Rectangular Dining Tables

A rectangular dining table is the British dining-room workhorse: takes leaf extensions for visitors, slots against walls, and copes with mismatched chairs without looking awkward. Standard sizes run 140x80cm (seats 4-6), 180x90cm (seats 6 in comfort, 8 squeezed), and 220-240x90-100cm (seats 8 in proper comfort, 10 with leaves). Andrew Martin, Aosom UK and Cheap Furniture Warehouse between them cover £19-£4,995 across the range. Material decides the long-game: solid oak ages with use and gets better; veneered MDF chips at the corners and shows water rings; engineered tops with solid-wood legs are the value compromise. Extending tables earn their keep in households that go from 4 to 8 occasionally; butterfly-leaf extensions (stowed under the top) are the most elegant; bolt-on end extensions are cheaper and clumsier. Allow 65cm per seated diner along the table edge for elbow room. The grid below filters by length, material and extending mechanism.