The Dining Space In Your Home

Thanksgiving dinner is coming. Your dining table needs to be able to adapt like no other piece in your home. Arranging a dining table and chairs is a matter of logical space allotment. The key is to be sure that there is enough room to maneuver when sitting down.

The table size is determined by the available space, the size of your family and how often you entertain at sit down dinners. Just because you host the holidays doesn't mean you need a table to seat 10 day-to-day. A table with extension allows for options. It also gives you versatility should you move to a bigger/smaller space and need to change your table size.

To ensure you have the proper amount of room around your furniture pieces here are a few industry standards:

*30-36" for a walkway, 36-48" is areas of high traffic or for an airy feel.

*24-36" behind dining chairs so they can be pushed out with ease. Once the people are seated, allow at least 14" behind the chairs for serving.

*24-32" for each dining chair so each person has enough elbow room.

The shape of your dining table is determined by the size of the space you have. If the walls and traffic patterns create a square space for your dining area, you should get a circular or square table. If you have a rectangular space (most of them are), you could buy a rectangular or oval table.

Dining chairs need to be comfortable. Take time when choosing a chair making sure that the back is tall enough, the seat is wide enough and deep enough. Leather is my choice when it comes to an upholstered seat. It is both comfortable and easy to wipe off. You may need six to eight chairs for special occasions.

When the chairs aren't being used and the table is broken down, you can place the extra chairs next to your credenza, and possibly one in the entry for taking off shoes.

Credenzas (buffets) are versatile so splurge. In one space the piece is a buffet. In another room it is a bar or an entry console or a TV stand. When you buy something with doors, you can pack it full with items used for food serving and bottles of wine. A tray on a buffet transforms it into a bar. Make sure you have enough room to open the credenza's doors and the drawers without hitting the chairs (when in a dining room).

Trending now are the farmhouse trestle, dining tables. Benches and parsons chairs are top picks for seating. Also popular now are tables that expand and mixing different materials (for example a dark finish and industrial metals.)

Whatever your style may be glam, beach/coastal, eclectic, industrial, mid-century modern or traditional, Stewart and Company can assist you in purchasing the dining table and chairs that are perfect for your family home.

-Smells like the HOLIDAYS-