Cattelan Italia Extending Dining Tables

An extending dining table makes sense when you want more flexibility from the room without leaving a larger table in place all the time. Cattelan Italia is better known to us for its substantial fixed tables, but its extending designs can suit customers who want the same design-led approach in a space that needs to adapt.

Choose the everyday size before the extended size

Start with the table as you will use it most of the time. Think about how many people sit there regularly, how much room you want around the chairs and the routes people use through the room. Once that feels right, consider how many extra places the extension genuinely needs to provide.

With Cattelan seating we generally allow around 60cm per person, giving the often more generously proportioned chairs enough room rather than planning to the tightest possible spacing.

Check what changes when the table extends

An extending table needs to work comfortably in both positions. Look at where the legs or central base sit when the table is closed and extended, whether the mechanism affects usable legroom and where additional chairs can be positioned.

If you already own the chairs you intend to use, their width and seat height are useful measurements to bring with you. If you are choosing the whole setting together, we can compare the table and chairs as one decision rather than discovering afterwards that the combination does not work as well as expected.

Try the mechanism rather than judging it from a photograph

The way an extending table opens is worth understanding before you order. Different designs can use different extension arrangements, and the practical questions are straightforward: how easy is it to operate, where do the leaves sit, and does the table remain comfortable to use once it is fully extended?

At Ash Vale we can talk you through the options available and compare them with our wider extending dining table collection if another manufacturer offers a size, mechanism or configuration that suits your room better.

Think about the top material as well as the extension

Ceramic is a popular choice for dining tables because it suits everyday use well. Matt ceramic copes particularly well with normal scratching, staining and heat, although edges still need sensible care. Gloss finishes behave differently and can show marks and surface scratching more readily, so the right finish depends on how you expect to use the table as well as how it looks.

We have larger Cattelan finish samples at Ash Vale and can use them alongside the brand's imaging portal to help you compare different combinations before ordering.

Compare extending and fixed tables before deciding

If your room can comfortably accommodate a larger table all the time, it is worth comparing Cattelan's fixed dining tables as well. If the room needs to stay more flexible day to day, an extending design may be the better fit.