Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Choosing The Right Dining Table

Who doesn’t love 1,909 words about searching for a dining room table? Here we go.

We’ve been on a big round table hunt pretty much ever since we first set foot in our house. See, as soon as we walked into the small-ish formal dining room that fateful night in late fall of 2010 while house-hunting, John said “this room should be the office- and we can add french doors for you.” Sold.

Since we have a pretty huge family (there are at least 12 of us when we get together for birthdays and even casual movie nights or spaghetti dinners) we knew that room would never accommodate a table large enough for more than around six people (which is what we had in our last house, and it just wasn’t enough). Slowly after lots of floor planning and sketching and arguing passionate discussions we decided it would be awesome to knock a huge 5+ foot opening in the wall between the kitchen and the former living room and turn that room into a casual dining room/library off of a nice defined entryway over by the door. Here’s the original house’s floor plan (look at the room labeled “Living Room”):

Floorplan Original

And here’s a rough future floor plan for reference (now look at the room labeled “Dining Room”):

Floorplan Initial Thoughts

Note: Click here for a lot more floor plan info and the answer to every possible question you may have in the comment section.

Oh and here’s a pic of the future dining room as it looks now (just patiently waiting for a table):

Painted Built Ins2

I’m standing in the middle of the room, so here’s an older shot before we spruced up the built ins to show more of the space (the wall on the left is where we’ll bust through to the kitchen and create a giant 6′ wide doorway):

Day 15 Living Room

And here’s a shot of the other side of the room (where we’ll add a nice defined entryway so it won’t feel like you’re walking into a dining room):

Day 15 Living Room 2

But back to the dining room table hunt. Long story short long, that room is just a lot more accommodating when it comes to a huge table, but to keep it from feeling too formal and wood-riddled I always pictured a nice round table (which just seems softer and somehow a bit more “friendly” than an angular rectangle). I also have a craving for green leather (or faux leather) parsons chairs (like this, but apple green) so it doesn’t feel too formal and wood-riddled. You know, to try to keep it casual and inviting with lots of different textures playing against each other (maybe even a slightly rustic table pared with bright clean-lined chairs). The goal would be not only a table for big family meals, but for kid crafts and after school projects (hence the kid-proof chairs that are easily wipeable).

But the challenge with something round is that it usually seats 4 people. Rarely you’ll find something that’s around 60″ wide, which seats six people. But our goal was seating for eight. Since we’ll be adding an island in the adjoined (well, it will be once we make that big opening in the wall) kitchen, which will hopefully seat at least four people, that should do the trick. Feel free to do the math with me. 8 + 4 = 12. Oh happy day. But math solves nothing.

Of course that’s a false statement. My dad (the math teacher) will probably want to disown me for it. But I’ve always had a flair for the dramatic, so now that I have your attention (or at least the attention of my dad) I’ll revise my statement. Math is nice, but it doesn’t make a round table that seats eight people materialize out of nowhere. That takes a little legwork.

So I let my fingers do the walking and googled my brains out to determine what sized round table I was in the market for (and taped it off on the floor to make sure it would fit). I learned that a 70″ table should easily accommodate eight people (not in giant arm chairs, but it should work with modesly sized parsons chairs). So then I just had to find a 70″ round table. Easy right? Not easy. But that’s ok. I like a challenge. Here’s what I came up with after lots o’ digging around.

This 60″ round table for $998:

Table 1 60

This 70″ one for $1995:

Table 2 Fancy

This 48″ round table (which extends to a 72″ oval) from Pottery Barn for $1299:

Table 3 Pb

This 60″ pedestal version on sale for $1499:

Last Table Fancy

Kind of a bummer, right? Everything was either too small (and still in the $998 – $1499 range) or big enough but in the $1300-2K range. Yikes.

So then we hit up a number of thrift stores and antique shops and even the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. But a 70″ round table is a pretty specific thing. So the closest we got to it was a 50″ laminate table that looked like it hailed from a 50’s diner. Not gonna work. We briefly considered DIYing something, but the idea of somehow crafting a round top that large had us both worried that it would be nearly impossible to find one solid 70″ piece of thick-and-not-cheap looking wood to use, so then it would have to be made of planks which just felt sort of cobbled together and not chunky and solid like the table we both envisioned. So sad. Hear the tiny violins playing in the background? Yeah, me too.

