Although we’ve only just finished the first week of November, the holidays will be here before we know it. For many people, that means hosting gatherings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other winter holidays. If you’re the host of a holiday gathering this year, you have a lot to do to prepare, and it’s easy for some things to slip through the cracks. A few of those things won’t suffer too much if they’re part of the last-minute scramble, but there are others you need to square away soon. Near the top of your list should be having somewhere for everyone to sit. If you need to go to the furniture store for more seating, you don’t want to leave it until the last minute.
Before you head out to the furniture store to supplement your holiday seating, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Measure Your Space
Measuring is always the first thing you should do before buying new furniture. Even if you’re just looking to replace your dining room table for your immediate family, you want to know what will fit in the room. When buying extra seating for guests, you’ll want to measure the room and the table you already have. If you’re adding leaves to the table or not, you’ll need to know how many chairs or benches you can fit around it.
Consider Your Options
When it comes to seating, there are more options than just chairs. Benches are an easy way to squeeze more people in along one side of the table without taking up as much space. If there will be kids at your holiday gathering, you can fit a lot of them on a bench. You also need to think about whether you want chairs with arms or no arms (no arms will take up less space) or whether you have a second table at a different height from the main dining table.
Comfort Is Key
Holiday meals often take a while between all the dishes and lively conversations. You want to ensure that your guests are comfortable sitting at your table. Padded seats and backrests are simple features that can make your guests more comfortable. If you use a bench to maximize seating, try to place it along a wall. This will allow anyone sitting there to lean back, and it creates more space in the room.