The world is in a great big hurry these days and sometimes it can feel like there's just no such thing as quality time left. Meals are grabbed on the go or eaten in front of the TV, homework is done in the five minutes before leaving for school.
Bringing the family together again for long mealtimes, inviting friends over for dinner, just to sit and eat and talk and enjoy each other's company... it feels like a daunting task.
But with the right dining table, you'll feel encouraged to make family supper a tradition, to invite as many friends as can fit around your table to spaghetti and meatball night, and to leave the TV for a while and just talk the night away.
Amish Tables come in a series of very special sizes and this guide will help you choose the perfect size to fit your space.
Fitting everyone in
Have you ever been for dinner at a friend's house only to discover that, while the table and chairs fit into their available space, there's simply not enough room for the people as well? It becomes an exercise in logistics for one person to visit the bathroom and eating and breathing space is cramped.
When choosing a dining room table size, the first thing to do is measure your space well, then work out how much space guests will need to move around freely if your table is full.
You should leave 36 inches between the edge of the table and each wall to allow freedom of movement. Each guest should also have between 24 and 26 inches of elbow room. By measuring your room properly and taking these measurements into account, you should now be able to work out which size will be ideal for your room.
Shape matters
For large, open rooms, a square or rectangular dining table works just fine. For smaller spaces, round tables allow for better movement flow.
For extension tables, remember that people still need to fit in, so unless you can spread the table across two rooms, it still needs to fit into the available space when fully extended.
Our Unique Table Sizes
Amish Tables are all about family, friends and getting together. That's why we have a few unique and unusual sizes that go beyond the usual.
Intimate dining for two
If your space is small but you still want the intimacy of a small round dining table, take a look at our 36-inch tables. All the same quality and expertise go into making it, and you can fit it into your small dining area with ease.
Traditional Single Pedestal Extension Table
Round dining tables for 8-10
Most round dining tables comfortably seat up to six people. We have eight-person dining tables that measure 60 inches and even 72 inches across for a ten-person dining table.
Arts and Crafts Single Pedestal Extension Table
Better by the dozen
Families may be getting smaller, but that doesn't mean you can't easily find 12 people to break bread with in your family and friendship circle. We have an extensive range of extension tables that are customizable to your needs.
For a round 12-seater dining room table, you will need to go for a 72-inch round with one to two extensions.
To seat 12 people around a rectangular table, you will need a table that's at least 120 inches when fully extended. That doesn't mean it needs to be that large all the time. The beauty of an extension table is that you can make it fit your everyday needs, and then pull out the stops for big gatherings.
For example, if your family is up to six people, take a 60-inch extension table, which will comfortably seat you all. Add one 12-inch extension to make space for two extra people, three to make room for four more and five to round you up to a dozen.
Invite the neighborhood
Our extension tables really make allowances for big gatherings. You can easily seat 14 or more people at them, depending on how many extensions you go for.
One of our round 72-inch tables with three 12-inch extensions can comfortably seat 14 people.
Our showpiece Hartford Trestle Extension Table, for example, can seat eight comfortably on any normal day; but with up to 14 additional extensions available – making space for 14 more people – you can seat a whopping 22 people around one spacious, sturdy, lifelong table.
To work out how many people you can fit around your Amish Table, check out our table seating guide.