Need help designing a dining table

[Larry Browning]

My son's GF wants me to design and build her a new dining table. It needs to be a large round table with without a center leaf. So I guess it should be a single top not split in the center. Her dining room is pretty large and she want it to dominate the room. I am thinking maybe 6' diameter? She wants it to be in the same style and color as her china hutch. I have been looking online, but so far have not found anything that will work.
Here is a picture of the china hutch. I am not sure what style this is, but she wants something that will compliment this piece.
MichelleFurniture (Medium).JPG

Thanks for looking,

[mike holden]

Larry, looks like you are working with an 19th century design esthetic, with the somewhat block front and bailed handles. The curved mullions also put it into this time frame for style.
My caution is that a 6 foot diameter table has a center that is not reachable by a guest without standing up to reach over. I have seen some lazy susans put in the center, but the center of those is still not reachable. And it probably does not carry off the fine dining tone set by the hutch. There is a reason that oval and rectangular tables predominate - they work.
Suggest getting some books from the library on the Federal period, and looking at the tables in that (you could skip the inlay and just go for the shape). There are also a number of gorgeous tables in "Treasures of State" about our state department reception area. These should give you some definite directions to refine with your client.
Mike

[Larry Browning]

Larry, looks like you are working with an 19th century design esthetic, with the somewhat block front and bailed handles. The curved mullions also put it into this time frame for style.
My caution is that a 6 foot diameter table has a center that is not reachable by a guest without standing up to reach over. I have seen some lazy susans put in the center, but the center of those is still not reachable. And it probably does not carry off the fine dining tone set by the hutch. There is a reason that oval and rectangular tables predominate - they work.
Suggest getting some books from the library on the Federal period, and looking at the tables in that (you could skip the inlay and just go for the shape). There are also a number of gorgeous tables in "Treasures of State" about our state department reception area. These should give you some definite directions to refine with your client.
Mike

Thanks for all the good info. I will check into the books you suggest. Also I think I will forward your remarks to her.

[G Douglas Fowler]

An alternative would be a 6' glass top with a cherry base. The glass top matches the glass in the hutch and the cherry base can be a simple round drum or something more elaborate. I made a 6' round glass top table for a lady last year and found a vendor in Alanta that sells them at a very reasonable cost. I think with shipping it was around $650. Glass works in almost any setting and a six-footer can easily seat 8, ten in a pinch.

[Don Jarvie]

Check out Pompanoosuc Mills. I have their catalog and there are quite a few dining tables of all shapes and sizes. Maybe it will give you a few ideas.

A Federal Style table may work. Maybe do a Google Image search. I can picture it in my mind but can't really describe it.

[Kenneth Speed]

Larry,


Mike Holden gave you some very good advice. I'd suggest that you look at THE NEW FINE POINTS OF FURNITURE by Albert Sack, that way you're studying the real thing.


Ken

[Frank Drew]

If the room will take it, round is by far the best shape for a dining table, IMO; people around the table are more or less facing each other and can talk with everybody else without having to lean past someone, no one's down at the end unable to hear what's going on at the other end, it's simply the best configuration for the social aspect of dining with other people. IMO.

The downside is that round uses a lot of material, and there might be lots of unused or inaccessible space if it's really large, as Mike notes.

But they look great.