What to Look for In Versatile Dining Room Furniture

If you are planning on buying new dining room furniture, you should be prepared to put more thought into this purchase than you do for other pieces in your home. Unlike beds, end tables, and lounge chairs, a dining room table and chairs will likely be used for functions other than meals. Your kids may use the table for game-playing. Your spouse might pay bills or work on projects at the table. And you may use the chairs elsewhere in the home if you entertain guests. This is why versatility must be one of the key considerations when choosing dining room furniture.

The first thing you should decide when buying new dining room furniture is whether to purchase an entire set or buy the pieces separately. If you opt to acquire a set, you must then determine how many pieces will meet your needs. For instance, if you wish to seat four people, you might opt for the Mission Solid Oak 5-piece Dining Set. If you are anticipating larger dining room gatherings, the Abigail 7-piece Solid Wood Espresso Dinette Set or even the Cafe De Lux Counter Height 9-piece Dining Set might be more attractive. But if it’s just you and someone else, something like the Nova Cherry 3-piece Counter-height Dining Set may be all you require.

You also need to determine both the height and the design of the dining room furniture that will best suit your living space. The three most common choices are standard table height (the Eveleen Black 5-piece Dining Furniture Set) counter height (Bravo Counter-height 5-piece Dining Table Set), or bar height (the Barcelona 3-piece Bar-height Table Set). But you have numerous choices when it comes to the design of your dining room set. If you like the look of wood, the Americana Dark Oak 7-piece Pub Table Set or the Hayden Cherry 7-piece Counter-height Dining Set may be perfect for you. If your décor is more modern, the Bronza 5-piece Dinette Set features a beveled glass top, wrought-iron chairs, and seat cushions with golden paisley designs.

For a little extra flair, you may go for the Auburn Faux Marble Top 5-piece Dining Room Set, which has chairs made of Asian pine hardwood and aluminum. Or if your tastes lean toward the traditional, the especially-versatile Waldsworth 7-piece Dining Set boasts a classic dark wood look which is perfect for a country home or a city loft.

Perhaps you would rather shop around and purchase separate dining room pieces to produce a unique look in your home. Let’s start with the type of table that you are seeking. Again you must figure out which height is optimal: table height (Axium Dining Table), counter height (Maddox Espresso Counter Table), or bar height (Eyela Pub Table). But you should also get an idea of which shape you would prefer in a table: square (Soho Dining Table), round (Bistro Retro Dining Table), rectangular (Abigail Solid Wood 48-inch Dining Table), oval (Revelle Oval Dining Table), or even triangular (Bermuda 36-inch Triangle Table).

If you need the table to be more versatile, you should consider a table with leaves (like the Zocalo Cinnamon Bay Dining Table or the Rubberwood 40-inch Diameter Round Drop-leaf Table) which can be put in, taken out, or folded down to accommodate different numbers of people. Then you are ready to pick out the style of table you want. Choices include sophisticated (Victorian Dining Table), basic (Studio Oak Dining Table), bold (Hudson 60-inch Mocha X-base Round Dining Table) or contemporary (Contemporary Small Dining Table).

Now it’s time to pick out the chairs. Most chair selections are grouped in sets of two (Sorrento Dining Chairs), though some are packaged in sets of four (Black Dining Chairs). Of course, you have to pair the chairs with the corresponding table height you have selected: table height (Bi-cast Leather Shino Black Dining Chairs), counter height (Window Back Counter Stools), or bar height (Highback Adjustable Bar Chairs). But perhaps the most distinct trait attributed to chairs is the material that their seats are made of.

They range from stylish leather (Becca Leather Dining Chairs) to fabric (Parson Striped Upholstered Dining Chairs) to microsuede (Studio Rust Microfiber Black Chairs). Many chairs do not have seat cushions at all, but are instead made of natural wood (Solid Wood Empire Dining Chairs), hard plastic (Vince Clear Shell Chairs), or metal (Preston Indoor/ Outdoor Chairs). Finally, if convenience is a factor in your buying decision, you may want chairs that fold up (Mission-style Folding Chairs) or stack (Stackable Silver Ballroom Chairs) when they are not in use.

As you can see, there are many decisions to be made before you outfit your dining room, breakfast nook, or kitchen area. But the upside is that once you complete this lengthy thought process, you are virtually assured of obtaining the dining room furniture that perfectly suits your space, needs, style, and budget. And because there are so many different options available, the dining room set or pieces you eventually choose will be as unique as you are.

Chris Martin is a freelance writer who writes about dining room furniture.

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