Guide to dining tables

Sit-down meals require a table that is sturdy enough not to be jarred by the unpredictable movements of childern or the force of someone carving meat; that has a top large enough to give each person at least 2 feet of below room and high enough (usually 30 inchies) to allow leg room between the chair and the table apron; that keeps supports out of the way of sitters’ feet and knees; and that can be extended in size if necessary. Rather than extending a table, many people now use more than one of a larger crowd if the available space permits.

The surface of a dining table will be an important feature in its selection, because the table top-covered or unconvered-will form a background for china,  crystal, silver, and linens. Tablecloths have become increasingly rare for daily meals, often being replaced by mats, so it pays to look closely at the durability, ease of maintenance, and beauty of the top surface. Wood, plastic, and glass are commonly used materials; choice depends on use, effect desired, and price.





Shape is the other major consideration in choosing a dining table. Most are rectangular rooms and can be pushed snugly against a wall or into a corner. In the right place, however, a round or oval tables will give an inimitable friendly feeling. Many kinds or rectangular, round, or oval tables can be extended with leaves-the round thus becoming an oval. A polygonal or odd-shape table makes a refreshing change. Drop-leaf tables, in use since Elizabethan days, expand or contract with ease. Some contemporary folding tables can be compacted to 9 inches or stretched to 110 inches, the latter dimension providing space for fourteen people. Extension tables should be checked for ease of manipulation and stability when extended.

It is important to check dining chairs and tables together, because their legs often interfere with each other, the heights of the two are not coordinated, or the space between chair seat and table apron is insufficient for the sitters’ comfort

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by Probo Hindarto
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