Hmm... Would you?

[AngelsInWinter]

We really need a bigger dining table, but our kitchen is tiny! So if one did miraculously fit, there'd be just a little bit of floor space left to walk around the table, leaning back to open the oven door would become almost hazardous, and we'd have to move a chair out of the way to get into the pantry (which holds everything including cutlery, as our kitchen has no drawers!).

House is rented (and great apart from this) so can't extend or anything.

We do actually have a "dining room" but this is a small ish carpeted front room that we use as a much needed playroom. DC are all under 6.

Are there any solutions?

[TheTerribleBaroness]

One with fold down flaps which you only put up to eat, and then put away again.

[LadySybilLikesCake]

A small extendable table in the kitchen which is small when you don't use it, or put the toys in a wendy house in the garden and use the dining room.

[AngelsInWinter]

Wow, that was fast!

Flappy table, ooh. Are they any good?

I did look the corner bench type tables, but not sure how they'd work re children's booster chairs etc.

Lady - we do actually have a big garden with more than enough room for your idea. But the playroom has a corner sofa, TV etc as well as all the toys, so that wouldn't work. I may have gone a bit overboard as I'd always wanted a playroom

[LadySybilLikesCake]

I had a flappy table. There was enough space for 4, 6 was a squeeze. You have the added problems of the chairs too though, fold up ones may not be good for booster seats. What about something like this //www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20206806/ use fold up chairs for the adults and leave the sturdy ones underneath for the children?

or this one

You could also get 2 tables, one which is smaller than the other so it will slot under the large one when you're not using it to save space. You can use the small one for the children.

[mawbroon]

Would a butterfly table or similar work?

[Youdontneedacriminallawyer]

Extending table, with stools that you can store under it when not in use. Simples.

[AngelsInWinter]

Lady, I've just looked at that one wondered why the link was purple... Anyway! I like that one but just realised how on earth do the chairs fit around it?! Ideally, we need to seat 6.

I can imagine my clumsy DC falling off stools easily :(

[AngelsInWinter]

Mawbroon - that folds up tiny!! But sadly only seats 4. Thank you though!

[AngelsInWinter]

This is our current set up outs self

[AngelsInWinter]

This is our current set up...

[mawbroon]

Would your landlord agree to something wall mounted that folds down? Stackable chairs to save space when not in use.

[LadySybilLikesCake]

They turn purple if you've already seen that page. I wouldn't go for a butterfly table. The fold up chairs are flimsy so they wouldn't be good to put kiddy seats on them.

I think your best bet is getting an extendable table (second link), or getting two tables, one which is lower so slots underneath when you're not using it. Use a mixture of sturdy chairs (for your little ones who use booster seats) and stools. It would help if the stools stacked as they would take up less space.

[strongandlong]

How's the room arranged? Could put a bench against a wall? They take up much less room the chairs, so the table can be closer to the wall.

I'm not explaining myself very well

[WowOoo]

How about...
One half of the Dining room/ playroom changed to dining area. (I'm assuming there's more space here than in kitchen)
Children's playroom = bedrooms.
One box of toys allowed downstairs at once. Tidied and put back each day.

Could you do this?

[strongandlong]

You could get a table that includes drawers for the cutlery, so you don't need to access the pantry while using the table?

[AngelsInWinter]

Maw - hmm, not sure really. Still waiting for them to sort out our mould problem!

The playroom is smaller than the kitchen. The sofa takes up about half of it (I measured it up wrong . Luckily it fit!).

Strong - bench is a good idea in theory. Problem is, if you can see on the right side of the photo, the wall comes out a bit. That's why it'd be a struggle to get a table longer than that one (also on the right is the pantry door). We really do need a larger table and 6 chairs, somehow

Behind the pic, if that makes sense, if oven and work top. So if a table is protruding out too much, it will be quite hard to use the oven!

So complicated damn it.

Are stools comfortable enough? I never thought of getting them..,

[AngelsInWinter]

Strong - we always seem to be in and out of the pantry. Sauces, Tupperware, etc as well as cutlery has to be stored in there...

[TenMinutesEarly]

Get rid of your highchair and get an antilop it will take up less space. Then buy these for the other dcs. I'm guessing you have three? Pop them on each end of the table. They should fit.

[TenMinutesEarly]

forgot link

[AngelsInWinter]

Oh but, I love my the baby's highchair!

Yes 3, hopefully soon 4 :)

Just found some nice stools (hate that word!) on the ikea website. But they're 1cm shorter than the booster seat :(

As you can see we've technically got that space on the left. But then the who sits back left would have to climb over it wouldn't they?!

[strongandlong]

This is the kind of thing I mean: ikea hack banquette

If you did this kind of thing around the corner, at booster height, you could fit loads of kids round the table you've got. It would look lovely too. You'd have to build it away from the radiator though. Hmm.

[AngelsInWinter]

That looks so cosy! But yes, the radiator is in the way...

Well I've found these

www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6006606.htm#pdpFullProductInformation

And they might actually suffice! I've done some measuring, and one could fit underneath the left side of the table. I doubt it's the comfiest in the world, but it could be DP's to be fair, he doesn't often eat with us due his shifts etc.

Could this work?! I'm quite excited about it; £3.99 each and I was going to spend 100s on a new dining set! I can see the kids fighting over who gets to sit on it (as opposed to not wanting to go near it, iyswim).

lots of the reviews say it's great for using in the shower, might come in handy if Im lucky enough to get pregnant again but unlucky enough to get what felt like hyperemesis again

[erin99]

Looks good! I'd also consider swapping the 2 chairs against the wall for a bench. Easier to slide in and out of and you'll easily get 3 DC along it. We have an L shaped built in bench and we've fed 9 round our small kitchen table - it's amazing how DC squidge up on a bench.

[mawbroon]

I have similar stools from Ikea here

I bought the first one when I was hugely pregnant and had broken my ankle. It was great for sitting in the shower. I liked the stool so bought several more for extras at the table.

[AngelsInWinter]

Thanks everyone...

Ahh yes a bench would be v useful! I'm all excited now or will be when this pmt fucks off