Consider all factors to get leg up on table selection

Sometimes even a designer with a track record like mine needs to be brought up to speed, which is what happened recently during the remodeling of a client's adjoining dining room and kitchen. They were very excited about the new look taking shape and were fixated on what the dining table would look like.

One day I received a phone call informing me that they had found the table of their dreams and asked if I'd please go see it and give it my "papal blessing." How could I refuse, even though I wasn't used to the client seeing the table before I did? They mentioned something about the table being 42 inches high, but I brushed that absurd thought off, certain that in all their excitement they weren't responsible for what they were saying.

A viewing of the table soon confirmed that my hearing was just fine, while at the same time giving me a rude awakening to a whole new trend in dining table design that I was totally unaware of. Tables are now being offered at finished heights much higher than the standard 29-31 inches that I've worked with my entire professional life. I don't know when it happened, but there it was. And most surprising of all to me was the comfort and ease for sitting and dining that this new height afforded, as long as the chairs are properly scaled for such an application. And they were. So, I actually learned something that day. The clients love their new table, and I've often thought since then about how far we've come in the evolution of the dining table and of the myriad of choices available in today's marketplace.

Of course, it all began with our old friends, the ancient Egyptians, who probably first came up with the concept of a design suitable for dining. It was more like a pedestal and was often rendered in wood and stone, materials that I love to see used in tables today. The Assyrians used metal and other ancient cultures are known to have used marble. Again, both materials are still very much in vogue. I'm partial to stone, especially granite, both for its practicality (no scratches -- ever!) as well as its beauty, and my own dining room is graced by this kind of indestructible and timeless table.

The Middle Ages gave rise to the trestle table, which could be dismantled and moved easily. It really was not much more than a top of long wooden planks resting on trestles (simple supports). The more permanent type of dining table, as we've come to know it, first appeared sometime in the mid-16th century and, by the 19th century, it was referred to as a refectory table.

Pity the poor souls living in the Victorian era who were so repressed that not only was the sight of a female ankle considered nothing short of scandalous, but even the sight of table legs was considered inappropriate and undignified. So table legs were required to be kept covered and out of sight as, after all, they were legs. It's hard to believe, but it's true. (I'm not sure if this was the beginning of the tablecloth or not.)

Nowadays, in a world where virtually anything goes, there are some solid guidelines to choosing the right dining table that I've used in my years of designing and selling furniture to people from all walks of life. First and foremost, you must decide on a style. Is your home contemporary or traditional? This will most likely affect your choice of material. The modern home is a wonderful showcase for any metal, stone, glass or exotic wood veneer, while the traditional is more suitable to darker wood tones and more elaborate edge details.

Next, you must consider not only the size and the shape of your room, but the number of people you plan to seat at the table as well. In a word, if you want to seat eight people, then you will need to allow for an 8-foot table with a width of approximately 40-42 inches.

If the room is round, use a round table, which, by the way, is the shape that provides the maximum seating in a tight space.

If your dining room isn't very large, try to keep the tabletop thin, which will give a lighter look and still be functional without dominating the space. My granite table is beveled underneath so that it appears very slim and helps give the illusion of space. A glass top, of course, is best to achieve an open feeling, but be prepared, as I've told clients for years, to be a slave to fingerprints and the inevitable scratches. Ironically, unlike other materials, a thick glass top won't compromise the size of a room, and the thicker it is, the more impressive the table will appear -- and so will the price tag.

Consider the beautiful and graceful geometric oval and racetrack oval (straight sides) when choosing a table, even though they are seldom seen. But believe me, they are worthy of a second look.

And when choosing either a central pedestal base or multiple pedestals for a longer table, be sure that they are scaled and placed so that they not only adequately support the top, but that they don't interfere with your guests' feet. If the top is too large for the base, then the table may tip or rock.

Also be sure that supporting legs are positioned so they won't wind up between your guests' legs, causing them to focus on their discomfort rather than on your brilliant food and scintillating conversation.

Stephen Leon is a licensed interior designer and president of Soleil Design International; he has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years. He has served on the board of directors of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.soleildesign@cox.net.