CUSTOM DINING TABLE
BANGKOK — SIZES, TOPS
& BASES

A dining table is the one piece of furniture everyone in the home uses every day, and the one most often bought at the wrong size. It is either too long for the room, so chairs cannot be pulled out, or too narrow, so serving dishes have nowhere to go. Building a table to order solves the size problem by definition — but only if you know which numbers to ask for. This guide sets them out.

LENGTH: COUNT ELBOWS, NOT CHAIRS

A comfortable place setting is roughly 60cm wide; 70cm feels generous. So a table for six with three people on each long side needs a length of around 180–210cm, plus allowance if anyone sits at the ends. A common shorthand:

Seats	Rectangular length (approx.)	Round diameter (approx.)
4	120–150cm	100–120cm
6	180–210cm	130–150cm
8	220–250cm	150–180cm
10	260–300cm	—

These are working ranges, not rules. Chair width matters: wide upholstered dining chairs with arms can need 70cm each, which turns a "six-seater" into a comfortable four-seater.

WIDTH: WHERE THE FOOD GOES

Width is the dimension people forget. Around 90cm is a practical minimum for a table where dishes are shared in the middle — which describes most meals in Bangkok. 100cm is comfortable for a family table; 110cm or more starts to make conversation across the table harder. A narrow 80cm table can work in a tight condo, but only if serving happens from a counter.

CLEARANCE AROUND THE TABLE

Allow roughly 90cm from the table edge to the wall or nearest furniture so a chair can be pulled out and someone can sit down. Where people need to walk behind seated diners, 110cm or more is better. In an open-plan condo, the dining zone often shares that space with the kitchen route — measure both together.

HEIGHT: CHAIR AND TABLE ARE ONE DECISION

Standard dining table height is about 73–76cm, with a seat height around 45–47cm, leaving roughly 27–30cm between seat and tabletop. If you are pairing a custom table with existing chairs, measure the chairs first. A lower, Korean-proportioned dining setting is also possible, but the table and chairs then have to be designed together — dropping one without the other makes the table uncomfortable for everybody.

TOP MATERIALS: SOLID WOOD, VENEER, OR STONE

Solid hardwood — oak, walnut, cherry — can be sanded and refinished for decades, and it ages honestly. It also moves: timber expands and contracts as humidity changes, which in Bangkok means across the year and between an air-conditioned room and an open one. A well-built solid top is fixed to its base with fittings that allow that movement. A top screwed rigidly in place is the most common cause of splits.

Veneer over a stable core is not a cheap substitute when it is done well. A thick hardwood veneer on a stable board moves far less than solid timber, which suits very wide or very long tops and rooms that are not consistently air-conditioned. The trade-off is that it can only be refinished lightly.

Stone — marble, travertine, granite, sintered stone — gives a dining table weight and permanence. Marble and travertine are calcium-based, so acidic food and drink (lime, wine, vinegar) can etch the surface, and they need sealing. A long stone top is also heavy enough that delivery through a condo service lift, and the base that carries it, have to be planned at the drawing stage. We cover stone choices in depth in travertine and stone tables in Bangkok; our marble and brass console reference style shows the same stone-and-metal pairing at a smaller scale.

BASES: LEGS, TRESTLES AND PEDESTALS

• Four legs at the corners — the most stable, but the legs decide where the end chairs can go.
• Trestle or sled bases — leave the corners free and suit long rectangular tables; check that knees clear the stretcher.
• Single pedestal — the best choice for round tables, because nobody straddles a leg. Large or stone tops need a heavier pedestal, which is a structural calculation, not a styling one.
• Double pedestal — for long oval or racetrack tables, combining open legroom with stability.

ROUND, OVAL OR RECTANGULAR?

Round tables are sociable and work well in square rooms or corners, but they stop being practical beyond about eight people because the centre becomes unreachable. Rectangles suit long, narrow condo layouts. An oval or "racetrack" shape is a useful compromise: the length of a rectangle, the easier circulation of a round, and no sharp corners at hip height in a tight walkway.

QUESTIONS TO ASK ANY TABLE MAKER

• How is the top fixed to the base, and does the fixing allow the timber to move?
• Has the timber been kiln-dried, and to what moisture level for a Bangkok interior?
• What finish is used — oil, hardwax oil or lacquer — and how is a scratch or a water ring repaired?
• For stone: which sealer, how often to re-seal, and how heavy is the finished top?
• Will the table travel in one piece, and will it fit the service lift and the doors on the way in?

A maker who answers these clearly, in writing, is a maker who has thought about how the table will live in your home rather than only how it looks on delivery day.

WHAT A CUSTOM COMMISSION ADDS

The point of commissioning is that every number above is decided for your room and your household, rather than chosen from three catalogue sizes. Custom dining tables and chairs at Something Bespoke start from ฿120,000. Each piece begins with a measured drawing and material samples before anything is built; most pieces take 8–12 weeks to make, up to 14 for complex ones, and white-glove delivery and installation are part of the service. You can read how our atelier builds in inside the atelier, or see the wider range of what we make on the collection page.