Porcelain, Glass or Wood? Configuring a Custom Dining Table for a Boca Raton Home

By Frank Chacin, Creative Director at SoBe Furniture

When a client tells me they want a custom dining table, I get excited and a little nervous. Excited, because a configured table can fit a room in a way nothing off the shelf will. Nervous, because I have seen what happens when the choices get made in a hurry. A family in Boynton Beach picked a white glass top from a photo, and on the first sunny Sunday the light off the sliding doors bounced straight into the eyes of everyone on the window side. A couple in a Highland Beach condo ordered a long rectangle for a nook that wanted a circle, and now one chair lives in the hallway.

Neither was a bad table. Each was a good table configured for a different room. With anything made to order, you are not choosing one product. You are choosing a top, a shape, a size and a base color, and each of those decisions interacts with your light, your floor plan and how many people actually sit down to eat.

South Florida adds pressure. Dining areas open onto lanais, condo breakfast spaces are tight, and snowbird season is starting with the holiday dinners close behind. A custom table takes weeks to build, so the decisions have to be right the first time. Here is how I walk clients through it, using our Vesta and Gem tables.

Two Pedestal Tables, Built to Your Order

Both tables are custom made to order in 6 to 8 weeks, and both are made in Canada. You pick the top and the size, then you choose the base color and top finish with our team. Both stand on a single pedestal instead of four legs, which is the main reason I like them for South Florida dining rooms: no corner legs to knock with a knee, and every chair slides in. Both are tested to 250 lb.

Vesta: the V-shaped pedestal

The Vesta Custom Italian Porcelain and Bronze Dining Table sits on a sculptural V-shaped pedestal of fully welded steel with a baked powder-coat finish, shown here in sugar bronze. The version in the photo has a travertine-look Italian porcelain top fused to glass, 1/2 inch thick with a flat edge, at 60 inches long, 36 inches wide and 30 1/8 inches high, and it seats six. Vesta has the longer menu: glass, porcelain, veneer and solid wood tops in rectangles, ovals, racetracks, a boat shape and sizes with leaves. Prices run from $1,599 to $4,299 depending on top and size.

Gem: the faceted cone

The Gem Custom Glass and Italian Porcelain Pedestal Dining Table stands on a faceted, cone-shaped steel pedestal that narrows toward the floor, with a scratch-resistant baked powder-coat finish. Its tops are all glass-based: Italian porcelain on glass, stone-look on glass, white glass or taupe glass, each with a flat edge. Gem is the table I reach for when a client needs a round, because it comes in 39, 42, 48, 54 and 60 inches, plus 40 by 72 and 40 by 84-inch rectangles. Height is about 30 3/8 to 30 3/4 inches, and prices run from $1,499 to $5,099.

A Framework for Choosing the Top

I always start with the top, because it is the part you touch, clean and look at every day.

Italian porcelain on glass

This is the top I recommend most often to families. Porcelain stands up to spills and everyday use and wipes clean, and on the Vesta the travertine pattern keeps the warm, natural look of stone. For a house where the dining table also handles homework, takeout and a grandchild's art project, porcelain takes most of the worry away. It is offered on both tables.

Stone-look on glass

Stone-look is the second stone-inspired option on both tables. Choose it when you want the mood of stone with a different character than the travertine porcelain. Pattern and tone are exactly what shift under South Florida daylight, so talk through both with our team, with photos of your floor and cabinets, before you commit.

White glass or taupe glass

Glass gives you the cleanest, most architectural look, and both tables offer it in white or taupe. White glass brightens a dark dining room and suits a crisp, all-white kitchen in Boca Bridges or Lotus. Taupe is the one I steer people toward when the table sits near a big slider or a west window. A bright white surface in full afternoon sun can throw a lot of light back at you, and taupe softens that while still reading light and modern against pale floors.

Wood veneer, on the Vesta

If glass and stone feel too cool for your house, the Vesta can be ordered in walnut, white oak or birch veneer. Each of those veneers also comes in a thicker 2 1/4-inch top, and white oak adds a 1 5/8-inch option, so you can go from a slim modern edge to a top with real presence in a large room. Walnut warms up an ivory and cream room. White oak and birch stay lighter and more relaxed, closer to the coastal look a lot of my Delray Beach clients ask for.

Solid wood, on the Vesta

For wood all the way through, the Vesta also comes in solid ash, or solid birch in 1 1/2-inch or 1 1/16-inch thickness. In a humid house, treat it like any good wood: keep it out of the harshest sun from the slider and wipe up spills when they happen. The Gem does not come in wood, so if wood is the plan, the Vesta is your table.

Round, Rectangle, Oval or Boat: Fit the Shape to the Room

Shape decides how a room flows even more than size does. Before I talk about inches, I ask what shape the room is and where people walk.

