We were deciding on this, same time last year. Looked at different options, but finally decided that a round table was the best for our square dining room. We got a glass table (scandinavian designer) - and it is just gorgeous! 60" wide, seats 6, can fit 8 if needed. We have had dinners at that table with six and it has worked wonderful. 8 - a couple of times and it is a bit of a squeeze, but does work. A lazy susan would be good, but haven’t gotten one yet.
Best part - we’ve often sat at this table to play cards Love it for that too!
@VeryHappy, Here’s the video of the manual round tables individually handcrafted in the US from reclaimed barn wood. The name of the makers is on the video as well as the instructions on how to assemble and clean, as needed. It is a gorgeous piece of furniture an using reclaimed barn wood makes it even more special. If I had a large enough space for it, I’d really think careafully about acquiring such a work of art. Truly lovely and functional.
The entire tabletop can spin as a lazy susan or be locked. It’s a novel concept–one I hadn’t seen or heard of before seeing this video the other day when looking at the posh more automated & more expensive table at the provided link.
Just curious, has anybody here ever used or seen a large round table which seats 12 people and its table top is in one large piece of wood (instead of being constructed using multiple pieces like in the video above)?
Yes, Martin & MacArthur have lovely koa and other wood, including large tables. I am not positive but suspect thy have a large round table that seats 12 people and is one large piece of wood and not expandable (or contractable).
Since we’re talking about round tables, the dining table I want for my new house is not just round but GLASS. I have already had one person try to talk me out of glass. Anyone else have an opinion?
My sister has a glass dining room table–rectangular or oblong. She is very happy with it and has no complaints. She alo has a glass coffee table. I’m more of a wood person myself, but think her dining room table is lovely.
Tempered glass (used to make tables) is VERY HEAVY, which is something to keep in mind. It needs a very sturdy base, of course. It can be a bit heavy to move.
I’ve added new words to my vocabulary as a result of this thread. Jupe table (these tables are cool, aren’t they?) and iris mechanism (H already knew what this is, but I didn’t).
After HImom posted last night I was looking on YouTube and came across another Western Heritage expansion table. You can store silverware for special occasions underneath the diamondback tabletop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMNplCKCqXI
Then I started watching videos of various other innovative pieces of furniture designed for small spaces. I think they were even using hydraulics, but I’m not going to go back and find them again, lol.
I have seen large glass tables. The problem is that you can see through glass. So the base has to be attractive. Everyone’s knees have to be attractive. You can’t take off your shoes under the table, much less play footsie.
Which is how I ended up with granite–doesn’t scratch, easy to maintain, hard to break, and not transparent.
I have seen large glass tables. The problem is that you can see through glass. So the base has to be attractive. Everyone’s knees have to be attractive. You can’t take off your shoes under the table, much less play footsie.
Which is how I ended up with granite–doesn’t scratch, easy to maintain, hard to break, and not transparent.
Quick question. Mcat, when you say “paint” are you meaning varnish? It doesn’t sound like the table was painted, or like the kind of table you’d want to paint.
@Debarah, I am sure it does not use the regular paint. The color is bright red but it is transparent (i.e., you could see the wood.) And it actually looks glassy on the surface. It is really a piece of art - especially it is made of a single large piece of very nice wood. It is neither expandable nor contractable.
I really wish I could go back in time to take a picture of it. (I did not have a iPhone and did not have a camera then.) I have never seen another large round table like that in my life. It was a pitty we kind of “lost” it because we did not want to take it with us when we moved.
My parents at that time thought that such a large table is too bulky, and too impractical for our small family and found an excuse to get rid of it. If my grandparents had not passed away, we would never “dare” to get rid of it – actually we would not be able to move out of that house to another city either because my parent is their eldest son. There were a lot of different “expectations” for an eldest son just a few generations ago.
In HI, nearly everyone is barefoot in houses. We are OK with that and glass tables, but sadly no one has been playing footsie around here lately! My sis prefers to use placemats with her glass table, NOT tablecloths. YMMV
OldMom: that might be what tablecloths are for, but why have a glass table if you’re going to use a tablecloth? If you’re going to have a tablecloth every time, you could use plywood…
Love it for that too!