Then John’s sister recommended that we hit up The Dump. Pardon the slightly totally offputting name. It’s actually a discount furniture store here in Richmond that runs commercials all the time about their extremely low prices.

The Dump

So we gave it a shot. And wouldn’t you know it there was a heartstoppingly beautiful rustic yet clean-lined 70″ round table there. And it had a nice non-invasive pedestal base, which was on my “icing on the cake” category. I thought it would be nice to have everyone gathered around it without worrying about table legs that encroach on actual human legs. Not mine because they’re not long enough to have those issues (for which I’m forever resentful since my short stature is always the reason I get assigned the back middle seat in a packed car, which can best be described as slightly more comfortable than sitting on a see-saw for an hour or so). But I do think about our guests’ comfort. And my tall hubby’s. And Clara’s someday. Did I mention my baby is in the 90th percentile for height and I couldn’t be prouder? Literally couldn’t. be. prouder.

Here’s where I’d insert a pic of the beautiful table, but I was too busy falling in love to snap pics. Total brain fart. Sorry! It can best be described as a mix between the top table and the bottom table listed above. It’s rustic and chunky like the bottom table but the base is a bit more like the top table. Sort of.

But the price was $1800. Wop wop. I petted the table. I snuggled up to the base (yes, picture me kneeling under it and embracing the pedestal and sighing). Then from the depths of my sorrows under the table I heard John’s voice from above saying “wait, the $1800 price tag also includes eight chairs.” I swear it was like the voice of an angel. I sprung up from my awkward table embrace, hit my head loudly on the lip of the table, quickly declared that I was fine to everyone within a ten foot radius who was staring at me like I was some sort of weirdo, and then shouted “best news ever!” while fist pumping my way to a standing position. Yes, that really happened.

That news just meant that I would have to sweet talk someone into selling me the table without the chairs (because I was already mentally married to green leather or faux leather parsons chairs and spending $1800 just wasn’t in the budget for us anyway). So I found a sweet lady and asked how much the table was without the chairs. Sweet lady says “they won’t sell it without the chairs.” John gets that uncomfortable look that he gets when he’d rather just walk away but knows that I’m about to make it my personal goal to change this lady’s mind. I followed up with “What if I buy the floor model? Right now. In cash. Well not cash, because I don’t have that on hand. But with a credit card. And we walk away into the night. Will anyone really care if I pay for the table right now and those chairs get snatched up by someone else later?” Compelling argument, right? Sweet lady says “I’ll have to ask my boss but he doesn’t usually split things up that way.”

Long story short, the boss-man agrees to sell us the table for $799 without the chairs after a fair amount of begging/eye-batting (I may have told him that no one will love the table like I will, and as a fellow furniture connoisseur he’d be pleased to know that I vow to give it a great home for years to come). Nope, I didn’t mention the blog or promise a post about The Dump in exchange for a good table price (I’m serious about our no special treatment declaration). But my vow to love the table like my own daughter seemed to work. The moment “ok” escaped his lips I seriously had to resist every urge to hug him while jumping up and down (so I ended up doing some sort of weird handshake/Elaine-from-Seinfeld dance) and then whipped out the ol’ credit card and bought the table before anyone could change their mind. I probably made a face like this while John was in the corner making a face like this:

Crazy Face

So that’s how we snagged an authentic solid wood 70″ round table that will seat at least 8 people and will probably host its fair share of holiday and birthday meals for years and possibly even decades to come. Oh and guess what it’s made of. Sheesham. No I didn’t sneeze. That’s really the name of the wood. According to WikiAnswers, “Sheesham (also known as Indian Rosewood) is a fast-growing hardwood, sourced from sustainable areas. Being a hard wood, it can be used to make functional furniture that copes with the stresses and strains of everyday use.” Isn’t that nice? Durable is absolutely 100% the goal when it comes to our house in general (we want this place to really get used and loved and filled with family and friends while we unwind and enjoy their company instead of worrying about nicks and scratches.

