The table was 108 inches. I measured the doorway at 32. Do the math. That's how my fancy dining room set almost became a fancy dining room set for the upstairs hallway. Nobody tells you that the showroom floor and your apartment are different planets.
First, the room. You need 36 inches around the table for chairs to pull out and for people to walk behind someone who's seated. If you've got 12 by 14 feet, you're not fitting a nine-piece set with a hutch. You're fitting a six-seater at most. I ended up going with a 72-inch table that seats six comfortably, but only after I measured the room's width minus the buffet I loved. The buffet was 20 inches deep, which brought the clearance down to 40 inches on that side. It was tight. I actually bumped a chair into the wall twice in the first week.
Then the body. Who's sitting here? My in-laws are big people. The chairs from the fancy set had a 19-inch seat width. They would've been miserable. I swapped to chairs with 22-inch seats and a higher weight rating. The set came with upholstered chairs, but the fabric was so delicate that my cat clawed it within a week. I should've gone with a performance fabric or leather. Speaking of weight, the table itself was solid oak — gorgeous, but 280 pounds. The delivery guys refused to carry it up two flights of stairs without extra pay. I negotiated, but that's something to plan for.
Schedule. Do you host Thanksgiving? That's a real constraint. I bought my set in October, and delivery took six weeks. That would've been a disaster if I'd needed it for a holiday dinner. So order early. And the delivery window itself — they gave me a four-hour window, which meant taking a day off work. That's lost money.
Installation. The set came with a leaf mechanism that requires two people to operate. I'm not strong enough to do it alone. I tested it in the store, but the moment I got home, I realized the hallway is too narrow to store the leaf. It's sitting in my bedroom now. Not ideal.
If you're set on something grander, consider what you actually need. A pedestal table might fit more chairs, but it's less stable at the ends. A trestle table gives more legroom, but guests can knock their knees on the crossbar if they're tall. There's no perfect set. I almost went with a round dining set because it allows more chairs in a tight space, but the oval shape ended up fitting my room better.
And the cost. Fancy sets run from $2,000 to $10,000. I spent $3,600. The quality is there, but the markup for the name brand is enormous. I could've gotten a better table and chairs separately for less, but I wanted the matching finish. Maybe that's a mistake.
Look for solid wood — veneer over particleboard is a dealbreaker. And check the drawer slides on the buffet. The ones on mine are euro slides, which are smooth, but the drawers are shallow. You can't store much. And the glass on the hutch is thin — I'm nervous about kids throwing things.
Finally, formal dining room sets need a certain ceiling height. My chandelier hangs 36 inches above the table, but the centerpiece I bought is 18 inches tall. Now I can't see the person across from me. It's a small thing, but it matters.
So, my advice: measure your doorways, hallways, and elevators before you fall in love with anything. And don't buy a set online without seeing it in person. The wood color on my screen was slightly different in real life. That's how it goes.
For more on what to check before buying, see RH dining tables in the first week — they have the same delivery issues. And if you're unsure about sizing, compact 4 seater dining table might be better for small spaces.
In the end, my fancy set works. It fits, barely. But I know where every scuff is. One more thing — the delivery guys left a scratch on the floor. I didn't check until they left. So check everything before they leave. That's my final word.