Lewis Round Table 1.3m: what a 130cm circle really seats

The Lewis Round Table is listed at one size: 130cm across and 75cm high. The listing describes a marble top, a polished chrome frame and four tapered legs. A round table of this diameter is a different proposition from a rectangle of the same floor area, and most of the decision is about the shape rather than the finish.

The figures, exactly as listed

Only one size is offered, so there is no length to choose. The 75cm height is the standard dining height, which means a chair with a seat around 45cm leaves roughly 30cm of knee room.

What 130cm across actually seats

Measure a round table by its edge rather than its width. A 130cm circle has about 408cm of edge, and at roughly 60cm per place setting that is six places on paper. In practice four to six is the honest answer, and the legs decide which. With four legs set near the rim, a chair pushed in between two legs sits comfortably; a chair that lands in front of a leg does not. Set four chairs out and you will have room to spare. Push for six and it is worth bringing your own chair to the shop, or measuring the width of the one you own at the front edge of the seat.

What a circle buys you is conversation. Nobody sits at the head, everybody can see everybody, and there are no corners to walk into in a room people pass through. It also wastes less floor in a square room than a rectangle does.

The floor area to leave

Allow about 100cm clear all the way round: roughly 75cm to pull a chair back and sit down, plus room to pass behind. That puts a 130cm top in a clear circle or square of about 330cm. If the room is only 300cm across, the table will work but somebody will be squeezing past a chair back.

Measure the route in as well as the room. A 130cm rigid top will not pivot in a 90cm hall, and the listing does not mention it coming apart for carrying. Doorway width, hall width and the turn at the top of a stair are the three figures to check before you order.

What the listing does not say

• It calls the top marble but does not say whether that is natural stone or a marble-effect surface, nor how thick it is. Ask us before you order if that matters.
• No weight is given. A round stone or stone-effect top is awkward as well as heavy, so plan the lift and have somebody with you on delivery day.
• Nothing on colour, veining, cleaning or sealing, and nothing on whether the frame arrives attached.
• The listing describes the styling as Italian and mentions hospitality use. It does not state where the table is made, and we will not claim it.

What it sits with

If a rectangle suits the room better, the Lewis Dining Table (1.2/1.5/1.8/2m) runs from 120 x 80cm to 200 x 100cm with the same chrome frame. For a smaller footprint in the same range, the Lewis Square Dining Table (1m) is a 100cm square. The London Round Table (1.3m) is the same diameter on a pedestal base rather than four legs, which is the straight comparison to make if chair placement is your worry. The full set is in Dining Tables.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. Once you have measured the room and the route in, the Lewis Round Table page carries the photographs and the order form.