Yes, Dining Table Shapes Impact a Room’s “Size”

Before you shop for a new dining table set, think about the effect you want to have on your dining room.  For example, if it is a large and open space that is tricky to fill, you’ll want chairs with a higher back and a rectangular shape.  The height of the chairs blocks the visual flow across the space helping to make it feel less expansive. 

Smaller spaces will do well with round tables as they can seat more people and take less space physically.  The space between the curves and walls looks larger helping to make the room feel bigger.  If you’re ready to learn how to select the best dining table and chairs to match your dining room goals, let’s jump in!  We’ll start with smaller rooms first.

Making Small Dining Rooms Feel Larger

There’s two things to consider when picking your table for smaller dining rooms.  The first is geometry and the amount of space taken with the usable surface area, and the second is to create an optical illusion on your eyes.

Round tables allow people to seat more closely together as there are no corners, so you can seat more people at a table in a smaller space compared to a rectangle or square.  As an added bonus, circles have more surface area than squares because the shape encompasses a larger area.  You can add extra decor, food, or a centerpiece and still have space.

This isn’t a post about math, but if you want to calculate the two, you can get the surface area of a circle by using SA = πr² and a square with SA = s².  And circles offer more surface area than rectangles which use SA = lw.  

A standard 8 person rectangular dining table will be 84 – 96inches, where a circular table will be about 60 inches wide.  The rectangular table will make a room feel smaller because it shortens the space between the table and the wall on the long side.  Visually the room feels smaller. 

A circular table makes the room appear larger because the space between the edges and the walls looks wider from every angle.  The room size doesn’t physically change shape, its the shape of the table that makes it feel larger or smaller.  And there’s another optical illusion you can create.  Let’s go with the circular table again. 

If you have chairs that go above the table’s height, they’re going to block the visual flow of the room.  This makes the room look smaller as there are visual barriers blocking the person’s line of sight.  

When the chairs are at the same height as the table top, people look through the room with no barriers and this creates an optical illusion of a larger space.  Depending on the height of the table and chairs, you may open the room for more light and the ceiling may appear a bit higher as well because there is less visual obstruction.

Making Large Dining Rooms and Tables Feel Complete

When you have a large or open dining room area, the table needs to fill the space and be a centerpiece.  This does not have to be tricky when you apply some of the knowledge from above.  The goal is to create a focal point that keeps your eyes engaged vs. flowing past the eating area and from moving around the table.

The first tip is to go rectangular.  You don’t have to choose a massive table either, there are always extending tables that use leaves, panels, or innovative designs to fill spaces and seat more people as you need it.  Our junior giant for example starts as a small 2 person console table and expands to a 12 person dining table.  

The rectangular shape will take up more space, and because you need to block the visual flow to help make the space look filled, use chairs with high backs.  If the ceiling is raised, add a chandelier or low hanging decorative lights over the table.  These keep your eyes focused on the dining room set vs. drifting upwards and around the room making it feel complete.

Another trick is to add a nice accent or oriental rug below the dining table.  This helps to section off the room and create a complete focal point that ties the area together.  If the rug extends just past the chairs, you’ve likely helped to further frame the table.  If it is an open area and not a dining room, you may want to try an oversized rug instead as this may help make the area feel full or the large space to feel less expansive.

It’s easy to make a small dining room feel larger or to have a large area feel complete when you know the science behind dining area illusions.  The shape of your dining table, the height of your chairs, if you create a focal point, and whether you block or clear the visual space to the wall is how you can make a dining room feel larger or smaller, no matter what size or how tricky the space may be.