Dining Room Furniture

A dining table and chairs are the essentials. Beyond that, most dining rooms benefit from a sideboard or buffet for storage and serving, and a rug to define the space if it's open-plan.

They don't need to match exactly. A contrasting chair, timber against an upholstered seat, for example, can add interest, provided the scale and finish tone work with the table.

Match table height to standard dining chair height, around 45-48cm seat height with 28-30cm clearance under the table, and keep timber tones within the same warm or cool family if you want a cohesive look.

A rug under the dining setting is the simplest way to define the zone, alongside a pendant light positioned centrally over the table to visually anchor the space.

Allow roughly 60-70cm of table length per seated guest, plus at least 90cm of clearance around the table for chairs to pull out and people to move past comfortably.

Solid oak, ceramic and ceramic-topped tables handle daily use, spills and heat best. Marble is beautiful but requires more care around acidic spills, so consider a sealed finish if marble is your preference.