Restaurants are not solely about food and drink. Good restaurants are about experience, about that special feeling of being comfortable and enjoying the place, whether it’s a luxurious venue or a family-run diner. That’s why interiors and furniture matter a lot, and tables matter the most. Tables set the mood, dictate how many people will be able to attend a restaurant at the same time, how easy it will be to move around the place, and how enjoyable the overall experience will be.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the original table ideas for restaurant and how to incorporate them all into your vision of a welcoming and busy place.
Features of the Best Restaurant Tables
Selecting a proper style of tables is not solely about aesthetics. It’s about hosting as many people as possible without compromising convenience. It’s about sturdiness and long service, about materials that are top-quality and safe, and in general about your overall concept of the place. Whether you want a sleek avant-garde place or a cozy and chic parlor, furniture and overall design should match your idea.
Yet your vision should go hand in hand with what people currently want. That’s the key to winning customers and turning them into patrons and regulars, and to building a welcoming atmosphere that will lure people to your doors.
Materials
If you’ve been following architectural trends for some time recently, then you know that people are tired of neutrally gray interiors that are everywhere. So everyone is getting bored of them. If you haven’t, we bring this shift to your attention. People want the environment and furniture that are more natural and soulful. They want good coffee and wine, good food, and a convenient and cozy space that adds to the pleasure of a nice dinner or lunch.
Fashion and tastes come and go, but there are some things that are timeless and appealing no matter what. Wooden furniture sits on top of this eternal appeal list.
- Wooden tables can be made in various shapes, with more or fewer decorative elements.
- Wood is the most eco-friendly material (when harvested sustainably), and natural finishes give the wood this special gentle sheen and feel while ensuring safety for customers.
- Wood never goes out of fashion. It can be stunningly contemporary, luxuriously antique, or something in between, somewhat familiar but still fresh-looking and comfy (mid-century modern, anyone?).
If you think that wooden furniture is limiting for designers in creative opportunities, think twice. The best and the most valued furniture is made of wood combined with other natural materials, like steel or stone. And if you want something really special and unusual, go for tables that combine wood and some unexpected element like epoxy. Add simple metallic legs, and get tables that are contemporary yet timeless, unusual yet appealing, and comfortable.
Size
Traditionally, restaurant tables are made to host 2 to 6 people for optimal space use. Solo dining gains momentum, so solo tables are also becoming popular (plus, you can put them into a place where a bigger table just won’t fit).
Yet there is an opposite trend that sprouted after the pandemic restrictions: the taste of communal dining, i.e. the opportunity for different people to eat at one long table. It helps guests not to feel lonely even if they come on their own, and it gives the place just the right amount of warmth and informality.
For this purpose, long sturdy tables, so-called communal tables, will do the job. Just be sure to set chairs in a way that allows some space between guests. For long tabletops, an epoxy river style is a perfect idea because it breaks the monotony of the wooden surface and provides visual boundaries between opposite sides of the table (which is important because guests still need a feeling of minimal privacy around their plates and drinks).
Pick suitable restaurant table setting ideas and appropriate decor items to create an informal and busy table, and you’ll get crowds of customers flowing in all day long.
Number of people is not the only concern. The height of the tables also matters. There are standard height tables, counter height, and bar height tables.
- Counter height (around 34-36 inches) is set between a standard table and a bar table, and counter height tables are usual for places where alcohol is served with food. It’s not a rule, it’s just a piece of information for you.
- Bar-height tables (around 42 inches) are great for pubs and locations that serve mostly beverages plus snacks, but again that’s not a rule. You can put regular-height tables in the middle of the place and line a few bar-height tables along the walls to provide a separate environment for people enjoying a glass of wine. Mixing tables of different heights is one of the unique dining table ideas that are not yet mainstream, so be sure to keep it in mind while planning the restaurant layout.
Styles
Styles can be anything you want them to be, but since we are talking about the shift towards natural materials, the style should let the materials shine. The most unique dining table ideas should unite comfort and beauty, plus an element of surprise. That’s where epoxy-inlaid tables join the conversation. Epoxy can add a cool vibe even to the most classic and “unchangeable” design.
