From Raw Wood To You

A 72-inch table "seats eight" — but does it? How length, width, and the shape of the base decide your real seat count, and why you should be shopping for two numbers instead of one.

Most dining rooms are sized by the table that went in them, not the other way round. Here's the clearance a table actually needs, the simple subtraction that turns your room dimensions into a maximum table size, and what to measure before you shop.