Oh and speaking of standing-up-to-all-sorts-of-abuse, the top of the table is actually really cool. It’s not jagged, but it’s not 100% smooth either. It’s sort of wavy and hand-carved so if Clara’s one year old cousin comes over and smashes his firetruck onto the surface, a nick would be pretty well hidden among all of the natural peaks and valleys of the tabletop. It’s not too bumpy to rest a glass on or anything, just sort of subtly rippled and irregular. And I love it. Growing up we had one of those super glossy lacquered tabletops that was so pristine that you could see every little hairline scratch in it, so this baby strikes me as the polar opposite in a really really good way.

So that’s 1,909 words about a table that we can’t wait to welcome into our home. Pics to come when Woody arrives within a week or so!

Comments

  2. Sara says

    Wait, so if you bought the table, how do you not have a picture? I am not sure I can handle being left hanging like this. I can’t wait to see what it looks like. YIPPEE

    Reply

  3. hjc says

    Potential comments from *future* Clara –

    “Woodrow helped me with my homework.”

    “Can Karl and I watch TV?”

    “I slept with Mom and Dad and Ed while I was sick.”

    “May I borrow Nora to go to the mall?”

    Reply

  5. Megan says

    Score! We searched forever for our dining set and finally found a huge expandable Thomasville set with 6 chairs on Craigslist for $500. It was *pristine*. Probably a little more traditional than my ideal table, but the quality and price made it worth it.

    And a tip for folks looking for inexpensive 8×10 rugs – you can find top-quality Safavieh rugs on Overstock if you know what to search for. The Safaviehs are 0.625″ thick (always listed in the description), and the model number on Overstock is the same as what’s listed on the Safavieh website. We bought 2 gorgeous 8×11 rugs for about $400 each, including tax & shipping. They look like the $1000+ rugs they sell at Pottery Barn.

    Reply

  6. Lynn says

    I have been following ya’ll ( I am from Texas ) since your postings about your wedding. What I find funny is that you name the furniture.

    Reply

  7. April says

    I’m glad you found a table that you love. :) Seems like it would have been easier (and possibly cheaper) to find a round table that can have leaves put in for big family occasions, but at least you found what you were looking for!

    Reply

  8. Deanna says

    Love, love, love your blog!! Read everyday and can’t wait to see what you two are going to do next. Wish you were my neighbors so I could pick your brain about our living room/family room that has a fire place,a stair case, 2 outside doors, 4 windows, 3 doorways going into other areas of the house, an inset wall, and a wall with a big heat/ac filter exchange!!

    Reply

  9. Michelle T says

    I’m having table envey!!! (and I haven’t even seen it yet!) I am also in search of the perfect round table. I’m looking for a coffee table myself but i’m not against cutting down a full sized dinning table : )

    Reply

  11. Andrea | HomageStyle.com says

    So cool about the table. But I have great news for you…surely that table will seat AT LEAST 10!!!

    We just sat 10 comfortably at a round table that may have been less than 70″ if my spidey senses were working correctly.

    During our entire meal, my dad couldn’t stop talking about how great it was for all of us to be sitting at one big round table. I agreed.

    And it was great fun to pass the camera around the table to each person & have them take a pic of the 2 people sitting directly across from them.

    Lots of good times to come with your new table!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You’re the third person to say that we’ll be able to fit way more than 8 people at the table- which is awesome news considering our family is growing by the day! No I’m not prego, but our cousin just announced that she is! Wahoo!

      xo,
      s

  12. Deepa says

    Sisham????? You bought a Sisham table for $800???? Do you guys realize what a fantastic deal you got? I’m from India and Sisham is like gold, even back home. Please, please, please promise me you won’t even entertain the idea of painting it… if its anything like the wood back home, the grain is a thing of beauty. My family is from South India, and I remember my great-grandfather (the village temple priest) hand polishing the beautiful hand carved temple altar doors (made of Sisham) with coconut oil (no stain back then, and even now for that matter). He’d do that every month and those doors were in and of themselves a work of art.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Wow that’s amazing! We promise promise promise we’ll never paint it! We definitely love to paint stuff, but nothing as gorgeous and solid and naturally beautiful as that table! It will always remain gloriously unpainted!!! Promise.

