How To Plan Your
Dining Space

Planning your dining space can be tricky, but we’ve got all the advice you need to make it functional, comfortable, and stylish.

 

Whether you are lucky enough to have a separate room; or utilising the corner of a kitchen or living area, planning your dining space can be tricky.

With lots of important decisions to be made, from tables and chairs through to lighting and storage, we’ve got all the advice you need to make it functional, comfortable, and stylish.

1. Choose a dining table you love

From sharing a meal, working from home, or doing homework with the kids; choosing the table around which you and your loved ones will gather for many years to come is one of the biggest investments you will make.

Also, as the focal point of your dining space and the centrepiece of the room; while it mostly comes down to personal preference, it needs to fit.

While the most common choices are square and rectangular tables, a circular table always works better in a small space. Generally a circular table with a diameter of 110cm should fit four people around it easily, but whatever shape you choose always allow a 70-80cm space around the entire table for a chair to be pulled out when someone stands up, as well as for someone walking behind them during dinner.

If however flexibility is what you need, then our Expand dining table is the perfect choice. Available in three sizes and made from the highest quality FSC certified solid oak, each one has a super smooth extension system inbuilt so they can be enlarged by up to 100cm to accommodate any extra visitors and will get more beautiful with age.

If flexibility is what you need, then our Expand dining table is the perfect choice.

 

2. Get the seating right

Comfortable seating in a dining space is a must, as you and your guests will want to be sat on them for long periods without fidgeting.

Generally avoid chairs that are less than 50cm wide and allow around 60cm of table-top for each person if sitting at a rectangular table, or about 75cm for a circular one to determine how many chairs you will need.

Whether you prefer upholstered, non-upholstered or more of a mix-and-match approach, we have the right seating for you.

Blurring the lines between form and functionality, purpose and pleasure; our Daybe dining sofa will take you effortlessly from a sleek daytime workspace to an intimate late night dining experience in an instant. Meanwhile, the Oaki dining chair in solid oak, with its angled back legs, will make the whole space appear much bigger, allowing you the additional space to pop a couple of stackable Pal stools around the table as and when required.

3. Frame the space with a rug

Adding a rug to your dining area is a great way to frame the space. They ground the furniture, dampen the sound, and add texture, pattern and warmth.

The key is to get the right size, so your dining table and all the chairs will sit comfortably on top. As a rule, the rug needs to be 60-70cm bigger than the tabletop on each side to allow plenty of room for pulling-out chairs. For balance, always complement the shape of your table with the same shape of rug.

Also, think about fabrics too. Our Row series of rugs are a favourite choice for every room in the home. They come in a variety of colours and sizes, are made from New Zealand wool, and have a flat soft weave making them extremely durable as well as easy to care for and clean.

The lighting you choose for your dining space needs to do it all.

 

4. Set the mood with lighting

 From bright and cheery breakfasts to romantic candlelit dinners, the lighting you choose for your dining space needs to do it all.

A good plan is to think about layers: a celling lamp for spreading ambient light over the whole room, a floor lamp to highlight decorative features or furniture, and a table lamp placed on a cabinet or console to add atmosphere.

As well as using a dimmer to control the amount of light each emits, you also need to consider their height. If you position a pendant or a series of pendants like our Blush series too high, there is a risk of dazzling those sitting around the table, while too low and they will bang their heads when standing up.

A height of 55-65cm above the tabletop is recommended, with a width of one and a half times the width of the lampshade between each of them. Meanwhile for larger statement lighting pieces, such as our Heat or Reveal series, a vertical height of 75-80cm is used so not to block your fellow diner’s view.

5. Add plenty of practical storage

Finally practical storage is an essential part of any modern dining space. Not only does it support everything that goes on around the table, meaning drinks, cutlery, and crockery are all within easy reach, but also provides flexibility.

If, like, you need to use the same room for other tasks during the day, thanks to intelligently designed furniture everything from prams to printers can be discreetly hidden from view before you sit down to dinner.

Our Hifive series for example, with its streamlined modular components, comes in a range of sizes and finishes to perfectly suit your needs. Available as a free-standing unit, as well as wall mounted console, it can be tailored to any space.

However, no matter where you live, there is one piece that always makes a statement: our Loud bar cabinet. This fun-filled and versatile drinks trolley, with space for both bottles and barware, will even fit in the most awkward corner so you won’t have to constantly go back and forth to the kitchen for top ups.

Practical storage is an essential part of any modern dining space.