A dining table is used for breakfast, homework and dinner, so choose the surface for daily life. Then size and shape it for the room, and check the base against your chairs.
Start with seats and the room
Allow about 60 cm of table edge per person and at least 90 cm of clearance behind each chair. That clearance lets someone pass behind a seated guest. A 1.2 metre round seats four. A 2.4 metre rectangle or oval seats eight along the sides, and a few more if you use both ends.
Measure the room, then tape the table outline on the floor and walk around it. If the room also holds a sofa, read our guide to planning an open-plan living and dining room.
Solid timber or veneer
Solid timber tops age with the household and can be refinished. Timber moves with the seasons and gains marks with use. Veneer over a stable core resists seasonal movement but depends on thick timber edging. Avoid printed film or a paper-thin veneer. The Ethica Table is 2.4 metres of smoked ash. The smoked finish deepens the grain, so no two tables are the same.
Microskin and StoneSkin
Microskin is a hand-applied, cement-based plaster with a seamless, concrete-look surface that is waterproof and made for family dining. Each table is hand-finished, so no two are identical. The Armano Round Dining Table is a 1.2 metre round in microskin. The Isabella Oval Table comes in 2.4 and 2.6 metre lengths. The Nova Table has a StoneSkin top with natural depth on a sculptural oval pedestal, in 1.8 and 2.4 metres.
Round, oval or rectangular
Round tables suit square rooms and keep conversation shared. Ovals soften long rooms, and the rounded ends seat one more person than you planned at each end. Rectangles suit narrow rooms and make the best use of a wall. If the room is awkward, choose the shape that leaves the widest walkway.
For a closer look at each shape, read our guide to round, oval and pedestal tables.
The base decides who sits where
A four-leg table puts a leg at each corner, which can block a chair. A pedestal, as on the Nova, removes the corner legs so chairs can sit anywhere along the edge. A trestle base needs clearance at each end. Check that your chairs slide under the apron and that your knees clear the base.
Chairs to match
Pair a hard surface with a softer chair, or a timber table with something lighter. The Miso chair brings a timber note, and the Alba chair brings soft upholstery. For the full pairing advice, see our dining set guide.
Care
Wipe microskin with a damp cloth. Use a coaster under hot items on timber, and a mat under hot dishes. Keep timber out of direct sun, which can change its tone. See the furniture care guide for each material.
Native and imported timber
Some timber sold in New Zealand is regulated. The Ministry for Primary Industries sets the rules for buying and selling native timber.
Questions we hear
Is a round table practical? It suits four people well and keeps everyone close, but it seats fewer in the same floor area than an oblong. What if the family uses the table for homework? Choose a surface that handles marks, such as microskin or smoked ash. Do I need a table pad? A pad under hot dishes is sensible on any finish.
See them in person
Browse the dining collection, then visit our Parnell or Grey Lynn showroom to see the surfaces. Microskin and smoked ash vary from piece to piece, so seeing them in daylight helps.
