Young House Love

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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

  1. Caroline says

    We have a table made out of Sheesham wood & LOVE IT! It has put up with all kinds of abuse from my 3 children & still looks great 6 years later! Glad you found one you love!

    Reply

  3. Mary @ stylefyles says

    haha that’s insane. You barter better in real stores than I do at flea markets. Seriously. I bought a rad 1950’s stand mixer for $25 (asking price was…..$25. I didn’t even try) and then got sweet talked into buying the juicer attachment for seven. But, since I only had six in my wallet, he gave it to me for six. Really. That’s all I’ve got. Mental note to work on those skills (but I already knew that).

    You do realize that you bought the table for 800, less than 50% of the original price. Which means the chairs cost more than the table. Really?

    I am officially humbled and amazed.

    Reply

  5. Jaimie says

    Love the idea of converting the living room into a dining room. I never really understood having a “living room” AND “family room”. Aren’t they the same thing?? I can’t wait to see what it looks like when you’re done.

    Sidenote: What kind of flooring do you have in there? It looks really nice. Our house came with poorly installed laminate (there are gaps, and they drive me crazy!), and I can’t wait to replace it with something nicer (and properly installed).

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      There’s pretty standark oak hardwood flooring in the future dining room and office (as well as hallway and the three non-master bedrooms. Someday we’ll have to refinish them (they’re a bit stained and splintery in spots) but they’re easy enough to live with for now!

      xo,
      s

  9. spark! (Ada-Marie) says

    I love that you bought your dining room table at The Dump! After living in Williamsburg and then Richmond for 15 years, I have never been to The Dump, but have seen a bazillion commercials for the place. Can’t wait to see the table!

    Reply

  10. Molly says

    Umm… I’m so glad that I’m not the only one that feels that way towards furniture. I’m pretty sure I told the world that I was officially a grown up now that I own an entertainment center. (Gettting married, and buying a house didn’t count, it was the the entertainment center that did it.) Haha…

    Congrats on the table, I can’t wait to see it!

    Reply

  11. L says

    Wanted to say I think your room function choices are perfect and will work well. My boyfriend’s parents have a simialar front two rooms and front door layout. They have the formal dining room where you will and it works well.

    Reply

  13. julie says

    I have a completely off topic question for you. We’re redoing our kitchen… floors are white-ish tiles, walls a soft blue/green, butcher block countertops. We want to paint the cabinets “white” but everyone is telling me to do something less stark, like “bone”… do you think I would then have to paint all the molding (floor, crown) the same color, as id usually just do that in regular white? Basically does the molding have to match the cabinets if they’re both “white”?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’d match them and we’d do crisp glossy white. Bone is pretty if it’s your thing, but don’t do it for other people! Classic clean white is always “in.”

      xo,
      s

  14. Monica says

    I went through 3 dining room tables, 1 craigslist find, 1 clearance find, and then the one I wanted. It looks like it will be worth the hunt for you, at least you are only on table #1. It sounds awesome! Can’t wait to see pics.

    Reply

  15. Dana says

    I bought my breakfast table from the Dump, in Dallas, about 3 years ago. I’m still in love with it, which says a lot, since my tastes change as quick as the Texas weather. Hope you enjoy it!
    Dana

    Reply

  16. Kiran says

    I love the idea of turning your living room into a formal huge dining room. But why round table? The room looks huge and long!! I’m just lost :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We taped it off and I swear it makes sense. Wait for the pics! Since we’ll have an entryway on one side it’s actually a very square-ish space in the middle for dining.

      xo,
      s

  18. Lindsay says

    Hey! I tried posting this earlier, but I am not sure if it went through. If so, please disregard it again! Anyway, I know this one is a smaller size than the one you got, but does the table you guys got look like this? https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/10/blogiversary-iii-you-asked-we-answered/ From what you described about the not-smooth top and the pedestal bottom, it sounds like it could be similar to this. I was just curious about Sheesham, as I had never heard of it, so I googled around and found this pic. Excited to see your pics of it!

    Reply

  19. Cara says

    Sorry this is off-topic but I noticed a few commenters above suggested sources for 8×10 rugs. Have you tried World Market? I was on their website recently and found some great patterns and colors, and some of the rugs have very modern designs. Definitely worth a look!

    Reply

  21. Faith says

    Totally unrelated… Are you aware that your advertiser safecount puts a circle pop up that moves with your screen even when you scroll down to escape it?

