How to Choose a Dining Room Set: A Guide to the Table, Chairs and Console

Short answer: when choosing a dining room set, look at three things in order: the table's closed and open size, the number of chairs, and the wall the console will fit on. A standard set is a table + 6 chairs + a mirrored console; that is 8 pieces. The way to tell whether your room is big enough is to look not at the table's dimensions but at the 75-100 cm chair allowance added on every side. A 180 cm table needs a clear area of about 330 × 240 cm.

How many pieces are in a dining room set?

"Dining room set" does not describe one fixed thing; the contents vary by model. Even so, the core structure is clear:

• Dining table — 1, with an extending mechanism on most models
• Chairs — usually 6
• Console and its mirror — 1 set
• Display cabinet, TV unit or coffee table — standard or optional depending on the model

In the Grande dining room set on the site, the table, 6 chairs and mirrored console come as standard; a TV unit and coffee table are added on request. In the Larin dining room set, the TV lower and upper blocks are standard alongside the table, 6 chairs and mirrored console.

The most important distinction here is this: the number of chairs and the table's capacity are not the same thing. A set may have 6 chairs while the table seats 8 when opened. When ordering, always ask which of the two "a set for 8" refers to.

Table size and number of people

The rule of 60 cm of table width per person applies here too. The table in the Grande set is a concrete example of that logic: closed it is 180 × 93 cm at 78 cm high; with the extending mechanism it goes to 220 cm. So six day to day, eight with guests.

Some models offer more than one table form within the same set. In the Ürgüp dining room set, teardrop and rectangular table options are both specified; the teardrop form has no corners, which makes it easier in dining areas with tight walkways.

We covered how many centimetres a table for a given number of people needs, how the extending mechanism works and a comparison of table forms in detail in our article on how many people an extending dining table seats. This guide focuses on the set as a whole — the pieces around the table.

If you want to see in a table how many centimetres rectangular, round and oval tables need per person, our article on dining table dimensions is a more direct source.

Matching chair and table height

Bought as a set, this match is already made; but it becomes critical if you are thinking of buying chairs separately or using your existing ones.

The measure is leg room: there should be 28-32 cm between the underside of the table top and the seat of the chair. A table 78 cm high with a chair of 45-47 cm seat height hits that range.

↔ Scroll the table sideways to see all of it.

The second thing to watch is armrests. Chairs with arms may not fit fully under the table; if the table apron is low, the armrest hits the top. If you are choosing a model with arms, confirm that the top of the armrest sits below the underside of the table top.

What is a console for, and do you need a display cabinet?

The console is the most underestimated piece in a dining room. In fact it does two jobs at once:

• Storage: dinner services, glasses, serving dishes, table linen. These take up space in kitchen cupboards; it makes more sense for them to live in the dining area's own cupboard.
• Serving surface: at a crowded table, moving pans, dessert and drinks onto a separate surface relieves the table. A console's height of around 90 cm is exactly right for serving while standing.

The mirrored console in the Grande set is 220 cm wide, 90 cm high and 47 cm deep; alongside its cupboards and drawer, the bronze glass panel in the middle gives the effect of a display cabinet. The mirror hung above it is 70 × 90 cm.

A display cabinet is a console with glazed compartments. It makes sense if you have a service or a collection you want to display; otherwise a closed cupboard gathers less dust and holds more. In current models the trend is towards leaving one compartment of the console glazed rather than a fully glazed cabinet.

If your dining area is inside the living room and you have no separate console wall, a slim sideboard set against the hallway or living room wall does a similar job; the Luna sideboard is one such piece, supplied with its mirror.

Choosing a set by room width

The most critical calculation in choosing a dining room is the allowance around the table. You need 75 cm for a chair to be pushed back and the person to stand, and 100-110 cm if someone will walk behind.

↔ Scroll the table sideways to see all of it.

When placing the console, leave at least 100 cm between it and the table; otherwise the chairs on the console side cannot be pushed back. If you are planning the room as one space, our article on sofa set dimensions and living room layout will help with the seating side.

You can compare all the models and their contents in the dining room category.