For most 1930s semis, the best extendable dining table is a round, oval or slim rectangular design that seats four to six when closed and six to eight when extended. Measure the room carefully around the chimney breast, doors and any radiator, and leave at least 75cm behind each chair. Choose a style with softer lines, warm wood or simple Art Deco details if you want it to feel at home alongside original features.<\/p>\n
Our modern extending dining tables UK<\/a> include round, oval and rectangular designs in wood, glass and other finishes that suit the proportions of interwar homes. You can also see coordinated options across our dining table and chairs sets UK<\/a> collection. Below we look at how the layout of a typical semi shapes your choice.<\/p>\n Interwar semis were built in huge numbers across the UK, and while designs vary by region and builder, many share familiar features. The ground floor often has a front reception room with a bay window, a rear reception room used for dining, a hallway with stairs rising to one side and a kitchen at the back.<\/p>\n The rear dining room is usually a comfortable size for a family but not generous. It commonly has a chimney breast in the middle of one wall, creating two alcoves, along with a picture rail, coving and a window or French doors to the garden. Many also have doors from the hallway and sometimes a serving hatch or door to the kitchen.<\/p>\n Over the decades, many of these houses have been altered. Some have the front and rear rooms knocked into one long through room. Others have a rear extension that turns the old dining room and kitchen into a large open plan space. The right table depends very much on which version you live in.<\/p>\n Start by measuring the room wall to wall, then note the depth of the chimney breast and the width of each alcove. The chimney breast effectively narrows the room along that wall, so measure from its face to the opposite wall, not just wall to wall.<\/p>\n Mark every door and the direction it swings. In a semi, the dining room may have a door from the hall, another to the kitchen and French doors to the garden. Each needs clear space to open. Note radiators too, particularly the common position under the window.<\/p>\n Then apply the usual clearance rules. Leave at least 75cm behind chairs where people sit, and 90cm where people need to walk past. Subtract these from your room measurements to find the largest table that will work closed. Remember to consider the extended size separately, accepting that you may need to move a chair or open a door when guests are round.<\/p>\n In a squarish rear dining room, a round table is often the most comfortable choice. It eases movement around the chimney breast and doors and creates a sociable setting for family meals. Round tables that extend to an oval keep the soft outline when more people join.<\/p>\n Ovals suit slightly longer rooms and knocked through spaces. Their rounded ends make circulation easier where walkways are tight, and they echo the curves of bay windows and Art Deco detailing.<\/p>\n Rectangular tables suit long through rooms and open plan rear extensions. A slim rectangle, around 80cm to 90cm wide, can work well in narrower spaces and allows a bench along one side.<\/p>\n If your dining table sits in the front room or a knocked through space with a bay, consider placing a round or oval table near the bay so diners enjoy the light. Allow enough space for chairs between the table and the window, and remember that bays often have radiators beneath them.<\/p>\n Chimney breast alcoves are useful for storage rather than seating. Fitted cupboards, shelves or a sideboard in one alcove keep tableware close to the table. Our modern sideboards UK sale<\/a> include low designs that fit neatly into alcoves without blocking the picture rail line.<\/p>\n Chairs make a big difference to how the room feels. Bentwood and spindle back chairs have a timeless look that suits interwar homes. Upholstered chairs with curved backs echo Art Deco forms. Mixing a pair of carvers at the ends with lighter side chairs adds a sense of occasion without crowding the room.<\/p>\n Wooden chairs are practical for family life and age well alongside period joinery. Our wooden dining chairs UK<\/a> include classic shapes that suit 1930s rooms as well as more contemporary designs.<\/p>\n You do not need reproduction furniture to suit a 1930s semi, but certain characteristics help a table feel at home. Warm woods such as walnut and oak echo the joinery of the era. Curved edges, rounded corners and pedestal bases recall Art Deco and Streamline Moderne design. Simple, well proportioned shapes look better than heavy, ornate ones in rooms of this size.<\/p>\n Walnut in particular sits naturally with original parquet floors, picture rails and period fireplaces. If you are deciding between timbers, our guide comparing oak and walnut dining tables for UK homes<\/a> explains the differences in tone and character.<\/p>\n Modern tables can work beautifully too. A glass or pale wood table can make a darker rear dining room feel brighter, while a contemporary design contrasts well with original features. The key is to respect the scale of the room and choose chairs that complement both the table and the architecture.<\/p>\n Floors in older houses are rarely completely level, particularly on original suspended timber floors. Choose a table with adjustable feet where possible, or keep a few discreet felt levelling pads to stop it rocking.