Whether for entertaining guests, spending time with the family, or simply enjoying an everyday meal, your dining room sees a lot of use, and your dining table is at the heart of it. With such an astounding amount of time spent at the table, it's important that the design doesn't just feature a beautiful appearance but provides functional support as well. In the past, we asked little more of our dining tables than to stay level and keep the plates off the floor. But today's dining tables can do so much more, including expanding to accommodate extra guests, tables with built-in storage, and tables with extra features to support working from home and other uses between breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Extendable Dining Table

Standard-size tables may just not be enough to fit everyone together on those special occasions, but every other day when it's just you and your family enjoying a meal together, a massive dining table built with numerous seats may be a bit too much. But with an extension dining table, everyone gets a place to sit on those special occasions, and the table goes back to its more modest size when the party's over.

There are three common types of extension tables available on the market: traditional extendable tables, butterfly leaf tables, and drop leaf tables. Traditional extension tables are designed to pull apart, leaving a wide gap that is filled with one or more "leaves." Obtaining its name from the folding design that mimics a beautiful butterfly, the butterfly leaf table extends by sliding the tabletop rather than moving the entire table, making it an easier job for a single person. Lastly, the drop leaf table features a hinged leaf on each end that can be either raised or lowered and includes a gate leg table that swings out and supports the leaf.

Dining Table with Storage

With all those utensils, cookware, and even wine bottles, the dining room can, over time, become one of the most clutter-filled areas of the home. However, you can keep your counters and table from being filled with needless items with some simple storage solutions. However, we're not talking about adding more things to your dining room, like baskets or trays; we're talking about upgrading your table with drawers for greater storage potential.

If you are tight on space, a dining table with storage can be a great asset for clearing away unwanted clutter. A dining table with storage comes in numerous configurations, including a closed compartment with doors, shallow drawers directly under the tabletop, open shelves, and even special bottle holders for wine.

Work From Home Tables

With many people opting to work from home, the dining room table functions as more than just a place for family gatherings. Often, a dining table serves as an office desk; and a good office desk requires enough space to hold your computer, files, notes, and coffee. There are many different size options, and styles available to suit all your sitting and storing needs. For instance, a project table may serve as a casual dining area, service area, craft table - or office space, and many feature built-in shelves or bookcase ends for all your storage needs.

Other Muli-Functional Options

Modern dining tables can feature even more updated functionality. Also good for people who work from home or supporting family tasks like hobbies and homework, some tables include built-in USB ports, allowing you and your family to keep devices charged without needing to stretch charging cables across the room.

Another fantastic option, a lazy susan lets you easily organize food and drinks without the need to pass the big plates around the table.

Want to get more done in your dining space - from entertaining to work? A function-forward dining table can be the perfect solution!