Dining Room Upgrade: How to Shop for a Large Family Dining Table

Whether you have a big family, like ours, or you’re used to extended family gathering around the table for dinner and holidays, there is nothing quite like the statement a large dining table can make!

We actually DIY’d our first family table and I’ve looooved it. In fact, we haven’t gotten rid of it, it’s just finding a new home in another space of ours right now. But I do have to say, with six kids, the elbow room was getting tight. It was time for an upgrade to our dining room space, and what better than just before the holiday season!

I cannot wait to finish decking the halls, and especially our new dining table for a large family… our family.

[note note_color=”#ffffff”]This post is a sponsored post in partnership with a brand we love to work with, Rooms To Go. All thoughts and opinions are always 100% our own.[/note]

We’ve shopped Rooms To Go before when we switched Aria over to a big girl bed, and I was so excited to work with them again for this dining room upgrade! Rooms To Go is always easy to order from (whether in-store or online) and usually has a lot of items in stock, which means faster delivery time. Plus, we DIY a lot around here, but it’s nice to have someone bring in your new furniture and put it together for you… I can’t get past that premium delivery service where they even take all of the packaging with them.

Okay, so let’s talk about finding and selecting the right large dining table!

3 Things to Consider When Purchasing a Large Family Dining Table

The Space

A large family dining table definitely makes a statement, though, you need to make sure the dining table actually fits properly in the space it will be filling. Your everyday use should be your first consideration, but if you’re thinking about a table with extensions for holidays or large family dinners, you’ll have to make sure that will fit into your space as well.

A great way to do this? Measure! Like the old saying goes, measure once, cut twice. And though we’re not actually cutting anything in this situation, you don’t want to have to send any furniture back from a lack of measuring.

While browsing the Rooms To Go website to shop for our new large family dining table, I used a tape measure to plan out the area the table would sit, and the next step would be to tape out the size of the table with painters tape right onto the floor! It helps to visualize where the table will sit and how much space it will take up.

Studies show that the typical family dinner lasts 15-20 minutes! But around here, we believe that kids have a place in the kitchen and in the sanctity of the family table. Sometimes it’s chaos and sometimes it’s beautiful (and most often it’s both, one-and-the-same) –– even if it is quick.

The Dining Table Shape

Another consideration is the shape of the table. There are plenty of options to choose from, round, rectangle, and square being the standard choices, as well as variations on table height.

While a round table is a fun statement, it is harder to fit a large group of people without taking up a very large footprint. Some round tables do have extensions, though, that create a more elongated shape for a larger gathering.

Rectangles create a more classic and streamlined look while allowing options for plenty of seating space.

Square tables have a naturally more modern look to them and can be elongated into a rectangle depending on extension options.

A 2000 survey found that the nine to 14-year-olds who ate dinner with their families most frequently consumed more fruits and vegetables and less soda and fried foods.

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The Dining Table Chairs

From large wingback chairs, to smaller side chairs to benches, there are plenty of options for seating. Of course, there are some configurations that allow for more seating.

I am a fan of mixing it up with two different options –– too few and it can feel overly “matchy” and with too many, it can feel mismatched, although in home design there are no steadfast “rules”. Do what you love!

We did have a bench for a long time, which seemed to be great with the younger kids. I also am REALLY loving this look of coordinating side chairs with matching wing back chairs on the ends.

In a recent Columbia University study, 71% of teenagers said they consider talking, catching-up, and spending time with family members as the best part of family dinners.

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Shopping for a Large Family Dining Table

Getting out to a furniture shop with our brood isn’t the simplest of tasks. Though many places are open, welcoming, and instituting many safety features, I have become accustomed to shopping online and took to Rooms To Go’s website to find a dining table for our large family.

The process was simple, and with time to measure out the footprint of a couple of tables I was looking at, it made my selection process even easier!

Ordering online also makes getting the table to my house easy as well – hello delivery.

I went with this Cindy Crawford Home Pine Manor Gray table after falling in love with the size of the large 102-inch dining table and it’s sturdy, rugged design. Our home needed a dining table for a large family, and since I knew it would mean a bigger footprint, I wanted a table that would make a statement. And that it does, my kids said it feels like we’re eating at a king’s table, and I’m totally okay with that.

The rustic gray color works well in our home, and I added a jute rug to break up the gray from matching too closely with our floors.

Instead of the ladderback side chairs that went with the table set, I opted for small black side chairs for more of a coordinating look but kept the two Home Pine Manor Gray Wingback chairs for the ends.

At Rooms To Go you can opt for FREE doorway delivery or premium delivery, with furniture assembly and removal of packing material, whether you order in-store or online. But I was definitely happy about the quick delivery. I had a new table in time for the holidays within a week.

There is just something about a big dining room table that makes it feel like the place to be. The place to welcome friends and family. The place to let food and conversation flow. The hub of the house… and we use ours, daily.