Eight-Seater Dining Tables

Eight is the number most people have in mind when they commission a dining table: family plus guests, or two couples and the children. It is also the number where the choice of length, base and chairs starts to matter, because a table that seats eight on paper does not always seat eight in practice.

The length that seats eight

We allow 24 inches of table edge for every person. On that basis a 96-inch (244cm) top seats four a side, eight in all, with room to serve, and it takes two more at the ends if the base allows it. A 72-inch (183cm) top seats six comfortably and eight at a push, with one person at each end.

So the honest answer is 96 inches if eight is the normal number, and 72 inches if eight is the occasional one. Between the two sit our 78, 84 and 90-inch lengths, and any length in between can be made, because every table is built from scratch.

Which base

The base decides whether the ends are usable. On a refectory table the legs stand in from the ends, so a chair goes in at each end and nobody straddles a leg. On a farmhouse table the legs are at the corners, which makes the end seats awkward. A double pedestal table suits a rectangular or long oval top seating eight or more, where one column would not carry the overhang.

For a square room, a 60-inch round seats six comfortably and eight at a squeeze, and there is no corner to walk into.

The chairs change the count

Carvers are wider than single chairs. Ours are 21 inches across the arms against 19 for a single, so a table that seats eight single chairs will not seat eight if two of them are carvers. If you want carvers at the ends, that is another reason to go for a base with the legs set in.

The room it needs

Allow 36 inches of clear floor behind every chair: 30 works if people breathe in, 42 lets somebody walk behind a seated guest with a dish. A 96-inch table with chairs only on the sides wants a room about 14 feet long and, at 39 inches deep, a little over 9 feet wide. Depth is 35 inches (90cm) or 39 inches (100cm) as standard, and if the room takes it, take the extra four inches.

If the room is short for eight, a drawleaf table seats six most of the year and draws out to seat more, with the leaves stored under the top rather than in a cupboard.

Timber, lead time and ordering

Every table is priced in oak, cherry, mahogany and walnut. Oak is the baseline and the other three cost more. Standard designs are normally twelve weeks from order to delivery, up to sixteen when we are busy. Every standard size is listed in inches and centimetres, and our guide to sizing a table to a room works through the arithmetic. Or ring the workshop on 01449 710500 with the room dimensions and we will tell you the length to build.