Round for breakfast areas and condos

Round is the right answer for most square rooms, breakfast areas and condo dining spaces from Highland Beach to Fort Lauderdale. Everyone faces each other, conversation stays at one table, and with no corners, traffic flows around it. The Gem's cone pedestal narrows toward the floor, which leaves room for feet and chair legs. See more in our round and square tables.

Rectangle for the full dining room

In a long dining room, a rectangle follows the walls and gives you a head of the table for holiday dinners. The Vesta comes in 36 by 60, 40 by 72 and 40 by 84-inch rectangles, the Gem in 40 by 72 and 40 by 84. In a narrow room, the 36-inch width keeps more space open behind the chairs.

Oval, racetrack, rounded corners and boat

These are my favorite compromise. The Vesta offers a 40 by 72 or 48 by 84 oval, a 40 by 72 or 40 by 84 racetrack, rounded corners on the 36 by 60, 40 by 72 and 40 by 84, and a 40 by 78 boat shape. You keep most of the seating of a rectangle with softer ends, so nobody catches a hip on a corner on the way to the pool.

Leaves for the holiday table

The Vesta 40 by 72 and 40 by 84 rectangles are also offered with two 18-inch leaves, for the family that is four on a Tuesday and a crowd at Thanksgiving. Ask us for the open length before you count chairs.

How Big? Sizing for 4, 6, 8 or 10 Seats

Here is the math we use on the floor. These are guidelines, not specifications, and our team checks them against your actual room.

Start with 24 inches per person and 36 inches behind the chair

Give every diner about 24 inches of table edge, or elbows start to meet. Then leave at least 36 inches from the table edge to the wall or nearest furniture so a chair can slide back, more on any side that doubles as a walkway. So add about six feet to the table's length and width. A 40 by 72 table wants a space around 9 by 12 feet, and a 48-inch round wants about 10 by 10.

Four seats

A 42-inch Gem round seats four comfortably. The 39-inch round suits a condo breakfast corner where it is two most days and four on weekends. A 48-inch round gives four people room for serving dishes in the middle.

Six seats

The Vesta in 36 by 60 seats six, and a 40 by 72 gives those same six more elbow room. In a round, look at 54 inches, or 60 if the room allows it.

Eight seats

For eight, go to a 40 by 84 with a chair at each end, or the 48 by 84 oval if you want a wider middle for platters. A 60-inch round can take eight on a holiday if everyone is friendly, but I would call it a six-seat table day to day.

Ten seats

Ten at one table is where most Boca Raton condos run out of room before the table does. For a house in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club or Boca Bridges that hosts ten regularly, a Vesta with two 18-inch leaves is the practical answer, and we check the open length against your room before you order.

Why the Finish Gets Chosen in the Store

Base colors and top finishes on both tables are chosen with our team, and I am glad it works that way. A screen cannot tell you how taupe glass looks next to your floor tile at four in the afternoon, or whether sugar bronze reads warm or cool against your cabinets. South Florida light is strong and it changes through the day, so we go over them with you in person, and you judge color against similar pieces on our floor in daylight, not on a phone screen.

Bring your room measurements and photos of the space and floor. With those you can settle top, size, shape and base color in one visit, then look at dining chairs and the rest of our dining room collection so the whole room comes together. For a head start, send photos and measurements through our contact page and we will have ideas ready when you walk in.

Then look at the calendar. Count the 6 to 8 weeks from the day you order, not the day you start thinking about it. If family is flying in for the holidays, that timing is worth planning around now.

Configure Your Table With Us at the Showroom

SoBe Furniture has been furnishing South Florida homes since 2007. Our showroom is at 6599 N Federal Highway in Boca Raton, on the west side of US-1 about a mile north of Yamato Road. Parking is free, walk-ins are welcome, and we are open seven days a week: Monday to Saturday 10 AM to 7 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM. Our team walks you through the Vesta and Gem tops, sizes and finishes, with several hundred pieces on the floor to help you picture the room. To see a specific table, call ahead at (561) 221-6111, because the floor changes. Financing is available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I order a custom dining table in Boca Raton?

At SoBe Furniture, 6599 N Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Our team configures the Vesta and Gem tables with you, from top and size to base color and finish. Call (561) 221-6111 ahead if you want to see a specific piece.

How long does a custom Vesta or Gem table take?

Both are custom made to order in 6 to 8 weeks and made in Canada. Plan backward from the date you need the table, especially before the holidays.

Which top is the most practical for a busy family?

Italian porcelain on glass. It stands up to spills and everyday use and wipes clean, and the travertine pattern on the Vesta keeps the warm look of stone.

What size round table seats six?

Using about 24 inches of edge per person, a 54-inch round seats six, and a 60-inch round gives them more room. The Gem comes in both sizes.

Can I get a wood top?

On the Vesta, yes: walnut, white oak or birch veneer, thicker veneer tops, solid ash, or solid birch. The Gem tops are glass-based only.

How much do the Vesta and Gem tables cost?

The Vesta runs from $1,599 to $4,299 and the Gem from $1,499 to $5,099. The price changes with the top and size you choose.