Great ideas! And, thanks so much for the pic! We have indoor pets and it's so much easier to keep things clean without a table cloth for every day, but I can always just use it when we have guests. Did that during the holidays. Love the idea to use 4 runners - that would look really nice and serve as place mats, all in one. And, round place mats do help a lot - rectangular ones overlap a bit at the corner place settings. I used round during the holidays. I'll check out Target! I've never seen or heard of luncheon place mats - that's a neat option - will check out that site and also do a Google search. Thanks! Our table is finished - probably is a polyurethaned wood surface. I try to be really careful with it - use trivets, place mats for most meals (it's just DH and I at home now) - I'm just afraid of scratching the surface. I know I'm being more cautious than I need to be, but it's the first set we've bought new and I know it has to last. LOL! How clever to use a bedspread as a table cloth - so creative! This was my holiday table. Just seemed cramped to me. I put the silverware on the plates/napkins to save space. BTW, those are gold charges - they're reflecting the red plates and look red. Fortunately, I was able to set up food buffet style, so most of the serveware didn't have to be on the table. I was just out of ideas and have been bored with the way I've been setting our table - want to do a little something nicer for every day, even though it's just DH and me! I so appreciate your replies! :)

Ideally allow at least 3 feet for each chair (2' chair depth + 1' to get in and out). So if you have a 12' space, 6' might be taken up by chairs. That means you can fit a 72" round but wouldn't have a lot of extra space. The leaf would make it really tight. I'm all for extra space, but I fell in love with a round table, so I will deal. I have an 8x8 space plus walk room on one side, and I picked out a 48" round table. I have no extra room on some sides but the roundness helps. There are a lot of options. I would go into a showroom and ask the sales associate for help. There are convertible tables, thin pedestals, variable tabletops, exterior and interior legs, 3 legged tables in addition to leafs. Sorry that was probably not much help. I went into a crate and barrel showroom and asked for help and I was able to figure out what I wanted through the process of elimination. They have enough different configurations that you can get an idea of what will and will not work in your space. I would optimize floor space for your family and only add the extra tabletop space when you absolutely have to. The chairs make a big difference in how much space you have around the table when not in use. You can choose uncomfortable chairs that fit tightly against the table (if the table allows) or comfy upholstered chairs that take up more space when pushed in as much as possible. If you go rectangular, you have the option of benches. They have upholstered benches too. Every inch matters. If you can trim a few inches off the chairs or table edges or scooch the chair under the table a bit more, you may be able to come up with another 6-8" around the table. This one says it will fit 6-8, but I wonder if you could get more kids around it if you use benches. (It's not the most attractive IMO.) Table goes from 34x57 to 57x68.

Your space can handle it! If you go for round I suggest a pedestal so no issue with legs. Large square tables are rare and I view them as a more modern or casual look. We have a round that is 54" that has casters for ease of moving / cleaning. 6 chairs around it at all times. 4 use it regularly (we have only ONE dining area in this house) and sit next to one another so it takes some getting used to - imagine talking to someone next to you at a wedding reception. We have a 22" lazy susan which makes it easier to pass a serving dish. If we bring out our folding chairs (those white ones in a banquet hall you can get covers for) we can do 8. We have a 8' round rug that I wish was a little bigger.

Thanks so much, this is helpful. I feel like ideally I would like a 66" table or so but does not seem available unless i get it custom made.