How to Select the Perfect Dining Table – Tips from Furniture.com

WALTHAM, MASS. – October 10, 2006 – Visions of upcoming festive holiday meals dancing in your head? Now's the perfect time to take practical steps to make sure your dining room rises to the occasion! There are some typically-overlooked considerations to keep in mind when buying dining room furniture.

Furniture.com's lead Design Consultant, Davis Remignanti has assembled the following helpful pointers for you to consider while shopping:

• Sturdy Solution: When choosing between a table with legs or a pedestal base, remember that pedestal tables can fit additional chairs more easily than most leg tables. But tables with legs tend to be more stable and less likely to tip if something heavy (like your 20 lb. turkey) is placed near the edge.

• Turn a New Leaf: When it comes to table leaves, try to keep them in the table as much as possible. A stored leaf may not age in parallel with its table, and is more prone to warp out of shape.

• Looking Glass: They look elegant, but glass top dining tables can require more cleaning to keep the obvious fingerprints at bay. Keep that in mind if the glass top look is what you want.

• Show Your Style: Your dining room can benefit from a little “mix-and-match” attitude. Don’t be afraid to invest in a quality dining table and combine it with an antique buffet or coordinating – but not matching - chairs.

• Measurement Matters: Always measure your dining room before buying furniture, particularly to avoid a tight fit when every chair is occupied by a dinner guest. Use Furniture.com’s free Room Planner at www.furniture.com/roomplanner to make certain everything will fit comfortably.

• Simply Stated: Remember that dining chairs can also be used as accent pieces in other rooms. Look for chairs that suit your style, and consider giving them a dual role in your well-designed space.

• Please be Seated: When selecting dining chairs, be sure to look for good back support and strong arms. These features not only provide comfort but will also help ensure that guests will want to linger over coffee and dessert!

Furniture.com (http://www.furniture.com) offers consumers in the U.S. and Canada the best of Internet shopping by merging the convenience, accessibility and ease of online shopping with the proven infrastructure of North America’s largest retail furniture chains.