Admittedly, it's not easy to find the right dining table that suits your home, your needs, and your wishes – and that is also affordable.
That's why we developed the Dining Table Advisor. It helps you effortlessly find the perfect table by allowing you to check off your most important criteria step by step, such as size, wood type and color, and the base – color & shape.
A structured approach is most sensible here, as it takes you from the very general topics to the details and to the goal: an optimal dining table for your home.
How to use the Advisor:
Step 1: Measure the room & plan seating – Result: Sufficient freedom of movement & comfort (and you'll know how big your table can/should be)
Step 2: Choose the tabletop color – Result: Defines the style & character of your table
Step 3: Choose the main criterion size – Enter your result from Step 1 here
Step 4: Select the table edge – Live edge, Swiss edge, or straight edge
Step 5: Select the base shape – Result: Determines the stability & aesthetic harmony of your dining table
Step 6: Select the base color – Result: You receive a recommendation for your optimal dining table
The steps in detail:
How large is your available space and how many people do you normally plan for / on special occasions?
Specifically, this means: you need to measure the room to determine how big your table can be, how many people it fits, and what the seating comfort or freedom of movement will be.
This is not just about the size of the table, but also about the distance between the chairs and to the back wall – important for comfortable standing up. Most dining chairs are 50-60 cm wide – meaning you should add at least 10 cm in width here for good freedom of movement.
And chairs need a certain amount of space behind them so you don't have to contort yourself when sitting down. A minimum of 60 cm is recommended, but 80 cm is even better.
You need a little less space behind with swivel chairs, as you can turn the chair to sit down or stand up. However, swivel chair variants are usually wider than normal chairs.
Also consider what you ideally want to have readily available near the dining area. You might want to include shelves or a sideboard. However, all of this should be subordinated to the actual dining area: if the table with chairs and benches already takes up the planned space, it's better to put such things elsewhere. Because if it gets too cramped, the storage space in the dining room is no longer practical, but rather annoying.
Optimal Dining Table – What Table Size?
From these figures, it follows that, for example, an optimal dining table for 6 people should be approx. 140 cm long and 70-80 cm wide.
Selection of Wood Color & Visual Effect
Live edge tables are unique pieces – the outer edge retains its natural shape. The selection of woods at Baumkantentische.de includes:
- Acacia (particularly robust, available in many colors)
- Mango & Rubberwood (light, exotic)
- Sheesham ("trendy wood")
- Wild Beech & Wild Oak (timeless classics)
Each type of wood brings its own character – from warm and rustic to light and minimalistic; here, your taste or the other furniture already in the room simply decides.
Selection of table edges:
The live edge is the rustic form of the table edge, which corresponds to the original growth shape of the tree. This is the table edge that gives your table a very natural, rustic look.
With the so-called 'Swiss edge', you achieve a floating impression with the table - this is particularly interesting for thick table tops and larger rooms.
The straight edge as a classic among edge forms is absolutely timeless - but therefore also brings a 'lesser wow effect'.
An optimal dining table needs a suitable base
The suitable base not only visually forms the foundation for your table, but also ensures stability. The main base shapes are:
- The traditional four-legged base: This base consists of four legs attached at the corners of the table or slightly set inwards. It is simple and classic and fits well with modern or traditional living spaces.
- A metal base in U-shape, V-shape or A-shape brings a more technically-minded industrial style, usually for longer dining tables. In the U-shape, the legs are straight and have a connection at the bottom. The V-shape has the same structure, but with angled legs, and the A-shape looks like a capped A at the top of the tabletop with a stabilizing element between the angled table legs.
- Another variant is an X-shaped table base, where the individual table legs visually cross in the center of the base. These bases are available as a spider form with 4 table legs, a star form with 3 legs, and as a simple X-form with 2 table legs. It looks modern and elegant and offers good stability. An X-shaped base is also well suited for smaller rooms as it saves space. Legroom is better here than with other table bases.
Ultimately, the choice of table base depends on personal preferences and the furnishing style of the room. A well-chosen table base that matches the tabletop can make the difference between an average table and an impressive piece of furniture with great appeal. For base colors, you can choose between classic black or stainless steel, silver or white, vintage for shabby-chic, or wooden bases for maximum naturalness.
6. If you have followed the Dining Table Advisor this far, you will get a result, namely an optimal dining table with the best features.
It will then fit into your room, be the right size for your number of people, and simply look great. An optimal dining table configured exactly to your criteria and wishes.
