinary craftsmanship into an outdoor luxury furniture, constructed in teak wood and finished in style. Perfect for those in-between outdoor and indoor spaces such as verandas and patios as well as open spaces such as gardens, terraces, and yacht decks.
Luxury, quality, everlasting grandeur
Dining tables are one of those home furniture we see as a long-term investment. Once made with quality material and designed to perfection, it can practically last for many, many years. Don’t be surprised to find your dining table still being used for generations to come, especially if you’ve purchased one that is part of our collection.
Find the one dining table for your home with us at Proof Living Singapore today by browsing through our exquisite collection of luxury dining tables.