      xoxo,
      s

  13. Deepa says

    Sorry, not altar, the equivalent here would probably be sanctum. In a temple its the (usually) small room where the idols are kept…

    Reply

  14. Candice says

    Can’t wait to see how this one turns out. Apple green is my favorite color and I’ve got little punches of it all over the house. I bet this dining room is going to be fab! Congrats on the great deal, too.

    Reply

  16. Nicole says

    It’s so nice you were able to find something at The Dump! We have one here in the Dallas area, and though the name is truly horrible, the prices are sometimes really great! Excited to see pics soon!

    Reply

  18. Mary @ Porch Pictures says

    I love a good deal. Just goes to show that nothing is really final – you can always strike up a deal if you hang in there. Way to go, Sherry. Looking forward to seeing how the table works in your dining room.

    Reply

  19. courtney says

    Ahhhh, the good ol’ DUMP. My paresnts drag me there everytime I come home to Richmond. I love the DUMP. Wish there was one in Louisiana where I live. I never minded going to the DUMP cuz that meant I could go to Ukrop’s and get some chicken salad afterwards…YUM! But that’s no more, now that they’ve replaced it with that hideous neon green beast of a grocery store. Anyhoo, ahhh, the DUMP. So excited for y’all. Can’t wait to see pics!

    Reply

  20. Danielle says

    I’m getting a tad confused with your floor plans. Did you move Clara’s room? I thought she was in the smallest bedroom. Not to be all creepy, just curious. Our home is mostly small rooms so I always look to your small spaces for advice.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Good eye! Yup, that room is mislabeled in both plans (before we moved in we planned to put her in the middle room but then realized the smaller one was around the same size as her last nursery so her furniture would fit perfectly).

      xo,
      s

  21. Jordan G says

    Just when I was beginning to think that a lot of houses in the blogosphere look alike -white, white and more white– you guys decided to experiment with darker colors and jewel tones. I’m so intrigued to see what you do with this new house (and new color scheme). I’m loving the grey in the living room and the deep teal behind all the white objects on your built ins. You’ve already inspired me to paint my old dining table a deep blue/grey instead of white or black. Woohoo for color!

    Reply

  22. Ashley says

    I used to live in Philadelphia and would hear the “…at the DUMP!” commercials all the time. One day we trekked out to the suburbs to find the place and were sorely disappointed when all we found were ginormous pleather recliner sofas with built-in cup holders. Alas. Sounds like the Richmond store is a big step up!

    Congrats on the deal. Can’t wait to see it.

    Reply

  25. Julie says

    When my daughter and her husband bought a mid century ranch, the dining area “needed” a round table that could be extended for big dinners. Found a1960’s Danish teak table, 54 “, with 3 20” leaves on Craigslist. Seats 12 easily when fully extended. Paired it with 12 4/40 painted metal chairs from the 1970’s ( bright lime green). What’s nice about these chairs is that they can be stacked when not in use.

    Reply

  26. Annabelvita says

    What about Arthur for a name for the table? Then you can be Arthur and the knights of the round table ….
    (personally, I think woody is fine)

    Reply

  27. Bianca @ Walnut Avenue says

    Looking forward to seeing the table in place! :) I am so jealous of your 70in circumference…I can barely squeeze our 43 inch in with chairs! Either way, a round table is much more cozy than a square table…no head and everyone gets to talk to each other. Great find!!

