TIANLICHUJU — PERSONAL VERIFICATION WORKSHEET
A balanced dining room planned with all chairs occupied
https://tianlichuju.com/journal/a-balanced-dining-room-planned-with-all-chairs-occupied/

PROPOSED CHECKS — NO MEASURED RESULTS SUPPLIED
Date: __________________  Units: __________________
Room / product reference: __________________

1. All occupied positions
Where: At the proposed dining table with every normal chair, fixed door, and serving cupboard represented.
Record: Mark tucked, seated, and exit positions; record clear paths in centimeters and identify which place becomes trapped when others remain seated.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: A centered empty plan can conceal unequal access; the sketch is not a universal clearance or accessibility standard.
Alternative: Shift or rotate the table before reducing chair comfort to preserve the room's geometric center.

2. Serving and through-room journeys
Where: From kitchen to table and between any other rooms connected through the dining space.
Record: Trace a tray route separately from ordinary passing traffic, open nearby doors, and note where a seated diner must move.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: The trial shows competing journeys for that layout, not a reason to assume all circulation can pass behind any chair.
Alternative: Preserve a deliberate perimeter route or compare a different table proportion if serving and through-traffic cannot coexist comfortably.

3. Light and occasional extension
Where: Across the normal and larger guest layouts beneath the existing ceiling supply.
Record: Draw each table center, occupied base positions, leaf storage, and feasible lighting alternatives discussed with an appropriate installer.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: The existing supply location is a constraint rather than proof of the correct table position; a drawing cannot verify electrical alterations.
Alternative: Keep the useful everyday arrangement and choose a supported lighting or guest solution rather than permanently oversizing the room.

PRACTICAL TRIAL
1. Test the most restricted seat before approving the host's generous position.
2. Set ordinary plates and shared food when comparing narrower table options.
3. Check sideboard access while a real meal arrangement remains in place.

COMPARE THE SAME SCOPE
- Table proportions and occupied seating positions
- Fixed openings, storage access, and separate routes
- Lighting revision and realistic occasional-hosting plan
Cost drivers: Changing a fixed light supply; Extension mechanism and leaf storage; Replacing oversized furniture or inaccessible serving storage
Choose another route when: Ceiling-centered symmetry is unsuitable when it leaves a regular place trapped, interrupts the serving route, or forces daily furniture to suit only occasional larger meals.

EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
No dining layout has been measured or used. The proposed occupied trial cannot guarantee access for unrepresented diners or authorize changes to the electrical installation.

PHOTO REFERENCE
A rectangular table and substantial chairs sit inside a heavily panelled room with a patterned floor.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Turton_Tower_Dining_Room.jpg

DECISION CONDITIONS
choose: Choose the position after all normal seats, door swings, storage, and kitchen journeys work together, then coordinate the table's light with that useful arrangement.
alternative: Shift or rotate the table, compare a different actual proportion, or plan occasional extension separately when geometric centering creates an inferior everyday layout.
stop: Stop the scheme when the most constrained diner remains trapped, serving repeatedly requires moving people, or lighting changes are assumed feasible without appropriate review.

PUBLISHED REFERENCES
US Access Board: ADA Chapter 9, Built-In Elements
https://www.access-board.gov/ada/chapter/ch09/
The Access Board treats approach space and knee or toe clearance as separate provisions for accessible dining surfaces within its scope. This helps distinguish room circulation from fitting beneath a table; one can work while the other remains obstructed.
Scope: These scoped standards do not certify a private layout or impose one domestic clearance; the actual occupants and local requirements still matter.
Photographer: Michael D Beckwith
Licence: CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

Notes: ________________________________________________________