Extendable Dining Tables

Sizing an extendable dining table for your room

An extending table has a closed size and an open size, and they settle different questions. The closed size is the table you live with day to day, so it decides how easily you walk round it. The open size decides whether everyone gets a seat when the family comes round. Measure the room with the table extended, then allow space behind the chairs so people can pull out and sit down without meeting a wall.

Think about the number you seat on an ordinary evening and the number on your busiest day, then compare both with what the table seats closed and open. If you would rarely close it, a larger closed size may suit you better.

How an extending table opens

Look at how the table extends, because that decides how quickly you can make room for guests and where the extra leaf lives. A butterfly leaf folds away inside the table, so there is nothing to store. A separate leaf or extension plate slots in for bigger meals and needs a flat, dry place between uses, such as under a bed.

Check the number of leaves supplied and whether more can be added later, since that sets how long the table can become. If you will usually extend it alone, think about how easily the table opens and how heavy the leaf is to lift into place.

Choosing the shape of your extendable table

Shape decides how the table sits in the room and how easily people talk across it. Some of the tables we stock here are round, which suits a square room and keeps everyone in view. If you like round but sometimes need more seats, look for one that opens into an oval. Some tables are oval, which softens the outline and makes them easy to walk round.

In a long, narrow room, a rectangular top follows the walls and leaves a clear path down both sides. Check the corners too: rounded corners are gentler on hips in a busy kitchen, while square corners give a crisp outline and a defined seat at either end.

Bases, legs and chairs around an extending table

The base decides where chairs can go once the table is open. A pedestal or trestle base keeps the corners free, so an extra chair can tuck in without anyone straddling a leg. With legs at the corners, check where they sit with the leaf in place, because that settles the number of chairs along the sides. If you like to stretch your feet out, note any stretcher between the legs.

Height decides whether your chairs slide under. Compare the height of the table, and of the frame beneath its top, with the seat and arm height of your chairs, so they tuck away when the table is closed and knees clear the frame when it is open.

What our extendable dining tables are made of

Most of the tables on this page are made with wood, and we stock many in oak. Many use MDF as well, so read the material details for the table you like to see which parts are solid timber and which are board. If you would like a top you can sand and refinish later, solid wood is the one to look for.

Many have steel in their build, worth knowing if you want wood throughout. Not keen on a wooden top? Some tables have a ceramic top. A few have a glass top. Whichever you choose, use mats under hot pans, wipe spills promptly and follow the care notes for the material.

Finishes and styles for an extendable table

We stock natural, brown, black and white finishes, so you can match the table to your floor and chairs or let it contrast with them. Some have a matt finish, if you prefer a top without shine. A few come in grey. Before you decide, look at your floor and chairs in daylight and at night, since lighting changes how a finish reads.

As for style, many of the tables here are Scandinavian or modern, and many are classic or rustic. A few take a mid-century modern line. Some lean towards an industrial look. Mixing styles works too: a rustic table beside modern chairs looks relaxed rather than mismatched.

Extendable dining tables in kitchens and dining rooms

Almost all of the tables on this page suit a dining room, and most work in a kitchen too. A few suit a living room, handy in an open-plan space. In a kitchen, measure with the table extended and the chairs out, and check that cupboard and oven doors still open freely.

If you hang pendant lights above the table, check whether it opens from the centre or at an end: a centre opening keeps the middle under the light, while an end extension moves it along. If you use a rug, choose one large enough for the open table with chairs pulled out, so chair legs stay on it when people sit back.