    Reply

  28. Nicole K. says

    I love your site and check it everyday for inspiration for our newly-purchased house. Sorry if this question is a little too personal but I’m wondering how you’re able to buy all the new furniture for your house? I know in the past you’ve stuck to a strick, save-the-cash for the purchase policy, but it seems like with an empty house to furnish you’ve bought a lot of big-ticket items lately. I’m trying to save up for furniture like you did but it’s slow going furnishing our abode (especially after we spent all our money on buying our house!) Would love any advice you have! Have a great day!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We save our pennies (we’re cheap so we coupon and eat at home and I give John haircuts, etc) and we do small projects in between big ones (like painting and repurposing decor that we already own). And we sell things on Craigslist (like our old sofas, etc) to get money to put towards new things (like our new sectional and table). Basically we do all that we can to be cheap-os to save money towards big purchases that we anticipated before moving (we started saving long before we moved knowing we’d have a bigger house to furnish and other moving expenses). Hope it helps! We still pay off our credit card each month (we prefer that to using cash because we earn points so it’s like free money in the long-tern). But since we pay it off each month it means that if we don’t have the money for something we don’t buy it. That’s always the rule around here. Oh and you can check out our Projects page (see that tab under our header?) which has a section all about money saving ideas!

      xo,
      s

  30. Andrea says

    I am so excited for you and your table. My grandparents have a very large round table and we have spent so many hours talking around it that now when we have all been away for a long time we say that we need to go there for some round table therapy! Hope your table brings you as many happy memories as that one did for years to come.

    Reply

  32. Mary Kathryn Elkins says

    Hi! I absolutely love reading your blog. I can’t wait to find out what you do for chairs and where you find them. We are getting ready to re-do our kitchen (yay!) and my husband mentioned he wants to replace our hand-me-down round kitchen table. He thinks it looks like deck furniture (this cuts me deep since it is the round glass top table and four upholstered swivel chairs I grew up with) Anyway, I love how comfy the chairs are and am open to replacing it but really want upholstered chairs that are inviting. Any tips you have now or can reveal during your search for the perfect chairs would be MUCH appreciated!

    Reply

  34. Cheryl Balmas says

    lololololol I was a good girl and read the entire blog without skipping ahead to see, with baited breath, the new woody, and with much anticipation………got to the end and no woody!!! hahaha Have to wait a week? Oh no! Oh well, that’s okay…something more to look forward to. You’re a girl after my own heart…never take NO for an answer. I would have asked, begged, pleaded, too. I am also one of those who won’t accept ‘we don’t have any more’ or ‘its been discontinued’ or ‘thats the last one’ (when you need a pair). I will scour the store and even look in places it wouldn’t normally be in case someone put it back in the wrong place. I’ve been know to spend hours searching for one particular thing throughout an entire store and sometimes I find it and sometimes I don’t. When I don’t, I go online, google, whatever until I have to give up…or get lucky! Congrats on scoring the perfect table!

    Reply

  36. Kris says

    hi! Was wondering if you’ve found any inspiring images of dining rooms that are separated off from the entry way. I live in a small Cape, and have been racking my brain how to change our front room into a dining room, since we don’t have one now, unless you count my office/playroom/dining-room-furniture room that you have to go down the hall past the bathroom to get to. I just can’t get over the fact that I don’t think it will look very cozy to walk into a dining room table, but would love to figure out how to make it work. I know you have your own issues to tackle, but would love some advice if you have some to lend! Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We actually haven’t hunted down a lot of photos (can’t think of a single one off hand or I’d share it with you!) but since our last house had a seating area and a dining area in the room with the front door, we learned how easy it was to define different zones so they feel distinct. Maybe click our House Tour tab and click Our First House and scroll down to see how we visually separated the living room from the dining area and even added a little entryway with a console table by the door? Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  38. AmyLynn says

    I’m really jazzed to see what ya’ll do in the not-make-it-feel-like-you’re-walking-into-the-dining-room arena. Our rooms from our first walkthrough changed once we started living in our house. The dining room became an entry room, the living room became the dining room and the office became the living room. Now after a *major* Craigslist score of a 62 inch TV for *free* (holla) the living room just isn’t going to work where we have it now. The dining room is back to the entry room now if we can figure out how to reign in the not-make-it-feel-like-you’re-walking-into-the-dining-room approach. Keep up the awesome work on the house…and the blog. Thanks for sharing your lives with us!

