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Shopping Guide

Shopping for Outdoor Dining Tables

Fermob Bistro Rectangular Folding Table


A terrace or backyard with an outdoor dining table can change the way you perceive the size of your home, making it feel larger than it really is. “A lot of modern spaces now don’t have a formal dining room, but you can put that function outside,” said Nina Freudenberger, the owner of Haus Interior, a Los Angeles-based interior design firm. “You could view it as your prime entertaining space.”

And most outdoor tables are so versatile they can be moved around to serve a multitude of functions. The same table, said Ms. Freudenberger, an author of the recent book “Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water” (Clarkson Potter), “could act as a bar or a craft table.”

That’s one reason an outdoor table is often among the first pieces of furniture she buys when designing homes for her clients. “Even if the rest of the house isn’t ready, you can still have that housewarming party right away,” she said.

• How many people will you be entertaining? For big dinners, an extendable table or two square ones that can be pushed together may be ideal, Ms. Freudenberger said.

• Is there limited space? If so, a collapsible model may be best.

• Which materials are best? “I like wood, but you have to accept that it’s going to weather,” Ms. Freudenberger said. For a more pristine look, choose impervious materials like porcelain or a powder-coated metal

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Collapsible powder-coated steel folding table | From $308 at 2Modern: 888-222-4410 or 2modern.com

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Round table made from stone composite and natural fibers | $599 at CB2: 800-606-6252 or cb2.com

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Table with concrete base and high-pressure laminate top by Konstantin Grcic | $1,089 at Herman Miller Store: 888-798-0202 or store.hermanmiller.com

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Table made from tropical hardwoods with umbrella hole in weathered gray finish | From $599 at West Elm: 888-922-4119 or westelm.com

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Powder-coated aluminum frame with porcelain enamel top by Richard Schultz | $2,302 at Knoll: 800-343-5665 or knoll.com

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section RE, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: Dining Tables You Can Take Outdoors. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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