Dining Table Styles

Dining room tables come in many different shapes and sizes and are made from many different kinds of materials, from wood to glass and even aluminum. With the different kinds of dining room tables available, you may find it difficult to decide what kind of dining room table is right for you. However, if you know how many people will be dining at the table most often and the size of your dining room, the decision shouldn't be too difficult. Does this Spark an idea?

Drop-Leaf & Expandable Dining Tables

Drop-leaf and expandable dining tables allow you to control the size of the table depending on the number of people sitting at the table. Drop-leaf tables allow you to lift or drop one end of the table to make it longer or shorter, and expandable tables have an extra piece in the center that can be removed to make the table smaller or added for larger groups. These kinds of tables are practical not only because you can alter them based on the number of guests that you'll have, but they're a space saver as well, since you can keep the table at a smaller size when you're not entertaining. Expandable tables are usually rectangular or oval.

Rectangular and Oval Dining Tables

Rectangular and oval dining tables come in many different sizes and may seat six to 12 or more people. These kinds of tables are usually used in larger spaces that are long and narrow and are great for large families or for people who entertain often. If you're fond of using centerpieces for parties, you can place two to four or more pieces on the table, depending on the table's length. These are also best for dinner parties where the host can sit at the head of the table.

Round and Octagonal Dining Tables

Dining tables that are round or octagonal have two major advantages over dining tables of other shapes. One advantage of a round table is that you can squeeze in several more guests than the actual number of guests that the table was actually intended for, as it has no corners. The second advantage is that round tables may come with a built-in lazy Susan, a circular rotating tray, at the center of the table, or you may place one on it. Depending on the size of the table, round tables can fit anywhere from four to up to 12 or more people.

Square Dining Tables

Square-shaped dining tables can seat four to eight guests. Larger square tables are usually found in the dining room, and smaller ones can be used in kitchens, breakfast nooks or other smaller eating spaces. Unlike round or octagonal tables, seating in a square table is limited due to the table's corners, whose legs would obstruct the legroom of the person seated at the corner.