Dining table height: 75 cm, and every measurement around it

A good dining table is a matter of centimetres: three too many under the elbows and dinner turns uncomfortable without anyone knowing why. Here are the measurements that make the difference.

Height: 75 cm, the point of balance

The global standard is a top 73-76 cm high, for a chair seat at 45-47 cm: the gap of 28 to 32 cm between seat and top is the true measure of comfort. Below 26, the thighs touch; above 34, the shoulders rise. Always check the thickness of the top and the apron: that is where the centimetres are lost.

The place per guest

60 cm of width and 35-40 cm of depth per person — it is the restaurants' measurement, and it holds at home. A 160 × 90 table seats six in comfort, eight among friends; 200 × 100 seats eight without touching elbows. For the solid wood that passes down the generations, see our wooden dining tables.

Round, oval or rectangular

The round table democratises conversation: Ø 100-110 cm for four, 130-140 for six. The oval — the Superellipse by Piet Hein and Jacobsen is its learned version — combines the capacity of the rectangle with the circulation of the round. The Tulip by Saarinen settled the last problem: the central pedestal frees every leg.

The clearances around

90 cm between the table edge and the wall to pull back a chair; 120 if someone must pass behind. A room 3.50 m wide thus takes a table 110 wide at most. The chair has its measurements too: the bistro chair, light and slim, gains a real 5 cm over a carver.

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