At Upstate Amish Furniture Gallery, we offer a high quality selection of dining room tables. In this blog, we will discuss some of our favorite options that seat 12 people. We'll also advise which wood species work best for large tables and recommend some stylish dining chairs.
Our Amish partners handcraft each item with skill and dedication. This ensures that each purchase is heirloom quality. The high durability of our dining sets allow customers to pass them down to the next generation.
Every item is customizable in wood species, wood stain, and even dimensions. Or, we can work with you to create a custom piece unique to your space. Learn more on our website, call us, or visit us at our store in Seneca, SC.
Extendable Dining Tables that Seat 12 People
What size dining table can 12 people comfortably sit around to have dinner and engage each other in conversation? For rectangular tables, we recommend styles that measure around 120 inches long. Most tables need an extension mechanism with leaves to reach this length. Our table heights are standard at 30 inches high.
A popular option for extra large dining tables is our Alexandria style. This table is available in our largest size with a 96 inch solid top and two optional 12 inch extension leaves. This table features a 1 inch thick distressed top with hand worn corners. The curved iron detail is a unique touch that adds support in the center of the table.
Large dining rooms are certainly ideal for the Alexandria style. The table itself is extra large and space around the table for chairs is necessary as well. The Alexandria Dining Bench has a matching iron detail, which makes it an excellent compliment to the table.
Alexandria Dining Table and Bench
Another great option is our Heavy Mission Extending Dining Table. Traditional of the classic Mission style, we usually use quarter sawn white oak to craft this piece. However, you can select any wood species you prefer.
This Mission style features heavy, thick wood and parallel slats at both ends of the table. This timeless Amish style is incredibly sturdy and built to last for generations. The support legs of this table are extra wide, offering added strength.
A more elegant looking choice is our Carlisle Double Pedestal Extending Dining Table. This style features four legs that gracefully and dramatically curve to meet at a central platform. The solid wood top displays a large beveled edge.
Since the base of the Carlisle style is in the center of the table, it is possible to seat 14 people. Two people can sit at each head of the table since the legs wouldn't occupy space. However, this arrangement might feel a little cramped.
For most of our tables, the grain runs lengthwise. For tables that extend, the grain and planks run widthwise for a seamless transition. This way, the added leaves are not discernible, giving a more natural feel.
We don't recommend square dining tables for this number of people. The space in the center would be awkward and unnecessary. A smaller, near-square option is our Lakeland Shaker Table at 36 x 48 inches.
Live Edge Dining Tables for 12
Live edge tables are incredibly unique because no two look the same in shape or wood grain. Our Amish partners in Ohio craft these keeping the natural edge of the tree. Instead of a perfectly rectangular table, this creates a different shape unique to your dining room.
A common design for live edge tables is a two board book match. Instead of one board that covers the width of the tree, this style shows two cut from the same side of the tree. This way, the table is roughly symmetrical and the two boards meet at the center of the table lengthwise.
The species we offer for live edge tables are typically black walnut, claro walnut, maple, and sycamore. Each is a unique piece of nature and heirloom quality.
Since the price, dimensions, and appearance differ for each natural edge table, we don't offer them on our website. We usually have a couple in our store in Seneca if you prefer to see them in person. Or, call us and we can tell you about our current live edge pieces or even start on a custom order for you.
Our epoxy filling is a great accent to any dining space. It neatly fills imperfections in the natural live edge like cracks or holes and comes in a variety of unique colors.
This includes a selection of blues, greens, reds, and blacks. Any color can mix with pearl to create a lighter tone. We also offer an unusual river rock epoxy filling with stones of varying colors.
Our live edge and epoxy pieces are certainly unique. Each has beautiful natural wood imperfections and the epoxy colors can match other design elements in your dining room.
Round Dining Table for 10-12
We only offer one round dining table that can seat 12 people. This style is our Alberta Round Extending Dining Table. This style is available in various wood species, but most commonly walnut, maple, oak, and cherry. These woods are all durable domestic hardwoods that can withstand heavy use.
