Furniture · Dining
Dining tables, chairs, and sideboards
The pieces a room of people will sit around for the next twenty years.
How to choose a dining table
Three things to settle before you walk in.
Shape. Round tables sit four to six and make conversation easier across the table. Rectangular tables sit six to ten or more and work better against a wall. Oval combines the two.
Material. Oak ages well and forgives small marks. Walnut is darker and shows fewer marks but is harder to repair. Marble is striking but cold to the touch and can stain. Glass keeps a small room feeling open but shows every smudge.
Extending or fixed. Extending tables earn their keep if you regularly seat more than your everyday number. Fixed tables look better, last longer, and don't have the joint that an extending mechanism introduces.
We can talk all of this through in person. Bring the measurements of the room.
How to choose chairs
The dining chair is the piece of furniture most often regretted because it's chosen too quickly. Three things to test.
Seat comfort over time. A chair that's fine for a five-minute test feels different after a two-hour dinner. Sit in each for a few minutes properly.
Stackability or storability. If the room is used for other things, chairs that stack or fold help.
Compatibility with the table. Arm chairs need to fit under the table apron. Tall backs can look wrong with low tables.
Sideboards
A working piece, not a decorative one. Useful for storing the cutlery you don't use every day, holding the serving plates at Sunday lunch, and giving the room a horizontal anchor opposite the table.