It’s tempting to get into color and style first, but the right way to find your dining table is by considering how you live.
Some families eat there for every meal. Others camp out on it in the daytime for remote learning and dinner at night. Whatever is right for you, it should work just as well for getting food into your mouth as for fitting in your room.
Instead of trends and add-ons, homeowners are opting for furniture that stands the test of time. Serena & Lily satisfy consumers who shop for hero pieces that feel of the moment and don’t feel dated 5 years later or end up in the trash within the month.
Don’t Look to the Catalog for Clues. Look to the Table.
Before you choose a finish or get a twitchy eye while reviewing table legs, pause and think about how you really eat. A couple that eats dinner quietly at 6 has very different needs than a pair that hosts friends regularly. And that duo has very different needs than a household of 5 that spends all Sunday sitting around the table.
This easy trick often disqualifies a lot of tables faster than scrolling through 17 pages of table results. Knowing your table’s mission makes it simple to find your dining table in an instant.
Shape Will Determine How People Congregate
Around a round table, people are expected to talk to each other, since they can see everyone else’s faces! A rectangular table is a statement and works magic in a long, skinny room. An oval says you’re fancy, but a rectangular table with curves won’t ruin your scene for a second.
Let the space plan inform your choice of shape, rather than squeezing a round table into a narrow space.
Buy Something That Gets Better As It Ages
A dining table is one of the few furniture pieces you expect to see daily service. Marks, wear, circling your glass forever, you get the deal, and the glam has to fade eventually. For those who love the patina of wood, the tiniest dent, or the rattle of a fork on a glass, nothing fits that bill quite like wood.
Don’t Buy a Table That Will Date Your Space
The way we furnish our homes surely changes thanks to Serena and Lily, but ultimately, well-proportioned furniture looks good indefinitely. Buy furniture that’s calmly made, in a decent proportion, in a wear-friendly material, and even our internet society that insists on putting the ancients in 1200 square foot homes can’t ruin it.
When you choose a dining table that will last, it translates to much more than just having a place to eat. You are actually selecting something that changes with your life, your living situation, and thousands of life moments scattered throughout the years, instead of something that must be replaced for some reason or other on a 5 to 7-year schedule.
The Devil is in the Details, Literally
Find the perfect dining table, and the next layer ensures it doesn’t look like you grabbed a card table and set it up on the patio, but that you actually gave some thought to the mood you’re trying to create. A great chair, the light at the right height, and something that changes with the seasons is one small step for a houseguest, one giant step for a really great dinner outside. Tip: Do not crowd the dining table with decorative elements that are non-removable (it’s an everyday use situation by nature). All you need is a little elbow room for meals and work and late-night games and conversations.