Can You Use a Console Table as a Dining Table?

A console table can serve as a dining table for two, provided the height and depth are right. This guide sets out the two measurements that decide it: 75cm to 78cm high to match standard dining chairs, and at least 40cm deep to hold a plate, cutlery and glass. It explains how to check the underframe for stretchers, shelves and drawer boxes that would stop chairs tucking underneath, compares the two workable seating layouts, and identifies the situations where a console genuinely solves a problem: studio flats, galley kitchens, and households of two. It also covers where a console is the wrong answer, and how lighting, a mirror above and well matched chairs make the arrangement look deliberate rather than improvised....