Will a rectangular dining table fit in a 12x14 room?
Updated
Yes — with care
The numbers
| Room | 12 × 14 ft (366 × 427 cm) — 168 sq ft |
| Rectangular dining table | 63 in × 35 in (160 × 90 cm) |
| Floor the table covers | 9% |
| Gap each side, table centred | 54 in (138 cm) |
| Gap on one side, table against a wall | 109 in (276 cm) |
| Gap at each end, centred | 53 in (133 cm) |
At 168 sq ft (15.6 sq m) the table stops being the constraint. The gaps are about a foot and a half past the chair, which is close to but still under what it takes to walk behind someone seated, so the room seats six easily and hosts a passing waiter badly.
Where to put the table
Centre it, long side down the 14 ft wall. With 54 in (138 cm) and 53 in (133 cm) the two directions are effectively equal, so the layout question moves on from the table to where the door swings and which end the sideboard takes.
What else fits
A 55 in x 20 in sideboard fits along any wall here and still leaves that side past the 36 in (91 cm) mark. This is the first room in the family where the second piece of furniture does not change the answer for the first.
See the clearance on your plan →Opens the planner with a 12 × 14 ft room and a rectangular dining table already in it — drag it around and the gaps update as you go.
Questions people also ask
- How much room do you need to walk behind a dining chair?
- The chair takes 36 in (91 cm) to pull out, and walking behind it wants another 24 in on top. A 12 x 14 ft room gives 54 in (138 cm), which is generous for the chair and just short for the walkway.
- What is a comfortable dining room size?
- For a 63 in x 35 in table, 12 x 14 ft. Every edge clears the 36 in (91 cm) a chair needs by about a foot and a half, and a 55 in x 20 in sideboard can go in without taking that back.