Gather round! Small, round tables appeal to all generations

The American population may have reached 300 million in 2006, but household size is actually getting… smaller! According to the U.S. Census, the average number of people living together in a home dropped from a high of 4.5 people in 1915 to just under 2.6 people today (parents, offspring and extended squatters included!) More wealth, freedom and individuality, it seems, are driving not just the size of our families, but the size of our furniture… including our dining tables.

Smaller tables have become a popular choice among today’s largest population sectors on both sides of the age scale – at one end,  Baby Boomers downsizing or living alone… at the other, Millenials (born after 1980) setting up their first household.

This makes sense, really. Both older and younger folks tend to live in smaller homes that require space-efficient furniture… and smaller tables (42”-48” in diameter) are a good fit. They also fit the trend to smaller homes in general. The average new U.S. home today stands around 2,169 sq feet, down from the peak of nearly 2,300 square feet in 2007.

But smaller dining tables offer advantages beyond saving space… especially when also round in shape. If you’ve ever eaten at a round table, you know how much more sociable and conversational they feel!

At the recent international home furnishing market in North Carolina, Hooker Furniture revealed an array of new round table options at smaller sizes in response to many requests for small, round tables from retailers and shoppers alike.

At just 42 inches around, the Brynlee is part of Hooker’s popular Melange Collection.  A two-tone table with soft walnut finish top and antique white base is paired with contrasting light-and-airy white chairs with a whimsical circle fretwork pattern on seat backs.

At 44 inches around, the new Miramonte leg table features timeless European and French-country influenced styling, with turned legs, quiet horizontal slats on the chairs and a vintage casual finish over hickory veneers.

At 48 inches around, the romantic Chic Coterie table mixes contemporary with vintage chic style. A worn-looking two-tone table with a chunky pedestal complements clean-lined chairs with upholstered backs.

The Chic Coterie home office and dining furniture collection is unique in that it was the first major furniture collection inspired by the aspirations of women as expressed on Pinterest. Learn more about the intriguing Chic Coterie story in this blog and on Hooker Furniture’s Chic Coterie Pinterest page.

The Chic collection is offered in two warm finishes: Vintage White (with worm holing and distressing) and Posh Brown (with a white-hang-up), creating a layered, but calming look. The two finishes mix beautifully together in the same room… or on the same piece.

Small, round tables are also popular at higher heights, recalling the way we eat in a restaurant or bar. The 54-inch round the Eastridge pedestal pub table can create intimate dining for two or enlarge for a bigger group with its 20-inch leaf. It features a warm black and brown old world finish over cherry veneers… and a touch of timeless European traditional style with an elegant fluted texture on the base and chair legs.

Other round tables in Hooker Furniture’s lineup that are already available in retail stores include the 48-inch round Ludlow dining table.

With a 48” glass top, its sophisticated metropolitan attitude is distinguished by an intriguing walnut veneer and hip fretwork inspired by Scottish designer Charles Rennie Macintosh.

Also at 48”, the Waverly Place dining table includes two matching 20” leaves that extend the table to 88”, and a warm, worn-looking Old English plank-top in cherry veneer for this dining room sets.

Loved for their space-saving function, versatility, style and sense of intimacy, a small round table is perfect for a scaled-down dining room. But it also works as a game or project table in the family room, or an elegant place to grab breakfast in the kitchen!