Minimalist
Just a simple tabletop and slim legs – this style will fit into any modern interior except probably highly eclectic and maximalist. If you want to go really minimalist, choose epoxy elements that match the tones of wood. If you want a blast of color or a bit of eccentricity, opt for colorful inlays. Pick the inlay color to match the interior color palette and get a fresh atmosphere that feels upscale. Just a color-matching trick, it’s that simple.
Industrial
This trend is still here, so if you plan to add bulky decor and thematic items here and there, the industrial table style is right. Choose sturdier legs and darker colors of epoxy and wood. Epoxy will give that perfect feel of thick glass, plus a bulkier table style will support the powerhouse and warehouse themes. We can almost see this place, darker and solid, serving good food and dark ales and craft porters. We’d book a table ourselves, for sure.
Farmhouse
Although named after farmhouses, these tables perform many functions and can host family dinners and formal receptions alike. Plus, a semi-formal business meeting in a good restaurant helped strike many a big deal. So, a big farm table is a must, at least one long table should be available for big events. To spice things up, think of a table with an epoxy river running along the tabletop. For a classier and more reserved look choose brown or black epoxy. Semi-transparent sparkling surface will look amazing between wooden ‘banks.’ add reliable legs or a trestle system, and you’ve got the Table with the capital T.
Classic
If you plan to create a calm and homey feel, classic round or square styles are great. But familiar shapes don’t mean they need to be boring. Play with the tabletop design, experiment with colors, and shapes of epoxy inlays, and think about making a mosaic table top – it will be a nice surprise to guests. You can make a table more formal by throwing on a freshly pressed tablecloth. Open wooden surfaces with interesting inlays will feel more playful and risque.
Vintage
More eccentric and maximalist styles call for maximalist tables. It can be the shape of legs, like mortise and tenon, or simplified cabriole legs (these are unique table base ideas today),
the shape of a tabletop, or all of it. Some shapes and styles give a richer, more vintage feel, and they will be perfect for an interior full of interesting details.
Colorful and contrasting epoxy inlays can add to the vibrant styles, and matching tones will let the table shape speak.
Live edge
A separate gem among unusual table ideas for restaurant is live edge tables. The uncut but carefully polished edges of the slabs make a wonderful attraction, and you can build a whole restaurant concept around trees, wood, and all things natural. Here, only your fantasy is your limit.
Shapes
It seems that we’ve discussed key points about tables above, but there is one more thing to consider: tabletop shapes. Here are some unique tabletop ideas that you can start with and build the concept of your place around them:
- Square shapes are great for solo tables (room for one) and for classic dining tables. They can host two to four people.
- Rectangular ones are fit for 6 to 8 people, and they already provide space for small epoxy rivers or extensive mosaic inlays.
- Oval tables are not very frequent in restaurants, so if you want something special, choose oval ones. They look stylish in any interior, whether modern or home-style.
- Round tables are the classics. They are excellent for formal dinners and family outings. Plus, a round table provides a field for experimentation with center-based epoxy inlays, colorful, wood-matching, or both.
- Long farmhouse tables. They are a must for restaurants that rely on the concept of communal dining or welcoming large groups. Plus, a long epoxy river is an attraction in itself, no one can deny it.
- Live edge tables. Live edges can be the features of tables large and small, just take care to choose edges that let people sit and eat comfortably. Live edge table usually does not require additional decor, but if the live edge is repeated in the shapes of epoxy inlay, the table is elevated to the status of an art piece.
Summary
All in all, wooden tables are great in that they offer a heap of possibilities for upgrading or tweaking existing designs, yet they will always retain their natural feel. No other material can compete with wood. A splash of colorful epoxy or a carefully poured epoxy river will make a table unique. No resin-inlaid tables are ever alike. That’s the best part about them.
So your guests will appreciate both food and beverages and these wonderful pieces of art that serve as tables. Just be sure to order tables from reputable manufacturers who can guarantee the safety of finishes and quality of wood. MaxiWoods is just the experienced and reliable supplier you need, for that matter.
Then you know that your tables will last a lifetime and will never fail to impress and please new guests and returning diners time after time after time. That’s sustainability at its best.
