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Making Room for Family: 10 Tips for Maximizing Table Space this Thanksgiving

Kit Pollard November 17, 2009

I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst, and a stay-at-home mom.

I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst, and... More

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We've all been there. Dinnertime, Thanksgiving Day. The sun's going down, streaming in through the windows, blinding whoever's unlucky enough to sit across from them. Everyone's rushed to the table to take their seats, and you've found yourself with the last one available. Unfortunately, it's the corner. The sharp corner. And you're straddling the leg.

Dealing with less-than-ideal seating arrangements is a rite of passage at Thanksgiving, but it doesn't have to be. In a perfect world, every guest will have about two feet of space to themselves. But the world isn't perfect - especially not on Thanksgiving.

But if you're hosting this year (or even just helping your host with the set-up), these ten tips will help ease those seating arrangement woes:

Traditional Dining Room by Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Austin Patterson Disston Architects

1. Stick with the traditional. If you've got the space, keeping everybody at one table is an ideal situation. Even if you have to squeeze.

Traditional Dining Room Traditional Dining Room

2. Think outside the room. This open space actually offers multiple options for expanding the dining area. Some guests can sit at the island, while the living room table can be converted to a perfectly sized kids' table.

Eclectic Kids by Charm and Whimsy

Charm and Whimsy

3. Set a fun kids' table. A kids' table is often necessary - so make it fun...so the kids want to hang out there, giving the parents a break!

Contemporary Dining Room by Taylor Lombardo Architects

Taylor Lombardo Architects

4. Bench it. If your table is angular enough, replacing chairs with benches makes it easier to squeeze.

Eclectic Patio Ally's Seattle Home

5. Head outside. Granted, in most of the country, Thanksgiving dining al fresco is not an option. But if it is, you'll have even more space to extend your table.

Eclectic Landscape Eclectic Landscape

6. Play up the linens. Sometimes, you just have to push together a bunch of mismatched tables. Soften the transition with bright tablecloths. Festive and functional.

Eclectic living space

7. Willfully mismatch. Don't have enough matching chairs for your guests? Don't worry about it. Eclectic is fun.

Dining Room

8. Use every corner. Even if it's only a tiny spot, every corner is a good spot for a table - especially if that corner has a built-in window seat!

Dining

9. Work the sofa. This might be a window seat - also a great seating option - but imagine it as a sofa. Your guests won't even have to leave the table for their post-meal naps.

Traditional Dining Room Traditional Dining Room

10. Island up. Make great use of that island - even if you make it the kids' table. They'll love it.

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Holly & Martin Driness Drop Leaf Table, White and Weathered Gray

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The Luna Dining Table, 36", Matte Black, Midcentury, Round

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Oceanna Mid Century Modern Dining Chairs, Set of 2, Light Beige/Walnut, Fabric

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Jerome French Country Dining Chairs, Set of 4, Beige/Natural, Fabric, Rubberwood

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Capri Velvet Upholstered Dining Chair (Set of 2), Navy

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Comments (12)

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Kim

Great ideas. My favorite photo is the one by Taylor Lombardo Architects- rustic and elegant at the same time.

Like November 20, 2009 at 8:19AM

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virtualstudio

Web casting, or http://www.vsworld.com/?loadSwf=swf/streaming.swf broadcasting over the internet, is a media file (audio-video mostly) distributed over the internet using streaming media technology. Streaming implies media played as a continuous stream and received real time by the browser (end user). Streaming technology enables a single content source to be distributed to many simultaneous viewers. http://www.vsworld.com/?loadSwf=swf/streaming.swf Streaming video bandwidth is typically calculated in gigabytes of data transferred. It is important to estimate how many viewers you can reach, for example in a http://www.vsworld.com/?loadSwf=swf/webcast.swf live webcast, given your bandwidth constraints or conversely, if you are expecting a certain audience size, what bandwidth resources you need to deploy.

Like November 26, 2009 at 9:58PM

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Kelly Carter

thanks great ideas. i have benches already.

Like November 17, 2013 at 7:28PM

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