Dining Sets Buying Guide

Gathering family or friends together for a meal at home is one of the simple pleasures of life. A dining set from Furniture Choice can help you create the perfect environment for your meal, whether for everyday use or special occasions.

Our Buyers’ Guide to Dining Sets will steer you through the key considerations when choosing your dining table and chairs. While comfort and space are important – no one wants an elbow in the ribs every time their neighbour lifts their cutlery – you’ll also want to think about how your new dining set will fit in with the colour scheme and style of your home décor.

Here’s some food for thought to help you choose your dining set. For more information on dining chairs, check out our Buyers’ Guide for Dining Chairs.

Our step-by-step guide

Measure for measure

The first step is to measure your available space and decide on the size and shape of table. Remember to factor in additional space for an extending dining table. All of the dimensions of our dining sets are clearly marked on our website, but if you’re unsure, call us on 0800 035 0070 and we’ll talk you through the details.

Shaping up

Whether you plump for a rectangular, oval or round dining table will partly be a matter of taste, but you’ll also need to look at how the table fits in the available space and how many people will fit around it. For example, an x-braced rectangular table will comfortably seat four, a round table with three legs would be ideally suited to seat six people evenly spaced, and a round dining table with a central leg will allow a range of different seating options.

Light and dark

Our dining sets come in a variety of dark and light wood with different grains and stained or gloss finishes. A glass table top can make a room seem more spacious, whereas a solid oak table or an Indian sheesham dining table with dark leather chairs will be more of a statement piece and won’t look lost in a larger space. A dining table with a white gloss finish, paired with chrome and faux white leather chairs will suit a chic, ultra-modern home.

Take the chair

The number of dining chairs you need will depend on the size of your household and how often you entertain. You may want to order extra chairs if you are buying an extending dining table or need spares for visitors. Choose a chair colour that will match or complement your colour scheme, or mix and match colours. Our dining sets range from traditional to contemporary to ultra-modern, in wood, leather, faux leather and chrome. There’s also a choice between slatted wooden backed chairs and padded leather or faux leather with a variety of support. Have a good look through the options on our website and call us on 0800 035 0070 if you have any questions that are not addressed here.

Practically speaking

Most of our dining sets only need simple home assembly; our hardwood is ethically sourced from managed plantations and our dining chairs are British Standards tested for strength and stability.

FAQs

Q. Do the dining sets come assembled?

Our dining chairs and tables will require some simple home assembly but instructions are provided. We also have a range of stackable faux leather dining chairs that come ready assembled.

Q. Will six chairs fit around the dining table?

The majority of our dining tables will comfortably accommodate six dining chairs. Some of our tables fit four chairs until extended to fit six and we also have x-braced tables that are suitable for four chairs and drop-leaf tables that open up to fit up to four chairs.

Q. How do I protect and clean the table top?

Some of our tables come with individual care instructions. As a general rule, use table mats to protect your dining table top from hot crockery and avoid keeping wooden furniture too close to heat sources. Wood and glass table tops can be wiped clean with a warm, damp cloth. Spillages should not be left to soak in, especially on veneer tops as the liquid can get underneath the veneer and cause damage. White high-gloss table tops should not be cleaned with an abrasive sponge or product.

Q. How do I look after my dining chairs?

Wooden chairs and faux leather upholstery can easily be cleaned with a warm, damp cloth. For leather dining chairs, we sell leather care kits to keep your upholstery in tip top condition.

Q. I can’t see the dining set combination I’m looking for, can I still order it?

All of our dining tables and dining chairs can be mixed and matched to suit your preference. You can even order different combinations of chairs (in pairs), for example, you may like to alternate black and white leather chairs around your dining table.

Q. What guarantee do they come with?

All of our dining sets come with at least a one-year manufacturer’s guarantee. You can also extend the guarantee for up to five years – call us on 0800 035 0070 for more details.

Q. Will the dining table fit through my doors?

As our dining tables are delivered flat packed, they should fit through most doorways and you can check table top dimensions on our website next to the appropriate product. If you have any particular concerns, don’t hesitate to call us and we’ll be happy to advise.

Q. Can you send out samples?

If you’d like to see a swatch of the leather or faux leather used in our upholstery, click on your preferred dining chair and then click on ‘Request a swatch’. This will lead you to a simple form; once you’ve filled it out, your sample should arrive two to three working days later.

We are unable to send out samples of wood, but if you call our team on 0800 035 0070, they can talk you through the different types and colours of wood to make sure you choose the right one for you. Or you could send us a photo of your existing furniture to help us find a close match.

Q. Will your dining sets match my existing furniture?

With the wide range of choice we can offer, there is bound to be a dining set to match your existing furniture. If after browsing our range you are still unsure, call free on 0800 035 0700 and a team member will be happy to help you. Don’t forget we also have sideboards to match some of our dining tables; have a look at our sideboard collection.

Q. Do you have a showroom?

Our showroom is attached to our warehouse in Mirfield, between Huddersfield and Wakefield in West Yorkshire. If you’d like to drop by for a visit, you can find directions and opening hours here.

Q. What if I don’t like the dining set? Can I return it?

Your dining set can be returned if you notify us within seven days of receipt. Items must be unused and in a perfect, resalable condition and you will need to retain the original packaging. There will be small collection charge and delivery charges will not be refunded. Our full refund policy can be found here.

Q. How much do you charge for delivery and how long does it take?

Delivery is free to most of the UK. Many items are kept in stock at our warehouse and will be delivered 7-10 days after ordering; you can choose your preferred delivery date at checkout. For a small fee you can plump for our Premium Delivery Service, which offers more flexibility on delivery times and an additional unpacking service. You can also collect your furniture from our warehouse in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, during our working hours.

If you have any additional questions, please call us free on 0800 035 0070.