The dining table as the centre of a home

In most homes we work on, the dining table is used for dinner perhaps once a day. The rest of the time it is a desk, a homework station, a place for post and a meeting room. It is the hardest-working piece of furniture in the house, and it deserves more thought than it usually gets.

Size it for every day

Buy the table for the number of people who sit at it on a normal evening, with room for two more. A table sized for the one large gathering a year will feel empty for the other 364 days.

• Allow 60 cm of table edge per person.

• Leave at least 90 cm between the table and the wall.

• A depth of 90 to 100 cm lets dishes sit in the middle.

Round or rectangular

A round table is better for conversation and for tight rooms, because there are no corners to walk around. A rectangular table seats more people and suits a long room. If you entertain often, an extending table gives you both.

The best table is the one people stay at after the plates are cleared.

Choose a finish that forgives

Oiled timber marks, and then it can be sanded and oiled again. Lacquer looks perfect until the first scratch, and then it cannot be repaired. For a table that will be used every day, we almost always choose the finish that can be renewed.

Light it low

Hang the pendant 70 to 80 cm above the table top and put it on a dimmer. The light should fall on the table and the faces around it, and leave the rest of the room in the background.