Make Your Kitchen Cozier With Farmhouse Tables & Benches

The popularity of farmhouse decor has soared in recent years. With their rugged materials and practical design, farmhouse furnishings create a cozy and inviting atmosphere. At the heart of this charming style lies the farmhouse kitchen table. Outfitted with built-in benches in lieu of chairs, these authentic wood tables promote easy conversation and family bonding.

In this post, we'll explore why farmhouse tables with benches make kitchens and dining spaces feel more comfortable and lived-in. We'll provide tips on choosing the right size, customizations, and farmhouse accessories to complete the look. Let's discover how timeless farmhouse tables build kitchens filled with warmth, nostalgia, and joy.

Materials Used for Farmhouse Tables

Traditional farmhouse tables showcase wood in its natural glory. Oak, pine, and walnut all have beautiful organic grains that feel pleasantly imperfect. Less expensive poplar or ash offer blank canvases to paint or stain.

Opt for a durable farmhouse kitchen table finish like polyurethane. It protects the wood while allowing its texture to shine through. Consider a weathered gray stain or chippy painted finish for a vintage appearance. Distressed finishes conceal nicks and scratches that occur over years of use.

Built from solid wood rather than veneers or particle board, genuine farmhouse tables stand the test of time. Dense oak or pine withstand daily wear and tear while aging gracefully.

Finishes

Stains allow wood's natural grain to show while tinting it a bolder hue. For farmhouse tables , popular stain colors include espresso, gray wash, and Provincial.

On painted farmhouse kitchen tables , visible wood grain peeking through faded colors enhances their charm. Soft hues like sage green, dusty blue, and antique white complement the classic farmhouse aesthetic.

Distressing techniques involve manually creating nicks, wormholes, peeling paint, or hammer marks. This purposeful wear makes new farmhouse tables look like undiscovered treasures from old barns or cottages.

Sizing Your Farmhouse Table

Measure available space carefully when sizing your farmhouse kitchen table . Here's how to choose the ideal proportions for your room:

A farmhouse table tucked in an eat-in kitchen or breakfast nook typically ranges between 30-40 inches wide and seats 3-4 people. Allow at least 36 inches around each side and chair to accommodate comings and goings.

In very compact kitchens with limited walkways, consider a tiny round pedestal table. Its small footprint still provides a sweet spot for morning coffee without cramping the cooking zone.

Spanning up to 12 feet long, spacious farmhouse tables anchor great rooms, dining rooms, and open concept first floor plans. Rectangular tables starting at 4 feet wide can seat 4-6 people. At 5-7 feet, they accommodate 8-10. Custom oversized models extend up to 12 feet long to welcome 12-15 guests.

An expandable farmhouse dining table with extension leaf inserts is useful for adapting to everyday or special occasion seating needs. Close up extra leaves when it's just immediate family. Expand fully for celebrations with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Choosing The Right Scale

When positioned as the centerpiece of an airy space, an oversized farmhouse table becomes a stunning focal point. But one too large overwhelms intimate corner breakfast nooks. Carefully weigh room size, traffic flow, and seating requirements when choosing farmhouse dining tables.

Keep enough space around the farmhouse kitchen table benches for people to slide in without banging walls or tight corners. Measure carefully to allow adequate elbow room and leg clearance for kids and adults alike.

Customizing Options

The wonderful thing about farmhouse style is that it embraces imperfections. Wavy wood grains, small nicks, finishes worn smooth by years of memories -- these natural intricacies personalize each piece.

Take personalization a step further by custom tailoring your farmhouse dining table . Many specialty retailers offer made-to-order services for a one-of-a-kind creation.

Wood Stains and Paint Colors

Adding a personal stain or paint color to your farmhouse table marries traditional farmhouse style with your unique personality. Custom mixing your own signature hue makes a bolder statement than off-the-shelf colors.

Look around your kitchen to inspire an accent tone that brings out beautiful flecks in your granite countertops or adds a pop of contrast to your existing palette.

