You could order a beautiful dining table and chairs, a contemporary dining bench or a set of stylish bar stools, but it’s no good if they don’t fit in your space!

Ordering online, it’s especially important to check your measurements. Although our returns are free and easy, it’s always nice to get things right first time around. That’s why we’ve created our ultimate dining room sizing guide. In this post we’ll cover:

• Measuring your room
• Dining Chairs
• Dining Tables
• Benches

First Things First: Measure your room

You can do this by either:

• Drawing out a plan of the room to scale on squared paper and add your furniture measurements.

or

• Mark out the dimensions of the piece of furniture you’d like to buy using a piece of cardboard or masking tape. Doing this is a great visual representation of how much space your furniture will take up and will also help you check that it’s the right proportions for your room.

Dining Seating

The optimum seat height for a dining chair is when there is 26cm to 30cm between the top of the seat and the top of the dining table.
  

If your chair is 46cm to 51cm from the floor to the top of the seat, it will fit well under a standard height table while allowing plenty of legroom. If you are after a chair that has lumbar support, a back height between 30cm and 40cm is ideal.

Sizing Checklist

1. Height

2. Seat width

3. Seat height

4. Depth

5. Back Height

6. Footprint

Dining Chair Spacing

Allow 60-80cm per place setting, dependant on whether you want a cosier feel or a more spacious feel.  

Dining Armchairs

Don’t forget that if you go for dining armchairs you may need to double check the spacing. The thickness of the table top will eat into your space available for the arm of the chair.  

Check the Footprint

Bear in mind that some dining chairs are wider at the bottom, for example, our Marlow or Ora dining chairs, so will need more space around the table. It’s always best to check the measurements and if they aren’t available, just ask! In this instance, the measurement you are looking for is called the ‘footprint’.
  

Dining Table Sizing

The length measurement of a table refers to the length of the table top, not from where you can fit your chairs tucked in underneath. Generally speaking, the description of the table will include how many it can seat, but if you are hoping to squeeze in a few more or use other chairs, make sure you check.
 
Plan to leave 70-90cm between the edge of your table and each wall or between other pieces of furniture in the room. This is so that chairs can be pulled out with ease, leaving enough room for people to pass through.
 

If you’re looking at a dining table with an apron, make sure you check the height of the arms on the chairs so that they can slide under neatly. 

As a final check, why not mark out the space to get a rough idea of how much room the table will occupy. It’s the easiest way to get a feel for how much physical space the table will take up.
 

Round Dining Tables

Round dining tables are great for giving a good amount of seating space in a small area. No corners mean the table allows for ease of movement in kitchen or dining areas where space might be a little tight. Sizing wise, you can be a bit more flexible with your seating, just depends on how snug or spread out you’d like to sit!
 
So here is our final run through of the vital checks…

1. Measure your space
2. Table height (this is especially important when it comes to choosing dining chairs)
3. Table width – especially if you want to use the ends
4. Table length
5. Table length with extensions
6. Where are the extension panels stored?
7. Table measurement from in-between the legs (not just the table top)
8. Will everyone fit?

 

Dining Benches

Full length

Great For: maximizing the seats around the table. A full-length bench does what it says on the tin – it needs to be the full length of your table. This style works especially well with pedestal-style bases as you can neatly tuck the bench in while still maximising the space you have available. That’s not to say it doesn’t look great alongside a table with legs, just consider how you will be able to sit on the bench and if the table legs are in the way. 

TOP TIP: If you decide not to tuck your bench in we suggest choosing a backless bench. A backless bench will be narrower than a bench with a backrest. You still have all the seat comfort without the extra depth of the back. Also, backless benches are lightweight and easy to move in and out.

Tucked in

Great For: Space saving and a neat compact look. To be able to tuck your bench underneath a table with legs, the bench will need to fit the ‘inside leg length’ measurement rather than the length of the table top. You’ll also want to leave about 5cm for clearance to avoid bumping into the legs every time the bench is pulled in and out. 

TOP TIP: Whether you have your bench tucked in or at the full length of your table, we recommend that you allow enough space so that when you are sitting on the bench, the front of the bench is in line with the front of the table. This applies for corner benches as well as it will give you the optimum comfort while seated.

Bench Sizing Checklist

1. Seat back height If your bench has a backrest and you plan to put it against a wall be sure to check that it fits with any panelling or window sills.

2. Seat height (from floor to the seat) A comfortable seat height should be around 45cm, the same as a dining chair

3. Bench depth

4. Seat depth

5. Bench length

So there you have it. Everything you need to know when it comes to dining room sizing. Make sure you take a look at our buying guides for even more information on styling and sizing for your home. 

 

Published Date: February 2019