Extendable Dining Tables for Keen Hosts: What to Look For

If you love having people round, your dining table needs to do more than look good. It has to extend quickly before guests arrive, seat everyone comfortably for a long evening, cope with candles, wine and hot dishes, and then shrink back so the room works again the next morning. This guide sets out what keen hosts should look for in an extendable dining table. We explain how to size the table for your regular guest list rather than the occasional large party, why width matters as much as length for shared dishes and conversation, and which mechanisms work best under pressure. We also look at bases that keep every seat free of legs, surfaces that handle a lively dinner, comfortable chairs for lingering, and the sideboards and drinks trolleys that support a well run evening. Finally, we cover planning the room around the extended table, lighting, laying the table and returning to everyday life afterwards....