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Choose the right dining room furniture
A primer on picking out the right dining- room table and chairs for your space.
At first, choosing your dining-room furniture seems like a simple task. Find a table and chairs that match and you’re all set, right? If all you want is a place to eat without having to sit on the floor, that minimum standard will do the trick. But if you want a space that’s attractive and functional, a space for living that adds to your home’s overall appeal, there’s a bit more to it.
“There are a lot of different aspects you need to look at,” says Catherine Rhyno, an interior designer in Saint John, who teaches the subject at the New Brunswick Community College. “Lighting is a factor, space is something we consider. Comfort is another thing. You need to keep all these things in mind when you’re making your choices.”
Heirloom quality dining-room furniture—tables with classic lines, sturdy construction and a weathered look—is always in style. Photo: Alanna Jankov
Ultimately, you should pick your dining-room furniture the same way you would any other piece: start by asking yourself how you intend to use it. “You can push the trend button all you want but everyone is different,” Rhyno says. “There really isn’t one rule. How you intend to use the space is a primary concern.”
In some houses, the dining room is a special-occasion space, only used for holiday meals and special get-togethers. In other homes, it’s the centre of the daily action: a space for homework, games, nightly meals and more. “Good design is all about function,” says Rhyno.
Before you think about anything else, take the time to think about the space, advises Bruce Gray, furniture designer in Fredericton, New Brunswick. “Look at the site in the house,” he says. “People know they need a table and that’s it…Furniture needs to be functional first. I try to involve clients in the whole design process. Guiding the process makes them value the piece more.”
Also consider how people will move in the dining room. “Arrange the space for conversation and comfort, and also little things like making sure there’s enough room for people to push back from the table and move around,” Rhyno says. “You also need to think about the lighting in the room. You want the people and the food to look good.”
Jason Cullen is the owner of One Stop Wood Shop in Halifax. He builds custom dining-room tables, and many other wood creations, for a variety of budgets. “I can do exotic tables for quite a bit or more cost-effective designs,” he says. “Really, I just want to create.”
Jason Cullen, owner of One Stop Wood Shop in Halifax, is a true artisan, taking pride in never duplicating a design and letting the materials guide each creation. Photo: One Stop Wood Shop
He built a custom dining-room table from this slab of 100-year-old red elm. Photo: One Stop Wood Shop
Cullen designed this rustic dining table out of old floor boards, dating from 1834, that he salvaged from a recent renovation at The Henry House, a restaurant in downtown Halifax. Photo: One Stop Wood Shop
Many people come to Cullen looking for heirloom-to-be pieces, something to pass on through the generations. “Styles change from year to year,” he says. “Right now, it’s all about big slab tables. Many customers just want something that no one else has. Every piece I do is different—I make sure no two are the same.”
His partner Debbie Lee is also seeing a growth in the popularity of hybrid designs. “People like the mix of rustic and modern,” she says. “We’re seeing designs where you take a dramatic piece of wood and top it with glass and iron. Stark rooms with a rustic-looking table make the table into a design accent.”
Wood is still the material of choice for most dining-room tables. Cullen tries to work with locally sourced, sustainable sources of wood, but will try almost any type a client wants. “But I won’t use something that’s endangered—like from the Brazilian rain forest,” he adds. Cherrywood is popular, but lately, Cullen has been enjoying working with roasted birch. It has a dark, almost coffee-like colour, much different from the light hues normally associated with birch.
Rhyno has a caution for choosing darker woods, though. “Dust settles on dark wood and it’s very noticeable,” she says. “You’re going to have to wipe down every day or it will build up fast.”
Tables made from reclaimed wood (particularly from old barns and churches) are also increasingly popular, although the material makes Cullen cringe. “Most reclaimed wood is thin, full of oil and nails… It’s not my favourite thing to work with,” he says.
“It’s hard to work with, but it looks good,” Lee adds. “Customers like the story behind the wood.”
Antique tables—either restored or carefully maintained over the years—are also popular. “The price is prohibitive,” Rhyno says. And if you’re going to use the table daily (especially if you have children), the wear and tear will quickly add up.
That doesn’t mean you need to avoid antiques entirely, though. “Sometimes I recommend an heirloom piece such as a buffet or china cabinet,” Rhyno says. “Most people want a mix.”
Increasingly, people mix styles for their dining-room chairs. “The eclectic style really suits a creative personality,” she says. “You want it balanced, but everything doesn’t have to match. Most people want some sort of symmetry.”
The function of the chair is as important (if not more so) than the design. Rhyno gives the example of the Parson chair, a high-backed, armless design often recommended for dining rooms. “The Parson chair is popular but doesn’t suit everyone,” she explains. “Some people find that the design just isn’t right for sitting comfortably.”
Custom designs, like this chair from Geddes Furniture in Halifax, allow homeowners to centre their dining rooms on pieces that are both attractive and functional. Photo: Geddes Furniture
It’s important to research and test-drive a chair before you buy it. “Most people’s dimensions are pretty similar but still, chair manufacturers are kind of guessing and we’re not all the same,” Rhyno says. “Get out there and sit in a few. Try them out.”
And finally, remember that making the right choices in your dining room now can create a long legacy for your family. “When faced with acquiring furniture…a person may be predisposed to get what will meet their immediate needs at the least cost and there is nothing wrong with this,” says furniture designer Bruce Gray. “At the other end of the spectrum is a person who values quality, the object being one-of-a-kind… Well designed and built custom furniture appreciates in value and should last many generations.”
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