<\/p>\n Radiators under windows and draughts from French doors can affect solid wood. Position the table slightly away from heat sources and consider thermal curtains if the room is cold in winter.<\/p>\n Interwar ceilings tend to be moderate in height, so oversized chandeliers can feel cramped. A pendant that sits around 75cm above the tabletop usually works well. Our article on UK ceiling heights by property age and lighting<\/a> explains how to scale lighting to different homes.<\/p>\n Hallways in semis can be narrow, with stairs rising close to the front door. Measure the hallway width, the turn into the dining room and the door widths before choosing a large table. Many tables arrive with legs detached, which makes access easier.<\/p>\n If your semi has a large kitchen diner extension, the table becomes a link between cooking and living. A rectangular or oval extendable table sits comfortably in front of bifold doors or beside a kitchen island. Keep at least 100cm between the table and the island or worktop where people will be working.<\/p>\n In a knocked through front to back room, the table often sits in the rear half, nearest the kitchen. A round or oval table helps define the dining zone without blocking the line of sight through the room. A rug and a pendant above the table further mark it out as a separate area.<\/p>\n Many 1930s semis are family homes, and the dining room often does far more than host meals. It may be where children do homework, where someone works from home a few days a week and where board games come out on winter evenings. An extendable table handles these roles well, but it helps to think about how each one affects your choice.<\/p>\n For homework and home working, a surface that resists marks matters. Lacquered wood, glass and high quality laminates cope with pens, laptops and craft projects more easily than delicate oiled finishes. A closed table length of around 140cm gives two people room to work side by side without the table dominating the room.<\/p>\n For gatherings, look at how the extension works. In a compact rear dining room, a butterfly leaf stored inside the table is convenient, because there is often nowhere obvious to keep a separate leaf. Check how many people the table genuinely seats when extended and where the legs fall, as corner legs can reduce seating at the ends.<\/p>\n Think about the room beyond the table too. In many semis, the dining room is the route from the hallway to the kitchen or garden, so a table that is extended for a celebration should still leave a clear path for people carrying food and drinks. Testing the extended outline with masking tape before you choose is a simple way to be sure.<\/p>\n A well chosen extendable table respects the proportions of a 1930s semi while meeting the needs of modern family life. Measure carefully, choose a shape that eases movement around period features and pick materials and chairs that sit comfortably with the architecture. You can explore tables, chairs and storage suited to every kind of period home at Furniture in Fashion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many suit a round table of 100cm to 120cm or a rectangle of around 140cm to 160cm closed, extending for guests. Always measure your own room and allow 75cm behind chairs.<\/p>\n Warm woods, curved edges and pedestal bases echo the era. Simple modern designs also work well if they respect the scale of the room.<\/p>\n Round and oval tables suit squarer rear dining rooms and ease movement. Rectangular tables suit long through rooms and open plan extensions.<\/p>\n Choose a table with adjustable feet or use small felt levelling pads under the legs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 1930s semi is one of the most familiar house types in Britain, and its dining room comes with its own quirks. Many have a rear reception room of modest size, a chimney breast with alcoves, a picture rail, doors on more than one wall…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":80514,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[7912,1632,1519,2277],"class_list":["post-80513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dining-room","tag-1930s-homes","tag-dining-room-layout","tag-extendable-dining-tables","tag-period-property"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80916,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80513\/revisions\/80916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Understanding the 1930s Dining Room<\/h3>\n
Measuring Around Period Features<\/h3>\n
Choosing the Right Shape<\/h3>\n
Round and round to oval tables<\/h3>\n
Oval tables<\/h3>\n
Rectangular tables<\/h3>\n
Making the Most of Bays and Alcoves<\/h3>\n
Choosing Chairs for Period Rooms<\/h3>\n
Styles That Suit a 1930s Home<\/h3>\n
Practical Points for Older Houses<\/h3>\n
Uneven floors<\/h3>\n
Heating and draughts<\/h3>\n
Ceiling height and lighting<\/h3>\n
Delivery and access<\/h3>\n
Open Plan and Knocked Through Semis<\/h3>\n
Planning for Family Life and Gatherings<\/h3>\n
Bringing It All Together<\/h3>\n
FAQ<\/h3>\n
What size dining table fits a 1930s rear dining room?<\/h3>\n
What style of dining table suits a 1930s house?<\/h3>\n
Is a round or rectangular table better for a 1930s semi?<\/h3>\n
How do I stop a table rocking on an old floor?<\/h3>\n