This blog post was originally published in 2014 and was updated in October 2023.
The timeless silhouette of our Andrews Pedestal Dining Table, feature here, is the perfect anchor piece for this dining room.
When it comes to picking between a round or rectangle dining table for your space, you’ll want to focus on size and scale. More than anything, you want a dining table to be able to fit your entire family, and even extend with a leaf for larger groups! With this in mind, we thought we’d share how many chairs can fit around round, oval, and rectangular tables of standard sizes.
The Wren Round Pedestal Dining Table, featured above, is a great way to maximize the space of your dining area while still retaining a beautiful table design.
Round Dining Tables
If you’re stuck choosing between a round or rectangle table for a small space, it’s important to remember that round tables have the most flexibility in terms of seating because of their round corners—especially if your round table is a pedestal table. Round tables are also ideal for a small spaces because they don’t take up as much room as a rectangular or square table.
With a standard 20″ x 20″ chair in mind, here’s what we found:
- A 42″ round table can fit four people comfortably.
- A 48″ round table can seat 4-6 people comfortably.
- A 60″ round table can seat between 6-8 people comfortably.
Oval Dining Tables
An oval table is a classic look, and it’s also very flexible in terms of seating because of it’s rounded corners. Some round tables may have a leaf that turns it into an oval shape: Featured above on the right, the Vendela Extendable Dining Table uses the extendable leaf feature to easily add up to 4 extra seats at your next holiday gathering.
- A 60″ oval dining table can seat up to 6 people comfortably.
- A 97″ oval dining table can seat up to 8 people comfortably.
- A 102″ oval dining table can seat up to 8 people comfortably.
- A 120″ oval dining table can seat up to 12 people comfortably.
We love the way our Lemonde Modern Dining Table, featured above, completes the wood tone accent of this entire dining space while still keeping a bright and white faux marble top.
Rectangular Dining Tables
A rectangular dining table is the most popular shape because it fits so nicely in so many rooms. They also tend to have a clean, classic look that will never go out of style.
- A 70″ rectangular dining table can seat between 4-8 people comfortably.
- An 84″ rectangular dining table can seat up to 8 people comfortably.
- A 90″ rectangular dining table can seat up to 8 people comfortably.
- A 108″ rectangular dining table can seat up to 10 people comfortably.
- A 130″ rectangular dining table can seat up to 10 people comfortably.
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, this graphic is a great visual to see what size table you need!
Looking for more dining room inspiration? Read these helpful articles next:
- Podcast, Ep. 146: Dining Room Basics
- How to Pair a Head and Side Dining Chairs
- How to Pick the Right Dining Chair Size and Style
- How to Select the Perfect Dining Room Table
- How to Create a Modern Mix Dining Table
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Olivia Smart
Thank you for explaining that a 90 inch table can seat up to eight people. I’ve been wondering what size dining table to get for our large family. This seems like it could be the best fit for us , so I’ll look into finding one of this size.
Connie
I hope you can help me. If I have a dining room 11′ x 12′ 10” what shape and size table would work best and give enough room for chairs and walk around?
Thank you,
Caroline McDonald
Connie,
Based on the measurements, your room is basically square. For square dining rooms, we usually recommend round dining tables. I’d suggest using our Room Planner Tool to test out what size round dining table you’ll need in your space.
Good luck!
Caroline