Table Shapes

Farmhouse tables come in round, rectangular, oval and square shapes to suit any space. Tailor yours to fit perfectly into your breakfast nook or kitchen layout.

Round pedestal tables with curved benches save room in cramped kitchens. Square and rectangular tables maximize seating for large families and holiday gatherings. An oval table can angle to fit in a hard-to-fill narrow space while offering a softer silhouette.

Incorporate Storage

Clever built-ins like flip-top table bases, deep drawers and spacious shelves transform farmhouse kitchen tables into multifunctional workhorses. Tuck away spare place settings, table linens and serving essentials to keep surfaces clutter-free.

Extendable Table Kits

Another smart innovation lies hidden within the bones of expandable farmhouse dining tables . Extension kits allow hosts to expand table dimensions up to two feet in mere minutes. Insert leaf panels seamlessly to accommodate extra dinner guests then remove them afterwards for everyday use.

Styling Your Farmhouse Table

Complement with Farmhouse Benches

Wood or upholstered benches lined up along each side add quintessential farmhouse flair. Plush padded backs offer creature comforts diners will appreciate for lingering through second helpings and laughter-filled conversations.

Built-in benches attached to farmhouse kitchen tables save space in compact rooms. Freestanding backless benches tuck discreetly under tables when not in use.

Incorporate Natural Elements

Farmhouse tables welcome organic materials that speak to pastoral roots where families once gathered for hearty home-cooked meals. Burlap and lace runners, woven rattan placemats and rustic ceramic dinnerware carry on the tradition.

Keep the tabletop crisp yet casual with touches like freshly picked wildflowers and herbs in vintage bottles or pitchers. Display sun-ripened lemons, stone fruits, and pomegranates in bowls to savor nature's simple gifts.

Get Creative with Place Settings

Handcraft place cards from weathered scrap wood, slate tiles, or vintage book pages. Use chalk to scrawl guests' names for a playful touch. Roll silverware inside linen napkins secured with twine or colorful ribbons.

Eclectic dishware, like painted terracotta plates and carved wood chargers add artsy individuality. Mismatched glassware emphasizes sustainability, with each piece toasting the unique story behind it.

Considerations Before Purchasing

While undeniably charming, authentic farmhouse tables require greater upfront investment than mass market sets. Nature's raw materials and handcrafted workmanship imbue heritage pieces with added value designed to become family heirlooms.

Average Cost and Budget

With customization options spanning stain choices to bench designs, farmhouse kitchen tables range wildly in pricing. Small pedestal tables start around $500. At big box stores, basic tables generally cost between $800-$2,000. For oversized expandable statements intricately built from reclaimed wood, budgets reach $4,000 or beyond.

Set realistic farmhouse dining expectations before falling for a beloved design outside affordable parameters. Prioritizing features like size, wood type, and customization flexibility keeps purchases aligned with needs and room layouts.

Lead Time

Hand finishing processes mean tailored farmhouse tables require weeks to produce. From staining to artful distressing to sealing smooth planes, expect to wait 8-10 weeks for made-to-order pieces.

Some boutique workshops only craft a handful of custom builds per month, so queues may extend 12 weeks or longer during busy seasons.

Payment Options

Custom farmhouse kitchen tables commonly ask 50% deposit upfront before starting fabrication. This covers materials and labor should any snags occur preventing project completion.

Ask about installment plans to ease budget burdens. Arrange progress payments due at milestones like assembly, finishing, and delivery if needed.

Some independent artisans accept personal checks or money orders. Larger retailers process payments online for security and convenience.

Know that your custom farmhouse find may not automatically include complimentary shipping. Most retailers offer affordable curbside delivery, provided there's ample access to roll tables inside on dollies.

For multilevel homes or apartments with narrow staircases and hallways, request white glove delivery. Professionals carefully disassemble pieces to transport items inside then professionally rebuild everything on-site.

If hiring independent movers, measure doorways, ceiling heights, and stair dimensions to ensure adequate access. Precision planning guarantees you'll enjoy cozy farmhouse dining for years without hassles.