Lavishly large dining tables

Who doesn't love a bench installation? Reminiscent of sociable school days and funky restaurants, large dining tables don't get much more fantastic than this huge wooden example from Adrian Ducerf. Perfect for families with a lot of mouths to feed, we love the dark wood finish of this table, which prevents it from looking too rustic and instead, elevates it to high end chic. Perfectly at home with the modern brushed metal cabinets in the background, we could also imagine this table in a more traditional setting, making it as adaptable as it is entirely practical. The only question is; will you have enough food to go round?

What a fabulous piece of furniture this is and just look how it effortlessly straddles the line between rustic and modern! Large dining tables naturally have to serve a practical function, but aesthetics should not be lost as a result. This table has the appearance of having been constructed from reclaimed railway sleepers and we just love how it has been paired with ultra modern transparent chairs to demonstrate how versatile it can be. Were antique chairs added, the table would happily accommodate them and give an old world feel to any space. With space for 12 settings, this is large scale dining at its most beautiful and flexible.

Dining with friends and family is such a lovely experience that the furniture you choose to eat on deserves proper consideration and thought. If you have favoured a shabby chic style of decoration, as seen here, it stands to reason that even large dining tables need to be given the same treatment, to really blend in with the surroundings. We adore this huge traditional farmhouse table and having been given the whitewash treatment, it looks utterly at home and spectacular in this open plan space. The perfect recipient for some ditsy print napkins, eclectic cutlery and delicious food, it has been sensitively finished to add to the existing ambiance.

Large dining tables don't have to only be big farmhouse style ones or those that seem a little less modern and a bit more rustic, in fact, the larger the dining table, the more options you can consider! We are utterly enamoured with this beautiful piece that showcases a huge slab of wonderfully finished wood, sitting atop a stunning polished metal frame. The simplicity of the table is key here and is clearly a nod to Danish design styles that have experienced a recent surge in popularity. The matching chairs add some extra fluid curves to the set and the overall effect is one of unquestioned elegance and grown up chic.

For minimalist properties, simple is always better and the dining room is no exception. Large dining tables are, in essence, extremely simple and basic items of furniture that can be styled or finished to become more high end. We love the pared back honesty of this table and bench set up that offers nothing extraneous, just a simple, elegant and beautiful platform for eating food with a bunch of friends or family members. By leaving the wood in its natural state, it will age and develop character all on its own and thanks to being so straightforward in design, it will always work in its wider setting, regardless of decorating styles.

This room, as a whole, is utterly amazing isn't it? The sheer size and finish of this conservatory is incredible, but to turn it into a dining room is really something else. Naturally, a room of this grandeur deserves and demands a table of similar stature and this example does not disappoint. As a material, marble will always be considered luxe, but when used to create large dining tables, such as this one, it takes on an even more high end quality and totally transforms a space. Just picture the light of the chandelier bouncing off the marble table top during an evening dinner party; what an image! 

When considering large dining tables, be sure to really think about the style of house that you have and your existing decorating ethos. What we love about this example, apart from the size of the table, is that it perfectly compliments every other tiny detail in the room unequivocally. Clearly a rustic, country style home, the use of antlers as a chandelier and a dark wood Welsh dresser have naturally dictated the style of this very traditional dining table. Though it wouldn't look perfect in every home, we think it is the ideal choice here and melds seamlessly with the existing theme.

Now here is a dilemma. Imagine that you have a beautifully minimal, almost industrial space and you are keen to include a dining table. Now imagine that you can't decide what colour or style to have. The simple answer is to choose them all! Large dining tables don't get much bigger or more unusual than this amazing installation that borders on being art and we love how well the style works to create a surprisingly beautiful piece of furniture. The white end is crisp and clean, speaking of modernist themes and style, while the black enjoys more ornate legs and brings an almost gothic undertone. A fabulous interplay of style and we are utterly sold, we just don't know which end we would sit at!

In a home that has been designed to be as open plan and lavishly spacious as possible, only large dining tables will do. Perfect for breaking up the space, large rectangular tables follow the linear element of long rooms perfectly and offer the ideal location for opulent dinner parties and extravagant get togethers. We love how the table in this example has been placed almost in the centre of the room, allowing the vastness to be broken up into manageable chunks and by including fun lighting directly above, you won't have to struggle to see who asked you to pass the salt! 

In a smaller room, it may generally be considered a good idea to minimise large furniture pieces, but we think this table looks wonderful. Taking up almost the full width of the kitchen/diner, large dining tables such as this bring a cosy element and invoke images of families eating, talking and socialising together. The hub of many homes, the dining table is not a piece of furniture to overlook as takes on numerous roles and it's with this in mind that we say the bigger the better, so pull up a chair!

For more dining room inspiration, take a look at this ideabook: Dining room tables and chairs.