Design Your Own Dining Room Table
Dining room tables are multi-functional. They are used to gather around at meal times, to talk with friends and family around, to do homework, and to do crafts and play board games. Most homes have a designated space for a dining room table, and some of these spaces are large while others are small. The space that you have, along with the needs that you identify for a dining table, will greatly inform its design.
Instructions
1. Determine the size of the space you have for your dining room table. This aspect of the design is important so you know what type of table will fit in your space. Measure the area so when you design your table you will have accurate dimensions. You may even want to lay newspapers on the floor to get an idea of how a real table will fit into the space.
2. Browse through furniture stores to spark your creative juices. Look at all the different styles of tables to help you decide what you like and what you do not. Take your measurements and use them to help get an idea of what style of table will fit best in your space. If your space is long and narrow, you will need a rectangular table that is not too wide. If you have a square space, consider a round or square table to go into your dining area. For awkward spaces, consider a corner bench and table.
3. Design your new table to complement the style of your kitchen. If you have a contemporary look in your home, design the dining table to blend in with that theme. The contemporary style has clean, straight lines with one dominant, solid color, and tables are usually made of wood or metal with a glass top. If your style is more traditional, then your table will be made of wood, have curves, and shapely, ornate legs.
4. Choose wood species that are considered hardwoods, like oak, maple, walnut, cherry and alder.
Hardwoods will hold up against everyday use better than wood species that are considered soft, like pine, ash, or birch. You also want to try and match the wood of your table to other woods within the same area, such as the kitchen and family room.
5. Consider the long-term, everyday uses of the table. If you entertain a lot around the holidays but don't entertain the rest of the year, design a table with leaves that can be inserted to increase the size. These types of tables are ideal for smaller homes, giving you the option of expansion when needed, but reducing the size for everyday living. If the table you design has four legs and can extend past 96-inches long, consider placing a fifth leg in the center when the leaves are in to help support the weight of the table at its center. This leg can be removed when the table is not extended to full size. If designing a rectangular or oval-shaped table with a pedestal base, you may want to place two smaller pedestals instead of one large one so that both ends of the table will be supported.
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