Dining Room Furniture

Finding the right dining table

The table sets the shape of the room, so start there. Think about who sits down on an ordinary evening and who joins you when friends or family visit. If the guest list is much longer, an extending table earns its place, and some of our dining tables extend for exactly that reason. Check the product page to see whether the extension leaves come with the table.

Shape matters as much as size. A round or oval table suits a square room and keeps conversation easy, because nobody is stranded at the far end. A rectangular table fits a long, narrow room and works well with a bench. A pedestal base gives more legroom, with no corner legs to bump into. A few of our tables fold, which helps where space is tight.

Dining chairs, benches and stools

Chairs decide how long people linger at the table. For long dinners, upholstered seats are kindest, and we stock dining chairs in fabric, leather and velvet. Some are covered in bouclé, which has a soft, looped texture. For quick weekday meals, a wooden chair with a spindle or wishbone back is easy to pull out and wipe down. Carver chairs with arms suit the head of the table.

We stock dining benches too. A backless bench seats more people along a wall and tucks under the table after the meal. For a kitchen island or breakfast bar, we stock bar stools, and a footrest makes a real difference if you sit there for long.

Dining room sideboards and cabinets

A sideboard keeps plates, glasses and table linen within easy reach, and its top gives you somewhere to serve from. The mix of doors, drawers and shelves varies, so compare the storage details on the product page with what you need to put away. Measure the wall too, leaving room for doors to swing open.

Taller pieces such as highboards and display cabinets store more on less floor space. A few sideboards have a marble top. We also stock a few drinks cabinets, which give bottles and glasses a home of their own. Many pieces here suit a living room or hallway as well, so storage you buy for the dining room can move around the house later.

Wood, metal and marble dining furniture

Wood runs through most of our dining room furniture. We stock both oak and walnut: oak is hard-wearing, and its open grain hides small knocks, while walnut is darker and richer. Lighter oak suits a Scandinavian scheme, and walnut leans towards mid-century modern. A wooden table also gains character as it picks up the marks of family meals.

We stock metal and steel, which suit an industrial or modern room, as well as glass and marble. Glass keeps a small dining room feeling open, and marble is a natural stone, so its veining varies from piece to piece. Rattan, which we also stock, brings a woven texture that softens harder lines.

Dining room furniture styles and colours

We stock modern, Scandinavian, mid-century modern, rustic, classic and industrial dining room furniture to suit the rest of your home. Modern style keeps lines clean and finishes plain, rustic style shows off grain and texture, and industrial pairs dark metal with timber. Classic designs lean on turned legs and familiar shapes that sit easily in a period house.

For colour, we stock black, brown, natural, grey, white, beige and green finishes. Natural wood and white keep a room light, while black and brown ground it. A few pieces add brass, which warms up a darker scheme. Nothing has to match exactly: chairs that differ from the table look relaxed when a shared tone, such as black legs or the same wood, ties them together.

Making room for your dining furniture

Before you buy, measure the room, then use the dimensions on the product page to mark the table's outline on the floor with masking tape. Pull a chair out at the edge and check there is space to sit down and still walk behind. A rug under the table should be large enough to keep the chair legs on it when a diner pushes back.

In an open-plan home, the dining table often shares space with the kitchen or the sofa, and many pieces here suit a kitchen as well. A sideboard placed behind the sofa marks where the dining area begins, without putting up a wall. We stock a few kitchen islands too, for extra worktop space.

Caring for your dining room furniture

Wipe wood with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry it straight away, and use mats under hot dishes and coasters under glasses. Glass comes up clear with a lint-free cloth. For upholstered chairs, vacuum on a low setting and blot spills rather than rubbing them in. Brush velvet in the direction of the pile, and wipe leather with a dry or barely damp cloth. Where a product page lists care details, follow them first.