    Reply

  39. Megan says

    I’m glad you guys had luck going to The Dump, to The Dump, to the Dump, Dump, Dump. Can’t wait to see the table in action!

    Reply

  40. Page says

    Just a quick question: How do you do you pick a chair to go with a dining room table? I’m from the old school that said the style of the legs have to match, but obviously you don’t plan to follow that rule. I would like to keep my table (an antique with lots of family memories), but the chairs need replacing, and I’d like to “modernize” the whole room. Can round and straight legs go together in a dining set?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ve seen lovely antique tables with metal outdoor chairs and round curvy ornate tables with clean-lined acrylic chairs. There really aren’t any rules anymore, so just trust your eye and go with what you love!

      xo,
      s

  41. Alison says

    Just an FYI! There is a great store in Charlottesville called Circa that sells used furniture, and they had a great 8 person round table that I fell in love with last weekend when browsing. They have a lot of other great finds as well!

    Reply

  42. Grace says

    Way to go! You are a master “winning people over” person, Sherry! How perfect that The Dump had the perfect table for you. I always hate when I have in my head exactly what I’m looking for but can’t find anything to match it, or anything that matches it is way beyond my cheap-o budget. Glad you had a happy ending.

    Reply

  43. Lindsey White says

    To the Dump, to the Dump, to the Dump, Dump, DUMP! hahah I used to live in Elizabeth City, NC and my father and I would go there to look at furniture. Good times. Now I live in Anchorage AK and miss all those awesome places!!!

    Reply

  44. Courtney says

    My dad used to work as the VP Operations for the Norfolk Dump. We’ve found great deals there as well, despite the annoying commercials…”At the dump, dump, the dump-dump-dump…Norfolk, Hampton, Richmond!”

    Reply

  45. Michiganhome says

    LOVED reading about your table hunt… and SCORE! A girl after my own heart! :) Can’t wait to see it!
    – Michiganhome

    Reply

  46. Jessica says

    I have just found your blog, and love it! My husband and I have just gone through the demo process and are now well into the rebuilding stage… while living in it! So I am taking in every tip and technique I can get. Your blog has been extremely helpful… I have alreay used the hanging the shower curtain high post and am working on window treatments this weekend while refering to your blog. Thanks a ton!

    p.s. I just posted a pic of my friend’s refinished round table… oh how I wish I had the guts to do this to mine!!!

    http://thehumbleabode.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-love-this-table.html

    Reply

  48. Diane says

    I love a round table, but they are so hard to find at a reasonable price (unless they seat 4 people max). I did find this set which is $950 for the table and 6 upholstered chairs or $460 for just the table.

    http://www.maxfurniture.com/detail-Dining-Kitchen-Sets-7pc-Boondock-Round-Dining-Table-Set-187-32942.aspx

    And it’s 72 inches in diameter and looks like it will comfortably seat 8. And those chairs could be so cute with slipcovers in a fun fabric. But I’ve never even heard of this site. Anyone else familiar with it? It seems to be sort of like Overstock.com, but I’m always leery of any online store where the deals seem too good to be true!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It looks a lot further away in the floor plan than it actually is (we shared a video tour a few weeks back that better depicts how close the old bedrooms and the new ones are). And thanks to a sound monitor we hear every breath she takes. We also find that Clara sleeps like a champ since she doesn’t hear us tossing and turning or get awakened by the TV in the living room since those spaces aren’t all on top of her bedroom. It definitely works for us!

      xo,
      s

  50. Ashley says

    So here’s what I don’t understand (I am a total novice at DIY) – say that you have hardwood floors in your future dining room and living room, when you cut an opening to connect both rooms, do you have to re-do all of the flooring or is there a way to patch them up?

    Thank you!
    Ashley

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We could patch it but we’d have to choose what flooring would go in the kitchen (which connects the living room to the future dining room) and we’re not quite there yet! We’re definitely thinking about it but we like to give major decisions like that a bit of time so we don’t feel like we made a hasty decision.

      xo,
      s

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