How Much Room Do You Need in Front of a Wall Table, Open and Folded?

Two states, two questions

A fold-down table takes floor space twice in a different way. Open, it needs the top plus room for a chair and for anyone who passes. Closed, it is a flat object on a wall that people walk past every day. Most planning advice covers only the first. The open-state figures for seating, with worked examples for common table depths, are on the page about wall folding table sizes; this page adds the walkway and the folded state.

Open: measure from the front edge

The National Kitchen & Bath Association's Kitchen Planning Guidelines are the closest planning source for a table in a home. They measure from the table or counter edge, so for a wall table you start at the front edge of the open top, not at the wall:

The work aisle figure matters in a galley kitchen where the open table faces the counter. NKBA measures that aisle between counter frontage, tall cabinets and appliances; using it for the edge of an open wall table is our reading, not an NKBA rule. If the open top would leave less than the aisle you cook in, choose a shallower top or plan to fold the table before cooking.

For people using a mobility aid, NKBA's access recommendation is 36 inches behind a seated diner with no traffic and at least 60 inches if traffic passes. The 2010 ADA Standards add a clear floor space of at least 30 by 48 inches in front of an accessible dining or work surface (305.3) and, for accessible routes, a clear width of at least 36 inches (403.5.1).

Folded: how far it may stick out

Closed, the question is whether the folded table catches hips or bags in a hallway. The ADA Standards, written for public and commercial buildings, give a useful yardstick: objects with a leading edge more than 27 inches and not more than 80 inches above the floor may protrude at most 4 inches into a circulation path (307.2). A home does not have to meet this rule, but it is a fair test for a narrow hall or a laundry corridor.

Plain fold-down tops stay under the 4 inches; cabinet desks do not. Where a cabinet desk has to go into a passage, put it at the end of the hall or in a niche. The Murphy desk guide compares the cabinet models.

How to check your own room

1. Mark the open depth of the top on the floor with tape, starting at the wall.
2. From that line, measure to the opposite wall, counter or doorway.
3. Compare the gap with the NKBA figure that fits: 32, 36 or 44 inches behind a seat, 36 inches for a walkway.
4. Check that the open top does not block a door swing or a drawer.

Height affects comfort too; the mounting height guide explains where the top edge goes. If space behind the seat is short, a narrower top centered on the studs can help; how the stud spacing limits where the table goes is answered in are studs 16 or 24 inches apart.

Our pick for twoCOSTWAY

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COSTWAY Drop-Leaf 31.5 x 23.5

A drop-leaf top deep enough for two place settings that folds to 3 inches against the wall.

Why here: Two ways to fold, one leaf or both, and 3.0 inches deep when closed according to Costway – flat enough for a busy kitchen wall.

Best for: Small kitchens and studios where two people eat or work at the wall

• +23.5 in deep when open – room for two plates facing each other
• +Folded size 31.5 x 21 x 3.0 in according to Costway
• +Two ways to fold: drop one leaf or both
• +Maker states a 66 lb maximum load

• –Costway does not say which wall or fasteners the 66 lb rating assumes
• –The supplied expansion screws are generic – plan your own fasteners for studs or masonry
• –MDF top: wipe spills, do not leave it wet

Type

Drop-leaf top on a wooden support

Top size

31.5 x 23.5 in (open)

Folded depth

3.0 in (Costway)

Load rating

66 lb max (Costway)

Mounting

Hinges and screws; studs not mentioned

Material

P2 MDF, pine, metal hinges

View on Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on AmazonLearn more

The tables for two at the kitchen wall are compared in the kitchen and dining guide. More short answers are under questions and answers, including whether a Consumer Reports test of these tables exists.