One of my favorite restaurants is in a theme park near my house. Visitors sit in kitchens that are a throwback to the decade before my childhood: kitchen table sets with chrome and laminate tables, a glittery vinyl banquette and chairs with sparkles, the clip-on TV from the Golden Age of Comedy and servers (dressed in classic restaurant waitress uniforms) telling you to take your hat off inside the house and keep your elbows off the table. The atmosphere captures our imagination, from an imaginary time when family life was simpler and the problems of our lives could be solved sitting around the kitchen table.

Today, our lives are different. We have smaller families, we eat on the run. Still, we want to have a place to start the day with a cup of tea and a light breakfast, or share a sandwich at the end of a busy work day. We have many options for kitchen table sets when we outfit our kitchens to fit contemporary living.

When shopping for new kitchen countertops, your main concern should be the size of your kitchen. If you have a spacious eat-in kitchen, you have many options. But even if you only have one corner to fill, you can find kitchen table sets that give you a space to eat. Know what size table will fit in your space.

How big is your family? If you live alone or if you are with a partner, find a small coffee table with a couple of comfortable chairs. If you have a growing family and believe that more is better, you may want to look at kitchen table sets with a round or oval table top; it allows you to accommodate one or two folding chairs because they have no corners. Look at your space and try to visualize the table at different levels. We’re all familiar with standard height tables, but you can look for one that’s counter height or even a pub style high top table.

Once you have an idea about the size and shape of the table, you can start shopping for kitchen table sets. If you have a local diner store, please stop by and explore. You will see all the styles and materials of kitchen table sets here. Do you prefer Shaker, Scandinavian, Modern or Mission styles with clean lines? Do you like details found in country, Victorian or traditional design? Kitchen table sets come in just about every wood you can imagine, but you have other options as well. If you like to mix materials, look for a wooden table with a marble, granite, tile or slate top.

Many kitchen table sets come with a glass top. Whether you choose a solid wood base, an elaborate metal base, or a wicker pedestal base, you’ll find that a table with a glass top keeps your kitchen space looking open and bright.

The chairs in kitchen table sets are where the rubber hits the road. If the chairs are not comfortable, your meeting place will be underutilized. Most kitchen table sets include chairs, but some sets allow you to select the table and chairs separately. Upholstered seats give you built-in comfort, but you have the option of adding chair pads to a wooden seat. If you want to accommodate an extra friend, a bench allows you to slide out and make room. The chairs come with and without armrests; Armrests provide additional comfort but take up more space. Selecting chairs separate from the table gives you the look, fit, and comfort that works best for your family.

Whatever we choose, the new kitchen table sets promise to become the center of our homes.