Dining Area Measurements: Table, Chairs and Clearances

The most common dining-area mistakes are a table too big for the room, or chairs that will not slide under the table. A few numbers are enough to avoid them before you buy. Start with the space around the table. A seated person needs about 75 cm behind the chair to pull it out and stand up comfortably, and 90 cm if others walk behind it. Subtract these clearances from the room's size; what is left is the largest table you can fit. Then the number of people. Allow about 60 cm of table length for each person. A round table 90 to 100 cm across seats four, and one of 120 cm seats six; round tables suit square rooms best because they have no corners in the way. Finally, the chair height. A dining table is usually about 75 cm high, and the seat that suits it is 44 to 47 cm, leaving about 30 cm between seat and tabletop for knees and arms. If the chair has arms, check that they slide under the table's edge. And over the table, hang the pendant so its bottom is about 70 to 80 cm above the top: it lights the food without hiding faces.