Furnishing the dining room: what a cabinetmaker looks for in a table and chairs

Seat height and table height belong together

Dining tables are usually 74–76 cm (29.1–29.9 in) high; chairs have a seat height of 44–47 cm (17.3–18.5 in). The gap between them is the measurement that actually matters: between the seat and the underside of the tabletop, 28–30 cm (11.0–11.8 in) should be left clear.

Less, and your thighs knock against it – especially with tables that have a wide apron, that is, the frame beneath the top. More, and the table feels too high and your arms rest at an awkward angle.

A second measurement is almost always overlooked here: the height of the armrest. On dining chairs it is usually between 63 and 70 cm (24.8 and 27.6 in) above the floor. If the armrest sits higher than the clearance under the tabletop, the chair cannot be pushed under. It then stands permanently in front of the table and takes up floor space that nobody had planned for.

This clearance is not the same as the table height. On a table 75 cm (29.5 in) high, the thickness of the top and the apron together take away between five and fifteen centimetres (2.0 and 5.9 in) – so depending on the construction, the lowest point under the top lies between 60 and 70 cm (23.6 and 27.6 in). With a narrow apron, an average armrest fits underneath; with a deep apron, the same armrest knocks against it.

The calculation can be done before buying: table height minus the thickness of the top minus the height of the apron gives the clearance. If it is at least two centimetres (0.8 in) above the armrest height, the chair fits. Anyone who does without armrests avoids the problem entirely – then only legroom counts.

60 centimetres (23.6 in) per person

That is the width a place setting needs without elbows touching. A table 180 cm (70.9 in) long therefore seats three people per side, not four.

With chairs that have armrests, however, it is no longer the place setting that counts but the width of the chair. A chair without armrests typically measures 45–50 cm (17.7–19.7 in), with armrests 55–60 cm (21.7–23.6 in). Four chairs with armrests of 58 cm (22.8 in) each take up 232 cm (91.3 in) side by side, and that only if they touch one another. With the two to three centimetres (0.8–1.2 in) of space needed to pull them out, you arrive at around 240 cm (94.5 in).

On a table side of 240 cm (94.5 in), exactly four place settings fit by the 60 cm rule. Four chairs with armrests, however, already take up the entire length there – it fits, but with nothing to spare. If the table side is shorter, the tight four becomes a clear three. That is why the question before buying is not “how many people fit at the table” but “how many chairs fit at the table”. These are two different numbers.

The table legs need to be factored in too. If they stand at the corners, the outermost seat often falls exactly at a leg, and the chair cannot be pushed in centrally. A frame with inset legs, a central pedestal or panel ends on the short sides are more flexible in this respect, because the chairs can be distributed freely.

At the ends of the table, the same logic applies on a small scale: only with a table width of about 90 cm (35.4 in) or more can someone sit there properly with a place setting without the chairs on the long sides getting in the way.

80 centimetres (31.5 in) behind the chair

Between the edge of the table and the wall or the next piece of furniture, there needs to be room to push back and stand up: 80 cm (31.5 in) is the minimum, 100 cm (39.4 in) is comfortable if someone is to walk past behind those seated.

This is the point at which dining rooms turn out to be too small in everyday life. A table that fits on paper blocks the way through as soon as someone sits at it.

The usual reference values at a glance: 75 cm (29.5 in) is enough for sitting down and standing up, as long as nobody needs to get past. 80–90 cm (31.5–35.4 in) is the practical minimum for everyday use. With 100 cm (39.4 in) or more, one person can get past someone seated without that person having to stand up. A simple walkway without chairs manages with 60–70 cm (23.6–27.6 in).

It becomes critical where two requirements overlap – for instance on the side where a door also opens or a drawer is pulled out. A sideboard behind the table needs, in addition to the chair clearance, the pull-out depth of its drawers, otherwise it can only be opened when nobody is sitting.

Before buying, a simple test helps: mark the planned table dimensions on the floor with tape and add 80 cm (31.5 in) all round. What looks too tight on the floor is even tighter in everyday life.

How a cabinetmaker reads quality

With chairs, the joint counts, not the form. A chair bears alternating loads all its life – someone sits down, leans back, tips backwards. What gives way are the joints between the legs and the apron.

Glued mortise and tenon joints or glued-in dowels remain tight for years, because the force is transferred across a surface. Where, by contrast, a leg is set into the end grain with just a screw, that screw works itself loose over time – end grain holds screws worst of all. A chair that creaks after two years almost always has exactly this cause.

A second feature is whether the seat carries the load on its own or whether there is a frame beneath it. Woven seats of rattan, cane or paper cord are light and breathable, but stretch under constant load. If a seat support or a surrounding frame lies beneath, it takes the weight and the weave stays taut. Without a substructure, such a seat sags visibly after a few years.

Load ratings say more about a construction than any description of the material – provided they are read correctly. They usually refer to a static, evenly distributed load, not to the impact that occurs when someone drops onto it. A moderate value for a tabletop therefore does not mean that the table is weak, but that it is not intended to be stood on.

With the table itself, the bracing determines whether it twists: an apron, a stretcher between the legs or a sufficiently solid frame. If it is missing, the table stands like a parallelogram on four legs – it then wobbles not up and down but sideways. This can be checked by taking hold of the top at one corner and pushing it horizontally.

And finally, solid wood moves. A solid wood top absorbs moisture and releases it again; over the course of the year it becomes several millimetres wider and narrower across the grain. In a sound construction it is therefore never rigidly screwed to the base, but fixed with slotted holes or buttons that allow this movement. Anyone who turns a top over and finds only rigid screw fixings without any play there must expect cracks in the long run.

Chairs do not have to match

A set of identical chairs looks calm, but also like a furniture showroom. Two different models work if they have something in common – the same type of wood, the same seat height, the same colour family.

A tried and tested arrangement: the same chairs along the long sides, two chairs with armrests at the ends. That gives the table a direction and looks collected over time rather than bought in one go.

The only important thing is that all seat heights match. Different heights at the same table are noticed immediately. A difference of one centimetre (0.4 in) goes unnoticed; at three centimetres (1.2 in) or more, one person sits noticeably lower than the other.

A bench on one long side is another option, because it needs less floor space and can be pushed under completely. Its seat height, however, must follow the same values as that of the chairs, otherwise the group around the table works neither visually nor at mealtimes.