When deciding what table to get one of the most important things is how many people can sit at it. More than likely you have some idea of how many people will be sitting at your table on a regular basis. But once you know how many people you want to sit at the table, which table do you get? So there are a few things to consider. I’d like to briefly go over a few of them. Let’s use 4 people sitting at a table as an example.
SIZE
So one thing that’s always important for how many people fit at a table is the size of the table. Of course larger tables seat more people. 4 people is pretty flexible, but generally you want 24-30 inches per person for comfortable seating.
SHAPE
Shape has some impacts on how many people sit at a table comfortably too. For example, at a round table you’ll run out of space on the table for place settings quicker than around a square table of the same size, because there’s not as much surface area. Also a square will seat 4 very well; a hexagon, not quite as well.
BASE
This one is a little more subtle, but you need to know how your seating will work around the base. Until someone sorts out a floating table, you need support somewhere. So if those supports block certain spots for someone to sit comfortably, then you will be best off not planning for anyone to sit there. A rectangle may seat 6 in some settings but with legs placed blocking the ends, it could be down to 4.
HEIGHT
This one is odd but pretty simple. Bar stools or counter stools typically feel comfortable closer to the table than dining chairs. You also need a lot less space in front of the chair, as people’s legs go down, not out.
EXTENSIONS
Extensions exist to add seats to a table, so they should do that. Depending on how they interact with the base, some extensions struggle to add comfortable seating to the table. But generally speaking, one extension will make a table that used to seat 4 into a table that can seat 6. Add another extension to seat 8.
ACTIVITY
Finally it’s worth knowing what the table is for when you have different numbers of people. If you’re with family, everyone might be okay with sitting a little closer to each other. If you have people over for games they may need more or less table space, depending on the game. It’s helpful to know what’s happening, and about how many people.
That’s most of how the number of people at a table impacts the table that’s going to be right for you. I’m sure there are other things, but these would be the main ones I’d have. If you want to know more about this, I made a whole video! Check it out!