    Reply

  22. mary W. says

    Never underestimate the power of the dump! The commercials will drive you nuts but we have found some major scores there too! Can’t wait to see the top finish and apple green chairs, fab!

    Reply

  23. hillary says

    We also have a mid-century house with a big living room addition, and we turned the old LR into a dining room like you are planning. The original dining nook is tiny and now we use that as an entryway space and have a big dining room! We took down the wall between that room and the kitchen as well, and now we use that space SO MUCH. It’s a joy, and infinitely more used than a formal living space would be. Congrats on a great deal for your new table! Round tables are so inviting! And you can almost always squeeze in an extra chair.

    Reply

  24. Natalie says

    I agree that “Woody” doesn’t seem right. This is a rather large table we’re talking about. I imagine him being an older, sophisticated soul. Woodrow, perhaps?

    Reply

  25. Heather says

    To The Dump, to The Dump, to The Dump, Dump, Dump! Only VA residents will get that first line. I used to work at The Dump in VA Beach while I was in high school… you don’t know how lucky you are! They were very picky about splitting things up. Nice find!

    Reply

  26. Christy Panzarella says

    I have a knock off of the pottery barn one, in black, that I bought to use for a party from walmart, for like $100. I loved it so much I ended up keeping it as a permanent table in my eat in kitchen. I woulda recommended it, but it’s only 44″.
    Congrats on finding your forever table.

    Ps. Didnt you buy a round table top from Lowe’s once upon a time? Do they make larger rounds tops?

    Reply

  27. Kimberly says

    WOW! What a score!

    I wrote about my new table here http://outsidemyhead.com/table-for-six-please/ it was my husband’s grandmother’s and no one wanted it — EXCEPT FOR ME!! :) It came with FOUR leaves so it opens to some gigantically long table of about 13′ (why I’d ever need a table that long is beyond me). I’m told that it’s teak, but honestly I don’t care.

    I can’t wait to see Woody!

    Reply

  28. Christine says

    Can’t wait for photos of the table… and to see what you do to create an entry space! Are you thinking about a divider? Or an entry table to create another, “zone?”

    Reply

  29. RC says

    Just FYI, seems like the Clara photo on the Clara pics link on your page is darker and redder than the color calibrated on that is on Flickr (when you click the link).

    Reply

  30. monica says

    Round Tables are Great! You can always squeeze one more in. My mom has a round table – not sure of the size (well now I am cause I just called my mom- it is only 54 inches in diameter!) , but it was small enough for us to eat at every night (2 adults, 3 kids), but still when we are all there, we can fit 11 adults around it using the right chairs of course! So, I be you could fit all 12 around Woody!
    Can’t wait for pictures…

    Reply

    • Mel says

      I agree, I have a 4ft round table and we can fit 8 around it easily, we just use stools for extra people to sit at when we have a gathering :)

  31. elaine K says

    Re: extra seating for family dinners. I have a round table top that fits on a standard card table and fits 8. Kind of an old lady thing (my great aunt had one), but it works really well.

    Reply

  32. Abby says

    I have to say, I absolutely love reading your blog. This post was so funny it made me laugh out loud. You are both very gifted writers, and can definitely paint a vivid picture. Thanks for sharing it all with us (even the embarrassing moments)!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Seriously? Those are perfect! Too bad we vowed to save our pennies for a bit before investing in our 8 chairs. Oh man, watch them be gone by the time we’re ready to pull the trigger…

      xo,
      s

  34. jja says

    I would maybe prefer to have kids rooms next to mine. And, where do you keep your books? I thought that storage in living room is tipical book storage.

    Nice lamp and nice floor!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They’re in the closed cabinets underneath. We would have loved to keep books up top in those shelves but they’re too narrow, so books hang off awkwardly. Thank goodness there’s tons of space in the four cabinets below!

      xo,
      s

  36. Tim says

    My husband and I are still a couple years away from owning a house of our own, since we are currently living in the UK and travelling through Europe, but I’ve been thinking more and more about our future home and I can’t stop thinking about getting a big round table. I think it comes from the many, many summers as a camper and later a counsellor at summer camp in Northern Ontario, where the Camp Director ranted and raved about the social benefits of a round table. As a counsellor, I had as few as 6 campers and as many as 11 to fit around a 5 1/2 foot table. It was chaos at times, but none of my campers were ever excluded from the group by being stuck at the corner and it was easy to talk to the whole table.