Alberta Round Extendable Dining Table
This style is our largest round table size at 72 inches. It has an optional 18 inch extension leaf that comfortably seats 10-12 people. This pedestal table has a wide, sturdy base that allows it to support such a heavy, solid wood table top.
The base consists of four strong pillars that connect at the floor and through a cross design at the center. The self-storing extension leaf rests in the middle of the table with gears that ease transition. The wood panels run in the same direction as the extension leaf for a seamless appearance.
The Best Wood Species for a Dining Room Table for 12
With Upstate Amish, customers can purchase any design with any wood type and stain. All our pieces are completely customizable. However, we do recommend selecting a more durable wood species for a table top this large. This will help prevent sagging, warping, and cracking over time, and ensure structural integrity.
Oak, maple, walnut, and hickory are our favorite hardwoods that can support heavy weights. Each of these species is unique in wood grain pattern and color.
Our quarter sawn white oak is a popular choice for our classic Mission style furniture and large tables. The Heavy Mission Extending Dining Table is a perfect example of Amish Mission style in white oak.
Quarter sawn oak is desirable because of its unique ray fleck patterns. These are apparent because the wood is sawn at a 90 degree angle to the growth rings. This not only creates a dramatic and beautiful grain pattern, but a highly stable and durable wood. The color is typically a light tan or yellow.
This white oak has incredibly high water resistance because its closed grain resists absorbing water. Strong, durable, and wear-resistant, this wood species makes an excellent large table. However, this is typically a more expensive option because the sawing process creates more waste than plain sawn oak.
Maple is perfect for extra long tables because it beautifully combines durability and aesthetics. It has a high Janka hardness rating of 1450. This means it takes 1450 newtons of force to embed a steel ball halfway into the wood.
The grain pattern of maple ranges significantly. It can be fine and straight or highly figured featuring curly, bird's eye, or quilted patterns. This makes each maple table unique to each dining space.
The color of maple wood starts as a creamy white or yellow color, then absorbs oxygen over time. It typically deepens to honey gold tones as it ages.
Walnut wood is a more expensive option because the trees grow slower than other species, but are in high demand. This luxurious wood species is popular because of its deep chocolate color with gray, purple, or red hues.
The grain is usually straight, but like maple, can have curls, waves, and other patterns. Walnut is strong and durable, but not as heavy as other woods, making it ideal for spanning long table distances.
Hickory is one of the most durable hardwoods with a Janka hardness rating of 1820. Incredibly shock resistant, it can withstand sudden impacts without issue. The heartwood is a reddish-brown and the grain is straight or wavy. Over time, it can darken to a deeper shade of brown.
Stylish Dining Chairs for a 10 Foot Dining Table
Rectangular tables with a seating capacity of 12 look best with 10 side chairs and two accent chairs at the heads of the table. Accent chairs can be a completely different style, the same style but upholstered, or with added arms.
We recommend that the table and chairs contrast in the level of complexity yet match in style. This way, the combination is not overwhelming, but has a unifying theme. Your Amish kitchen table and chairs or dining set is sure to be stylish, skillfully made, and highly durable.
For example, our Monroe Mid Century Table has a simple design with clean, straight lines. The Cordelle Mid Century chair pairs excellent with this table because it has an unusual, unique design. The simplicity of the table helps draw focus to the diagonal lines and curved back of the chairs. However, both pieces share the mid century modern style reminiscent of the 1960s.
Another stylish combination is the Alexandria table with the Eagle dining chairs. The chairs feature a wrought iron detail and simple design that match the curved iron of the table well. The Alexandria Dining Bench is also a unique choice that allows for more visibility of the table base. The bench is available as 68 or 84 inches long.
The Curlew Dining Chair pairs perfectly with the Carlisle Dining Table. The chair back features a slight, elegant curve for added comfort and aesthetic. The curved shaker style legs compliment the dramatic curve of the pedestal base of the Carlisle table. This style is available with or without arms, perfect for side and end dining chairs.
Carlisle Dining Table with Curlew Chairs
If the table shape is round, it looks best with accent chairs opposite each other, every other chair, or with all uniform chairs. If seating 12 people around the Alberta table, we recommend purchasing chairs with no arms. This way, the arms do not awkwardly bump into each other and there is more space.