Choosing the Right Tables and Seating for Your Event

Tables are the structural grammar of a room. They set capacity, dictate circulation and determine who can talk to whom.

Match the shape to the occasion

• Banquet rounds seat groups comfortably and allow conversation across the table. The default for dinners and celebrations.
• Banquet rectangular tables are efficient with space and suit conferences, catering lines and workshops.
• Farm tables create a shared, communal feel and photograph beautifully when left largely undressed.
• Square tables work well for smaller groups and flexible layouts.
• Cocktail tables keep a reception standing and moving.
• Centre tables anchor lounge areas.

Then choose seating deliberately

Chair choice is where a room acquires character. Angel and Louis Ratton chairs suit formal and celebratory settings. O'Back and cocktail chairs read more contemporary. Garden chairs are the practical answer for large outdoor volumes. Lounge sets are for spaces where guests are meant to settle rather than dine.

Count the space, not just the seats

A round that seats ten comfortably needs clearance around it for guests to be seated and served. Capacity calculations that ignore circulation produce rooms that look correct on a plan and feel crowded in person.

Mix formats with intent

A single event can hold a seated dining area, a standing cocktail zone and a lounge without feeling incoherent — as long as each zone is clearly defined and the transitions between them are deliberate.