ᐅ House on a slope with garden window: orientation of the dining table

Good morning everyone,

We are currently planning a house on a slope. The ground floor is intended to have an open living, dining, and kitchen area. I will gladly upload the floor plan later once it is more finished.

Right now, we are wondering why the dining table is usually positioned perpendicular to the window rather than parallel. We have seen this in many floor plans. So far, this is what we have come up with:

Dining table parallel:
- requires more width, which is often limited in a combined kitchen-dining-living area
+ those seated on the "north" side have a nice view through the window
- those seated on the "south" side face a wall

Dining table perpendicular:
+ requires less width
- a compromise for all seated people
+ but all seats have a similarly "good" position

If usually only two or three people sit at the table, one might say the parallel arrangement makes more sense. If there are more people at the table, the perpendicular setup might be better.

Can you think of any other reasons?

It sounds trivial and maybe unimportant, but we are somehow curious.

Thank you very much for your opinions.

Have a nice Sunday.

Best regards, Kiko

Perpendicular alignment is not a compromise.
From every spot, there is a view to the outside, provided there are enough windows.

I am also in favor of vertical alignment. It structures the space better and allows everyone to have a view outside. We will do it that way as well.

I prefer perpendicular alignment because it counteracts the elongated feeling of the room. However, I would just try it out, since a table can be quickly rotated.

kikokeki schrieb:

Dining table parallel:
- requires more width, which is usually limited in an open-plan kitchen-dining-living area

That's true: the budget determines the house and to some extent the furnishing and orientation.

kikokeki schrieb:

+ the people sitting on the "north" side have a nice view through the window

Provided the house or dining area can be oriented to the south.

kikokeki schrieb:

the people sitting on the "south" side, however, face a wall

See above.

kikokeki schrieb:

more practical?

It's a gut feeling!
You can’t analyze everything intellectually in advance.
For example, we once rotated our table. We didn’t like it because for us it looks better when the patio window behind the table is wider than the length of the table. This effect will probably apply to many houses that are built to a “standard” design.

kikokeki schrieb:

Right now, we are wondering why the dining table is usually not placed parallel to the window, but perpendicular instead?

It’s not usually, but never. If the tabletop were vertical instead of horizontal, the plates would fall down due to gravity. You probably mean “orthogonal” or “at right angles,” as some prefer to say (which is not a problem and is understood by everyone).

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