Many people just take the dining table for granted, it is something that has been used in all of our lifetimes, but of you look way before that you will find that they were still used in some form, right up to date and are no longer just a luxury for the rich as they once were, they are now a household piece that is going to be around for longer still.

The dining table that we know and use today was first used by the Greek people. They were in that time made from a different material and were made from stone or metal, they were able to be stored underneath a bed or similar when not in use and did not have the chairs that we use today so were therefore not as high up from the floor, but their initial function was the same as today and to keep the food off the floor.

The Romans were the people who brought the Mensa Lunata to Italy. The Mensa Lunata was a form of table which was a semi circle in shape. This was in the middle ages, which was when there was not much to show us in the way of documents when it came to the dining table, although it is known that they were seen as something that only people of nobility and royalty used.

Such people who were well off used refectory tables, which were very long and could seat many people, which is why they were so popular in palaces and meant that when they had a feast they were able to do so while getting everyone seated at the same table so that they could enjoy both a meal, good conversation and entertainment.

There are many kinds of dining table that are available today and the choice will depend on your needs. You will find that some are sold as a set with tables, but although this is great for some people others prefer to get the chairs separately depending on the amount of people they wish to seat and also what kind of chair they wish to buy.

The kind of table will also depend on the amount of space you have in the room you wish to dine. You can also get them made from different kinds of material and these materials although commonly are wood, can also be plastic and kinds of metal.

The people of China use tables that have shorter legs than people in other parts of the world, they do not use chairs to sit at these tables they sit on the floor and dine together sometimes eating from the same bowl or plate, this kind of table is still above the floor level so the food is still away from the surface that we walk upon.

Rooms that do not have much space can still benefit from a dining table and there are still choices. One that is commonly used is called a pedestal table, the difference between this kind of table and others is that the legs of it come from the centre and then stretch out at the bottom to keep the table from falling, where as other kinds have legs that come from near or on the corners and come straight down, this can limit where chairs are placed at the table depending on how many you wish to seat and where.

To save space further you can get a table that is able to fold up when not in use, you will then be able to put it against a wall and some come with wheels on the bottom and fold into themselves so you just have a small rectangular shape that you could use to store a vase or similar on until mealtime.

The dining table has brought families together, and even in modern times where life is hectic everyone should make time, even if not everyday where the whole household is able to sit and eat a meal together, so that they can dine as well as communicate.

By Annie Deakin



Annie is an expert furniture and interior design writer. Her current area of specialism is http://mydeco.com/c/chairs/2413/ chair, http://mydeco.com/s/nest-of-tables/150/ nest of tables and http://mydeco.com/christmas/ christmas