I have an 8 seater table. 8 ' x 30". Our chairs are 21.5 and there is plenty of room. Hope that helps!

Thank you Sabjimata! Every data point helps!!

My table is 72" long, 35 3/4 wide and chairs are 19".

there is plenty of space- I think I could get away with a few more in. per seat with my table. HTH

Hi, my table is 72" x 38" and my chairs are 19.5". There is plenty of space for two chairs on the long sides of the table.

Our table is 30" wide, 48" long (but can be lengthened if we add chairs for more people) and the chairs are 19" wide. We put one on each end and two on each side (or more on each side if seating more). The chairs are armless - this saves alot of space. The table legs are on the very edge of each corner - this configuration would not work if the table legs were situated 'underneath' the table; someone would be stuck on the leg.

Our chair and table sizes are the same as gillylily's, and I agree that it could be smaller and still work fine. We have a trestle table, which I highly recommend---instead of traditional legs, the table is supported by a single center beam. This gives you a lot more chair clearance and leg room, especially at the ends.

Also, will you use all six chairs daily? If not, you could think about a bench on one side too---we don't use all of our space unless people are over, so we only have four chairs and will eventually get a separate bench that will tuck under the window most of the time and be pulled out for company. That way, on normal days we don't have any chairs on the end, so there's extra room to walk around the table.

And on the very off chance that you're in Northern California, I can happily recommend the people who made our table! :)

Keep in mind the length/width of a table is not just based on chair size...it's also based on the fact that you need 24" of linear space per person and 18" of clear leg space for each person...on the sides as well as the ends which means you need the leg space for the end people to not overlap w/the leg space of the people on the sides. [NKBA recommendation is a minimum of 24" per person linear space and 18" of clear leg space for each person (table-height seating).]

Caveat: If you have everyone sitting on the sides, then you need only worry about the leg space for those sitting on the sides....but remember that if you have table legs in the corners or rounded/curved corners, the space needed for people is in addition to the space needed for the legs/curves.

Our 6-person table is 78" x 42" and the chairs are 19-3/4" wide. There is some overlap of leg space at the ends b/c there's not quite enough room for both the person at the end and the people 90 degrees to that person to share the same leg space.

Ideally, you need 84" in length for a 6-person table b/c you need to figure 24" per seat on each side plus 18" on each end...so 18" + 24" + 24" + 18" = 84".

In reality, I think our 78" is OK if everyone "plays nice" under the table. I think the depth of the table also helps...ours is 42"...so there's more room under the table overall compared to 36" or even 39". But, I would not want to go any shorter than 78"...at least in my experience...if you want a comfortable and "stress free" dining experience!

We only occasionally have 6 people at the table, though, so we've taken out the 18" leaf for when it's just the 4 of us. The table is then 60" long and seems perfect for the four of us w/very little "his/her legs/feet are touching me!" arguing at the table! [That's the stress I was referring to above!]

Finally, remember that even if your children are small now and a shorter table works, it won't in a few years! Right around the "tween" years (10 - 12 years old), children begin to need adult spacing...and that will last the rest of their and your lives...whether they're living at home full-time, living at home in the summer, or visiting for Sunday dinner and holidays. So, plan ahead...don't get stuck with a space (and table) too small for the future!

Good luck!

Thanks everyone- Thx for the guidelines buehl, those numbers are higher than I would have thought. My current table is 70 by 40 with the 21.5 inch chairs and I think its got a lot of room. The problem is, its just too big for the space. We will probably be a family of 5- hence the seating for 6. That said we almost never eat at the same time (I wish!) so the table feels huge most days.

Cienza, you are saying you get 6 19 inch chairs around a 48 inch table?! That is good news. I would probably really like to do a 60 by 36 inch table if I could.

Thanks to everyone who responded thus far!

I would love more dimensions if anyone else has their measuring tape handy!

Family of 5, table for 6 - does that mean you don't want/need room to have anyone over for dinner? Friends, family, kids' friends, holidays, parties? I don't know the space limitations and whether there is another dining room somewhere, of course. Just wondering.

I'd WANT one of those super long like 18 person tables. However, I have a space of about 6 feet by 6 feet after the reno so....

I do also have a formal dining room with a 8 person set and a 4 person table in the basement dining area and also island seating. So, I think as long as we could get the nuclear family around the "everyday" table, that'd be ok.

My farmhouse table measures 66" by 40" for a family of 5. Our chairs are 18" inches wide. It's an ideal size for us. I would not have wanted to go smaller.

Below is our table seating guide blog post that explains how many people can fit comfortably at varying size circle, square, and rectangular tables. Rectangular tables that are 60"-72"x 36" can seat 6-8 guests with each guest having at least 2ft of space each.

http://blog.replacementtablelegs.com/uncategorized/table-seating-room-for-one-more/

I really question the 24" width per diner. That is the minimum recommendation and unless everyone is very tiny with narrow shoulders, it is really tight. No way could my 6'2" DH and 6'3" DS, both with wide shoulders, fit in that little of space comfortably. They need minimum of 30". As a relatively normal sized 5'5" woman, with just a bit of pudge and with my own wide shoulders, I can sit in 24" but not eat comfortably without knocking someone next to me with my elbow, even when I consciously try to keep them down at my sides. I am more comfortable around 27-28" spacing.