    I’ve since realized just how correct the camp director was; my parents bought a big round dining table for our summer cabin and we’ve spent many evenings around that table with family and friends. No one has to yell to talk to the person across from them and, without any corners, no one gets left out of the conversation.

    It’s a bit nerdy, but one of my dream pieces of furniture is a huge white marble saarinen table.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s really sweet! I love the sentiment of a round table for you and I hope Clara feels the exact same way about it when she’s older and has lots of great memories of the whole crazy family gathered around.

      xo,
      s

  37. Ally says

    Which way will the French doors swing open? French doors are awesome/gorgeous, but if they open into the office (like in the floor plan), won’t they be annoyingly in the way of the couch or something? Will you keep them closed most of the time?

    Also, where the heck are you going to find funky green parson’s chairs? Even the one you posted is just a rental.

    Can’t wait for the full transformation!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re not sure which way the doors will swing yet- but of course we’d have to make sure there’s enough clearance for them. Maybe swinging into the dining room is the way to go. As for green parsons chairs, we’ve seen them on overstock.com and even on target.com from time to time. Just gotta keep an eye out!

      xo,
      s

  38. Soffia says

    “•YoungHouseLove says:
    February 9, 2011 at 11:04 am
    We have some preliminary ideas like using bright colorful art and a weighty console table near the entryway along with a big entry rug to define that zone. We also plan to drop in a giant ceiling fixture above the table to further define the dining area. We’re open to things like half-height built ins or columns to separate things, but you know how much we love open living so things to delineate zones without blocking things off might be the way to go for us. Should be interesting!

    xo,
    s”

    I just wanted to point this solution out to you :)
    Take look at this link http://jonesdesigncompany.com/decorate/our-entry and see that big hanging window. Adds a lot of drama and devides the two spaces without taking away the natural light from the room :)

    http://jdc.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_5939.jpg

    Anyways, love your blog and cant wait to see how the rest of the house turns out!

    Reply

  40. Ashley says

    There are so many comments, I’m not sure if I’m duplicating someone else’s suggestion, but check Cost Plus’ Sophia Dining chair in green as a possible dining chair. It’s lovely, and while a little more squat than your dream chair, it’s a great price ($99 on sale).

    Reply

  42. Stephanie says

    I love that we are also into Richmond so I can put places on my list! We are also looking for a diningroom table for our growing family. We currently have the IKEA dorm special (it was cheap and small and we were a family of four including two small girls when we bought it.) But we’ve outgrown it. We now have four children. And the babies at the end in their IKEA highchairs can reach way too far down the table! But we need something rectangular and expandable preferably.

    Reply

  43. christa says

    Sorry if you already answered this…

    When you knock out the wall to create the door way will you loose any cabinets in your kitchen?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      One end cabinet will call for a slight readjustment but we have a few options to keep everything else in tact! Which is good because moving too many things can get expensive!

      xo,
      s

  44. Cathy says

    My sister and her husband name EVERYTHING in their world. Their dishwasher is named FLO, and my daughters have suggested that when they get a microwave, they should name it RAY.

    *J & S: Don’t listen to the naysayers on having your dining room as you first walk into your home. It will be beautiful! In our last home, you walked right into our dining room, and it made for a very dramatic entrance. Enjoy!

    Reply

  45. jbhat says

    It’s thoughtful purchases such as this that are what making your new house a home. Love that you realize that it’s important that you think about your family beyond just the you 4 of you who currently live there (Burger included).

    jbhat

    Reply

  47. Nikki says

    Re: the green parsons chair. The henriksdals at IKEA come without covers for $49 AND there are lots of people who make *stunning* custom covers for them in anything you want. I am actually doing the exact same thing for our kids breakfast table/ craft table in a polka dot oilcloth for easy clean up. :) All six are costing me under $500 from very start to very finish. :)

    Reply

  48. heather s. says

    I have a smaller round table (fits four) and I wish I had gotten one with a leaf so I could fit more people when needed but I love the shape since my dining room is small and it allows you to easily move through the room (very important considering it is between the back door and the living room). Cant’ wait to see pics!

    Reply

  50. Wintry Mix says

    Awesome post. Congrats on the find!! I’m not a bit surprised that you got the guy to sell you the table separately, but I am big-time surprised that you got it for under $1000! That’s some skillful negotiating there.

    Reply

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