Worried your dream rustic or industrial dining table won’t fit into your dining room? Too large a dining table will swamp the room, making it hard to use. Every dining table should be practical; thus, size is important. Here’s how to measure your dining room and whether your dream dining table is the best choice.
Measure the room
The first step is to measure the room and draw it out on a piece of paper. If you can draw it to scale, more the better especially if you have an awkward shape room or architectural features you need to accommodate, such as a fireplace with a large hearth.
The magic number…
… is 90cms. If you are using the dining room as the space where you will eat most days and entertain, you need a practical setting. Once you’ve measured your dining room, you will need 90cms between the wall or other solid objects such as your small sideboard or stylish cocktail cabinet, and the table. Anything less will mean guests doing lots of ‘breathing in’ and side-stepping to get to their chair. The optimum clearance between table and wall, however, should be 120cm if you can spare it.
At the table
Every diner needs around 60cm in width to enjoy their meal without knocking elbows with the person next to them. With the information you have so far, you are beginning to build a clearer picture of whether a 6-seater dining table is the way forward or whether you can go the all the way with an 8-seater dining table.
Consider an extending dining table
If you are struggling for space and won’t be using all 6 or 8 dining chairs every time you eat at the table, opting for a small extendable dining table makes perfect sense. Simply store the ‘spare’ dining chairs when not in use.
The unsung hero of the dining room is…
… the dining bench. If you need extra seating space and are comfortable with the ad hoc, informal nature of a dining bench, then go for it. You won’t regret it as a purchase.
Pay attention to the dining table legs
Whether you have acres of space in the dining room or not, you need to pay close attention to the legs of the dining table you choose.
There are beautiful dining legs and framework, all of which can be admired by your guests but not if they are knocking their knees or ankles on it.
If you want something slightly less predictable than the leg-in-each-corner approach, the Amalfi industrial dining table complete with spider leg is beautiful but can limit ‘extra’ seating space. If you want to seat people at the short end of the dining table but don’t want to let too much of the leg detail go, then the Amalfi u-bar industrial dining table is ideal.
However, the simplest solutions are often the best; thus, the Beam rustic dining table is ideal in a dining room that can easily accommodate its delightful features. 
Don’t forget…
… doors need to open. Whether that is your small sideboard or cocktail cabinet, you must be able to access the contents without asking diners to move!