If you are having a large dinner party or are hosting a large family gathering, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, you may need to seat more people at your dining table than you traditionally do.
Here are a few tips and tricks for getting more people seated for dinner in your dining room.
photo courtesy of Builder's Design flickr.com/photos/buildersdesign/8490808116/No Armchairs
Arm chairs take up a lot of room.
Use narrow armless chairs to be able to seat more people.
Even better, use a bench to fit more people at your dining table.
You might even need to use an upholstered ottoman if you have limited seating.
No Placemats
Placemats take up space, so don't use them.
When trying to squeeze in additional people at your table, the space will feel even more cramped with overlapping placemats.
Instead, use a tablecloth that is not a specific size.
Smaller Plates
Instead of setting your dining table with newer large scaled dinner plates, use slightly smaller plates for dinner - you can even use salad plates as dinner plates if you are desperate!
The smaller plates will take up less room on the table, allowing more guests to sit at your table.
Pedestal Table
If possible, use a pedestal table instead of a table with legs.
A table with legs traditionally has legs at the 4 corners which makes it hard for 2 people to sit on the end.
If you have a pedestal table, the pedestal is at the center of the table so you don't have to worry about anyone running into a leg.
Add a Table
You can add an additional table to your dining room in order to seat more guests.
Another option is to add a folding table that is the same height as your dining table to the end of your dining table to enlarge it.
You can rent or borrow a table in order to seat more guests.
The tables don't even have to match each other if you cover both tables with the same tablecloth.
If you don't have a tablecloth big enough, use 3 - one on each table and one centered over the place where the 2 tables meet.
Don't be afraid to let your table extend into an adjoining room for a large gathering once or twice a year. If you find yourself needing an extra large table more regularly, then consider finding other ways to accommodate your guests that is more permanent.
Larger Table Top
Using your existing dining room table, you can add a large piece of plywood (or multiple pieces) on top to make the table top bigger.
Make sure that the plywood is attached securely to your table so that nobody leans on the table and the table top lifts.
Use a table cloth to disguise the raw plywood.
Several Smaller Tables
If you have a large dining room, consider removing your dining table and using several small dining tables instead.
One dining table can seat 8 to 10 people, but 4 small dining tables can seat 16 people for dinner.
New Dining Room
You can make a new dining room for a special occasion in order to seat more people.
Move your dining table into your living room, on your back patio, or even into your backyard.
Additional Dining Room
You can have an additional dining room to accommodate more guests.
Consider adding a dining table to another room in your home.
You can have a lady's table and a men's table, an adult table and a kids table, or have people draw numbers to see who sits where so people will be encouraged to talk to people they don't normally talk to.
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