BK-Milan Round Dining Table: 1.1m or 1.3m, and what each seats

Round tables are the easiest furniture decision to get right, because the only number that matters can be measured and divided. The BK-Milan Round Dining Table (1.1/1.3m) is listed in two diameters, ⌀110 x 75cm and ⌀130 x 75cm, which read as 110cm or 130cm across the top and 75cm from floor to top.

Edge per chair, for both sizes

Go round the rim with a tape and you get the whole answer. A 110cm top has about 346cm of edge; a 130cm top has about 408cm. Divide by the number of places:

Around 60cm of edge is a workable place setting and 70cm or more is comfortable. So the 110cm seats four well and five at a push; the 130cm seats five well and six for a meal. Measure the widest point of your chairs, arms included, before you settle on a number.

The space each one wants

A round table needs a square or near-square of clear floor. Allow about 75cm out from the rim for a chair in use, and about 100cm where someone has to walk behind a seated guest.

• 110cm top: roughly a 260cm square with chairs, nearer 310cm if you want to walk all the way round.
• 130cm top: roughly a 280cm square with chairs, nearer 330cm with walkways on every side.

Round also wins where a rectangular table loses: no corner to catch a hip, and a doorway opening into the room is less of a problem. If your room is long and narrow rather than square, the rectangular BK-Milan Dining Table (1.5/1.8m) uses the same base and suits the shape better.

The base, and why it matters here

The listing describes a cross-shaped pedestal standing on four black legs. On a round top that is the arrangement that lets you move chairs anywhere around the circumference instead of working around corner legs, which is how you get a fifth or sixth person in at all.

The thing to check is the spread of the cross at floor level. The listing does not state it, and a wide foot is the one thing that stops a chair tucking right under the rim. Ask the shop for that figure if you are tight on space. The listing also gives no top thickness and no finish or colour detail beyond the word ceramic, and it says nothing about how that surface handles heat, stains or scratches, so ask the shop rather than assume.

How it compares with the other round tables

Smaller: the Bentley Round Table (0.9m) at 90cm, which is a four-seater at best and a two-seater in comfort. The same 130cm diameter in different materials: the Chelsea Round Table (1.3m) has a marble top on a chrome frame, and the Lewis Round Table (1.3m) is another 130cm option. Comparing the three is mostly a question of finish, since the seating arithmetic above is identical for any 130cm top, and the rest of the round and rectangular options sit together in dining tables.

Ordering

Decide on the number of chairs first, read the edge figure for that number, then check the square of floor you have. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. Both diameters are selected on the BK-Milan Round Dining Table (1.1/1.3m) page, where you will also find the photographs.