Short answer: for six people, buy a rectangular table of 180 × 90 cm, or a round table of 120 cm diameter. Then check the room, because the table is only half the footprint — each chair needs 90 cm of clear floor behind it to be pulled out without a negotiation.
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Six is the awkward number in dining furniture. Four people sit comfortably at 120 cm; eight want 240 cm. Six is the point where the table has to be long enough for three per side without anyone's elbow ending up in the butter, and short enough that people at opposite ends can still hear each other.
The 60 cm rule
Every diner needs 60 cm of table edge. That is the width of a place setting plus elbow room: a 40 cm plate, cutlery either side, and enough space to cut without nudging your neighbour. Below 55 cm people start eating with their elbows tucked in like they are on a train.
| Seats | Rectangular (L × W) | Round diameter | Square |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 120 × 80 cm | 100–110 cm | 90 × 90 cm |
| 6 | 180 × 90 cm | 120 cm | 120 × 120 cm |
| 8 | 240 × 100 cm | 150 cm | — |
| 10 | 300 × 100 cm | 180 cm | — |
Sixty centimetres of depth per place is the working minimum at 90 cm table width; 100 cm is better if anyone puts serving dishes in the middle. A 75 cm wide table technically seats six, but every plate ends up sharing space with the salad bowl.
Round versus rectangular for six
A 120 cm round table seats six — barely — and it does it with better conversation, because everybody is the same distance from the middle. The trade-off is that a 120 cm circle needs a 120 cm square of floor before chairs, whereas an 180 × 90 cm rectangle only blocks a 90 cm deep strip against a wall.
- Round: better in a square room, easier to walk around, no corner seats to fight over. Poor for serving platters.
- Rectangular: fits a narrow room, takes a runner and candles well, and two people can sit at the ends to make eight in a pinch.
- Oval: the compromise — rectangular footprint, round-table feel, and no sharp corners at hip height.
- Extendable: 140 cm closed for four, 180–200 cm open for six. Best answer for a room that hosts twice a year.
Floor space: the part everyone forgets
Add 90 cm of clearance behind every chair for sitting and standing, and 100 cm if people walk behind the chairs to get to another room. That means an 180 × 90 cm table plus chairs needs a room roughly 360 × 270 cm to feel comfortable, or 300 × 240 cm if one long side is against a wall.
| Room size | What fits for six | Clearance behind chairs |
|---|---|---|
| 240 × 240 cm | 120 cm round, or 140 × 80 cm | 60 cm — tight, one side against wall |
| 300 × 240 cm | 160 × 90 cm or 120 cm round | 70–80 cm |
| 360 × 270 cm | 180 × 90 cm | 90 cm, comfortable |
| 400 × 300 cm+ | 200 × 100 cm, seat 6–8 | 100 cm+ |
Height and legroom
Table top height should be 72–76 cm, with 60–65 cm of clearance underneath for knees and chair arms. A table with an apron deeper than 10 cm will not let a chair with arms tuck in, which is why so many people end up sitting 20 cm further from the table than they intended — and then wonder why the chairs feel loose.
Buying checklist for six
- Measure the room, then subtract 180 cm from the length and 180 cm from the width. What is left is your table.
- Check the door swing and the lift; a 180 cm top rarely fits in a 90 cm stairwell in one piece.
- Prefer legs inset at least 15 cm from the end, so end seats are usable.
- If you host eight occasionally, buy 200 cm rather than 180 cm and seat six with room to spare.
Keep reading
More dimension guides are in the collection, and the full index is on the furnolio journal.
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