His majesty the table: varieties and features of choice

Recommendation points

• Varieties
• Dining
• Transforming tables
• Coffee tables
• Writing or computer desk
• Manufacturing material
• Style

What piece of furniture takes its place in almost every room of the house? Of course the table! It is at the table that we have lunch, dinner, receive guests, work at the computer, draw, read …

The table has long become a symbol of a hospitable home; without it, it is almost impossible to imagine a kitchen, a living room or an office. It is quite difficult to replace this piece of furniture, neither the bar counter nor the ottoman in the living room, which today is often covered with a countertop and becomes a coffee table, will not be able to fully fulfill all of the above functions.

What kind of tables are there? What to look for when choosing this important piece of room furnishings?

Even if in the living room the function of a coffee table was taken over by such an ottoman with a glass or wood tabletop, or even without it at all, then in the kitchen, and even more so in the dining room, one cannot do without a real table

Varieties

So, the tables that most often take their place in our apartments are of the following types.

Dining

The largest, roomy tables, the main purpose of which is to receive a company of guests, to serve as a gathering place for the whole family for breakfast or dinner. Their only drawback is their solid size. Even a relatively small table, at which, in the event that it is pushed against the wall or stands in the corner, only four people can sit, has a standard size of 80 x 120 centimeters. If the table is round or oval, then it will have to be installed in the center of the room and, in fact, in addition to a set of dining furniture, only a cupboard will fit in the room..

In this regard, dining tables have become the prerogative of large apartments and private houses, and in an ordinary “kopeck piece” in a typical kitchen measuring six, maximum nine square meters, their place is increasingly taken by much more compact transforming tables.

A round table always looks extremely attractive. The main problem is that it won’t look close to the wall, its place is in the center of the room. That is, the room should be spacious enough, because around a table with a diameter of at least a meter, chairs will also take their place

Transforming tables

Folding tables allow you to save space in the room, therefore they are deservedly popular. When assembled, for example, a book-table, takes up space only 85 centimeters wide and 24 centimeters deep. And when disassembled, such a table turns into an ordinary dining table, with a table top up to 150 centimeters long, behind which eight to ten guests will fit..

The assembled table-book is a closed cabinet, inside which there are shelves for all sorts of little things that have a place in the kitchen. It is inconvenient to dine at such a table, therefore only one “half” of the table is most often used, and it itself takes place against the wall in the kitchen

Today there are many options for transforming tables, from ordinary books with lifting side parts to real masterpieces of furniture craftsmanship: with lifting tabletops, reliable fasteners and an original design.

The most fragile part of the folding table is the fasteners that will support the parts of the tabletop when unfolded. You should evaluate the reliability of the fittings even in the store – just imagine, because these fasteners will have to withstand not only the weight of the table top, but also plates with hot dishes. And if the guest also leans on the table? Will the stand support such a load??

In this case, transforming tables with retractable legs, which will be a strong support for the table top, look more reliable. The metal mechanism that fixes the table in the desired position can become loose over time.

When assembled, such a transforming table takes up very little space and serves as an ordinary coffee table. But in the case of the arrival of guests, it can easily turn into a real dining table. Its weak point is metal fasteners, which will have to support a massive tabletop, so special attention should be paid to the quality of the fittings

Coffee tables

The main feature of these tables is their height. According to the classification, which was adopted by the famous constructivist Le Corbusier, the dining table has a standard height of 70–75 centimeters. At such a table it will be comfortable to sit on a chair with a height of 47-52 centimeters.

The French architect referred to the category “coffee table” surfaces, next to which it will be convenient to sit only on a pouf or an armchair about 42 centimeters high.

Thus, a typical coffee table is usually up to 60 centimeters high, although there are models that barely rise above the floor. According to accepted standards, the lower the coffee table, the longer its table top. These tables look more like benches and look great in a Japanese interior or in an oriental room, next to round low cushions that are used as a seat..

Conversely, the higher the coffee table, the smaller the area of ​​its countertop. In this case, the choice will depend only on the overall style of the room design – the table simply must harmoniously fit into the interior, since it usually takes place in the center of the living room, somewhere between the armchair and the sofa, or just in front of the sofa corner.

