While they are called dining tables, there are many other purposes for this furniture than just dining in some homes. For those with limited kitchen spaces, they also serve as preparation tables for cooking. For those who have big houses with two dining areas, one table may be reserved for when there are house guests, while the other, for daily meals. Some of these tables double up as working tables for paperwork or arts and crafts. To help you choose which table would be best for your dining area, below are some points you need to consider when shopping for one.

First of all, you need to measure your dining room or area. Then, you need to know how many people you need to accommodate everyday, or most of the time, in that space. You may just have 4 members in your household, but if you have guests in the house each week, you might want to think about making provisions for those regular visitors. However, you also have to consider the table's proportion to the room size. You need to be sure that the table you buy should give, at the very least, a 24-inch space for every person at the table and a width of one person in-between chairs. In addition, your table should have a minimum distance of 30 inches from the walls or items around it.

If you've got a small room, a square table usually works best among all other shapes of dining tables. Square tables save space and also create an ambience that's casual and intimate. Remember that strategic placing of square items is easy, except in long spaces where they usually look strange. The only other disadvantage of a square table is that it can't accommodate a large party.

If your space can afford it, perhaps you should choose a rectangular table, so you won't have any problem about seating more people than the usual. This table is also versatile, especially for the common activities in a dining area. You can convert it to a buffet table when hosting a dinner that's larger than the ordinary. Your special family dinners also look more elegant when you set it with candelabra in the center, while the head of the family is seated at one end carving the main course or making a toast.

They say that round tables encourage more conversations. So, if you'd like your household to have chats over meals, consider buying a round table. You just need to keep in mind, though, that round items aren't space-savers, so you need to see if your dining area is wide enough to have a round table.

Table shapes are a good basic point where you can start choosing from all the dining tables you'll see in furniture shops. From here, you can determine the material and finish that you think would look best in your home.

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Wallpaper is very fashionable at the moment and it is especially nice in the dining room. Why? Well, wallpaper adds a warmth through its design and texture, it helps to make a room feel cozy, lived in, more luxurious and creates the perfect ambience for lingering over a meal, having an extra long chat over coffee after your meal, for creating the room that you want to spend time in.

How do you ensure that the wallpaper you choose is right for your dining room? How do you ensure it won't overwhelm the room? What do you do if you don't have a room for dining but a small area in an open place space or in the kitchen? Follow our tips for ideas on how to achieve that perfect space.

If your dining area is in a large open place space or at one end of the kitchen, then you need to create a zone for dining, rather than it looking like it is a table and chairs in the middle of a larger area. You can achieve this zone by wallpapering an area of the wall beside your dining table. You can do this in two ways - you can create a large panel by marking out an area approximately the width of the table and chairs and using architrave or wooden moldings to create a large rectangle and simply wallpaper within it. The paneling will give it a nice finish. Alternatively, use wallpaper panels. Wallpaper panels are individual strips of wallpaper that have their own individual story or design within each one - they can be used singly or in multiples and you can mix and match wallpaper panels for your own individual design.

If the dining room is small, a busy or large scale wallpaper design might be overwhelming. Wallpaper a feature wall in your chosen wallpaper and keep the other details simple and plain so they aren't all fighting for attention. Let the wallpaper be the feature and ensure your dining table accessories are in plain or co-coordinating colors. If there are alcoves within the room, you could wallpaper each of the alcoves.

Wallpapering the whole room is the piece de resistance and can look magnificent as well as ensuring it is creating that comfortable convivial atmosphere for dining. Choose a wallpaper that has a small design or is light in color. Yukari Sweeney's Manor House wallpaper is an example that is perfect for dining rooms as the design incorporates chandeliers and candelabras, yet it is understated enough not to overwhelm a room.

If you have never used wallpaper before, the dining area is a lovely zone to start in.

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