What’s the best time of year to upgrade your home furniture? We’d argue that an ideal time to act is right now, in the early fall! Why? Because everything that you choose and order today can be delivered and in your home before the holidays. That’s just in time to give yourself an early Christmas present! It also prepares your home for any extra guests you’ll be entertaining during the holiday festivities!

Let’s face it: some of us are anxious about how we’re going to fit everyone around the celebratory dining table. Others dread breaking out the cots and mattresses to provide enough makeshift beds. Even if your table is big enough and your beds are plentiful, you may be tired of looking at the same furniture that’s been in the same place for too many years of holiday gatherings.

If you’ve been thinking about different furnishings, no matter what the reason, now may be the perfect time to go for it! Just picture the luster that a few new items will add to the coming holiday season! Imagine the convenience of knowing that there’s a place for everyone around the dining table, in the living room and everywhere else in the home.

Dining Rooms Fit For Gatherings

When all aunts, uncles and cousins are visiting, there’s a great sense of community with 10 or 12 people feasting and chatting around a large dining table. Plus, perhaps a full kids’ table to the side. However, that big table is overwhelming and a waste of space when a family of four sits down to eat.

That's where the extension dining table comes in! An extendable table is a dining table with leaf, and these come in a couple of varieties. A drop-down leaf attaches by hinges to the end of the table and pops up when you need a little extra room. One drawback: it can be a knee-banger for the person on the end when the leaf is down.

The central leaf, of course, expands the table from the middle. Some tables can take two or even three leaves and transform from medium-size to huge! Many have undertop storage so that the spares leaf doesn’t require closet space when not in use.

When choosing an extension table, consider how it will look both collapsed and open wide. Its basic size should be suitable for everyday use: family dinners, homework, work projects, card games. Its maximum size should be governed not only by the potential numbers of diners but also by the size of the dining room. The table’s end should be about 36 inches from the wall, or at least far enough that everyone can leave without denting the drywall!

If the size or shape of your dining room won’t accommodate a big table, there are other options! Apartment and condo dwellers may supplement a small dining table with occasional tables. Coffee tables and end tables are a bit on the low side, but most sofa tables are a suitable height for sitting and dining. There’s also high-quality folding tables that can be positioned wherever there is space for make-shift dining.

Chairs

When you purchase an expandable table, should you buy extra chairs? If so, what do you do when they aren’t in use? You can push a few against the wall, and some might find use in other rooms, but many hosts and hostesses will choose occasional chairs. Wooden folding chairs are especially suitable. They look much nicer than card table chairs, and they can be sent to the family room or stacked in a closet when their dinner duty is done.

Another possibility is the bench, especially if the younger generation is represented at the table. Like the folding chairs, these are more than welcome in the rec room when they leave the table, and they can be used in an entryway or at the foot of a bed when not used at the dinner table.

If there’s no room to set all the food when the whole crowd is at the table, a sideboard might come to the rescue. People can serve themselves buffet style, or you can move the extras over there after the food is plated up.

Where Will Everybody Sleep?

A sleeper sofa in the living room can work if needed, but most people prefer a more private nighttime space. Maybe you have a spare room that a new bed and dresser can transform into a bedroom. Another choice is to make the spare room an occasional bedroom or add another bed to an existing bedroom. Daybeds, futons and klik klaks provide additional sleeping spots while maintaining a room’s multipurpose character. If your guests often bring children, you might even consider bunks for one of the sleeping chambers. Murphy beds are another option that can help you save space during everyday living, and accommodate overnight guests when company arrives.

Upgrades Throughout the Home

There’s no reason to confine your additions to the dining room and sleep spaces. For example, a longer couch or a sectional will provide more seating in a living room. Occasional chairs and tables can be deployed as needed anywhere in the home.

When it comes right down to it, no one needs an excuse to add new furniture. Even if you haven’t been setting up a card table in the dining room and assigning guests to cots, you might have a room where a different sofa, bed or table will make a fabulous fashion difference. Or you may have scoped out the perfect spot in your living room for a new recliner or loveseat.

If you want to refresh your home’s look for the holidays, now is the time to shop! Treat your house to a Thanksgiving and Christmas upgrade that you and your visitors will admire year after year!