Interestingly, the design of a coffee table can be very different – from unusual colonial-style chests, in which the table is hard to guess, to high-tech steel and glass structures. If the dining table usually looks traditional – four legs and a round, oval, square and rectangular table top, then the coffee table may not have legs at all.

An unusual multi-level table, which, thanks to its wheels, will easily move throughout the living room, depending on where the owners wanted to read or drink coffee

One of the varieties of coffee tables are coffee tables. They most often differ from ordinary ones in a round tabletop, but otherwise they also have a height of no more than 60 centimeters and most often take their place in the living room or in the recreation area on the balcony or loggia

Writing or computer desk

And, finally, the last, fairly common type – computer or writing tables. A computer desk usually differs from a desk in the presence of such additional parts as a sliding shelf for a keyboard and a holder for disks. Although recently compact laptops are increasingly taking the place of stationary computers, the presence of such stands ceases to play such an important role.

In a typical apartment, there is very rarely a place for both a writing and a computer desk, so both of these functions are most often performed by the same piece of furniture. At the same time, one cannot do without a desk either in the student’s room or in the office..

A simple and fairly functional computer desk, with a separate place for the system unit and a sliding shelf for the keyboard. If a laptop has already taken the place of a stationary computer in your apartment, it is better to purchase a regular desk with drawers for office supplies and notebooks – it will be much more convenient for the child to do homework at such a table

Respectable desk with drawers for everything you need to work

Manufacturing material

A traditional table consists of two parts – a base and a table top. Until recently, the most common material for making tables was wood: oak, ash, beech and birch. However, a table whose top is made entirely of solid wood would be too expensive. In addition, natural wood countertops are not recommended for use in the kitchen – they quickly absorb odors and can easily be damaged by a knife.

Therefore, today more and more often you can find combined options, when the underframe and legs are made of reliable and durable wood, and the tabletop is made of MDF or chipboard, covered with a thin layer of natural veneer or laminated.

Tables with glass tops, made of tempered, sufficiently durable glass, are very popular. In this case, the underframe can remain wooden or be made of metal. The glass-steel combination looks very stylish and modern, but it will look out of place in a classic interior..

The metal legs of this table are equipped with a special mechanism that allows you to adjust the height and set the surface perfectly level, and the laconic glass tabletop looks quite reliable and beautiful. But this option is not suitable for every kitchen – in this case, the kitchen set should also look ultra-modern, in high-tech style.

By the way, designers claim that glass tables are an ideal choice for a small room, as they do not visually clutter up the space..

A separate type of tables is wicker furniture. The underframe of such products can be made of rattan, but for the countertop you have to choose smoother materials, for example, glass.

Even the plastic wicker furniture looks beautiful and elegant. But you can’t put a cup on a wicker tabletop – it’s too uneven, therefore, most often, in order not to hide the beauty of the intertwined underframe, tempered glass is used

A wooden underframe can slightly smooth out the coldness and conciseness of a glass tabletop. This table looks very beautiful and unusual.

Style

Of course, first of all, the style of the table depends on the material of manufacture. Even the most trendy wooden table will still look more impressive than traditional furniture, but made of steel and glass.

The main thing is not to forget that the table must be in harmony with the rest of the furniture and the general style of the room. By the way, designers recommend in some cases not to adhere to a strict combination of colors, but to experiment, deviating from the accepted canons.

Of course, if you have bleached oak-colored kitchen cabinets, then it would be logical to choose a table with the same countertop. But after all, you can play in contrast – a table in a rich dark wenge color will look no worse against the background of whitish facades.

Wallpaper in retro style obliged the owners to choose a table in a similar design. Remember how popular these lacquered countertops were just twenty years ago? Yes, now they have been replaced by laminated or veneered MDF and chipboard, but if there are a lot of antiques in your apartment, then the table should also match

The austere dark wood table matches perfectly with the same chairs. A great option for almost any interior style – from classic to modern

Do you want to decorate your kitchen in country style or turn your summer cottage into a real “hunting lodge”? How do you like this “uncouth” dining room furniture set??

And remember, the main thing is that you like the table! Let it be the simplest and most ordinary, but if you liked its even and smooth table top and an unusual soft beige shade – take it, you will not regret it! After all, it is in your kitchen, living room, study or nursery that this table will spend more than one year, serving faithfully.