Despite the times, we still manage to sell a few large pieces of furniture each year, most notably dining tables. As tempting as it is to offer behemoths, we’ve found that a certain size table- between 42” and 50” in depth, and no more than 136” in length- commands the most interest.
The why of this isn’t terribly difficult to suss out. Where typical Regency period dining rooms- and I’m not speaking of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton- might be possessed of a table and possibly a sideboard, the chairs would likely be multiuse, brought in for the purpose from various places in the house.
It is not just what were formerly parlour chairs that have migrated into the modern dining room, 
but also a large-ish storage and display adjunct- the breakfront. The use of a breakfront bookcase for storage and display of china or silver was unknown in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Purpose built for libraries, a breakfront never moved from its intended place. China and serving pieces, when not in use were relegated to butler’s pantries, or, in the case of silver, locked away in a strong room.
With changes in use, what was in the early 19th century a sparsely furnished room has now become at times the most elaborately furnished in the entire house. 
Consequently, even a large dining room can become positively claustrophobic unless its furniture pieces are of a scale allowing for them to articulate not only with the scale of the room, but also with each other.
By the way, if this has piqued your interest, note that all our dining furniture is included in our annual Summer Sale. Browse our site www.chappellmccullar.com and let us know what you like!
A fun read about dining is Phillipa Glanville’s Elegant Eating: 400 Years of Dining in Style, available from V & A Publications.