Round table bases

A round base is a column on a disc, and the disc is what the chairs have to live with. 12 are listed here, six in cast iron and one in chrome, at standard and bar height. Choose the diameter against the top first, then the height against the seating.

The two thirds rule, with real sizes

A base earns its place at a spread of two thirds of the top's width, or wider. Where the pages give diameters, they run from 17 to 30 inches, with 20, 22, 24 and 28 between. Thirty inches is two thirds of a 45-inch top, which covers the 42-inch round that seats four. A 48-inch round for five or six calls for a spread near 32, more than any diameter the pages give, so look to the wider footprints of an X-prong table base, which reach 33 by 33 inches.

Check the other direction too. Keep the disc inside the line of the top, or the chairs will meet its edge.

Heights, glides and finish

Base height is listed at 28 inches for standard and 41 for bar height, and two listings offer both. The top then adds its thickness, so a 1 1/2-inch top on a 28-inch base reaches 29 1/2 inches. Price ranges from $70 to $164. Six bases are black cast iron and one is chrome in silver.

Two listings give a choice of glides, adjustable as the standard and self-leveling as the alternative, which matters on a floor that is not flat. The standard-height round metal table base lists that glide choice. One bar-height listing also offers a footrest.

Name the height on the order. A line is one configuration, so a standard-height and a bar-height base of one design are two lines, and the diameter you pick is part of each. Metal finish swatches are among the free samples, which helps when a base has to sit beside one already in the room.

Why a single column suits a booth

A column leaves the side of the table where a guest slides in free of legs. That is why a round base is the natural partner for booth tables and for seating that wraps, such as half-circle booths.

All seven are listed for indoor use. For a base that is meant to be seen, compare statement table bases. For the surface above it, see table tops. The room can be laid out in seating plans, one section at a time.