To live without a dining table??

What a load of wank this thread is.

I call absolutely bullshit at the posters who would prioritise a dining table over a sofa in a family home. Absolute bullshit. There’s no way you’ve ever been in a position where you’ve had to choose.

Somehow I managed to grow up in a small council flat with four adults and no dining table and yet be educated to masters level, have a professional career AND - guess what- I can hold a knife and fork too.

Those of you who really can’t imagine how the other half live- Fuck off.

@TheLadyGrayson I’m sorry but what a stupid thing to say! Of course you know there are people who aren’t fortune enough to buy or rent a home big enough for a dining table. Of course you do.

I don’t think I’ve ever come across a house without some form of table/breakfast bar in it, no.

I grew up in a house without a dining table. All our meals were eaten on our knees in front of the TV. Now I've got DCs we eat at the table (it's in the kitchen), and it's just so much nicer as a family. I'm sure when they get to their teenage years they'll want to eat in the lounge or in their rooms, but I'm really glad we've got this habit right now.

@kowari That only really works with little children! We have 3 teens / preteens so it's not practical. Plus we don't have the space for a coffee table!

Dh and I didn't have a table until we had dd. We always ate on the sofa. Can't imagine doing that now. Dd also sits at it a lot to do activities.

We haven’t got one at the moment, the dining end of our kitchen/diner is currently full of DD toys and her giant playmat so no room.
But we have an enormous kitchen island with room for 4+ chairs, so we eat there with DD in her high chair.
We will eventually get a table again but the one I want is £££ and whilst we aren’t entertaining due to Covid there’s no point.
We will get one for next Christmas I expect.

When I lived on my own in my teeny tiny house I had no table, managed fine for 13 years. So it can be done.

As pp say a drop leaf table is your friend. I have never had a dining room but have always had a table of some sorts

Children can eat and do homework and craft at a coffee table with cushions on the floor. It's perfectly normal in many cultures. Adults can either sit on the sofa or join the children.

Why would you buy a house with no room for a dining table? My mind is blown 🤯 This would be non-negotiable for me.. sell the £3k sofa and get a smaller one!

There are few things lovelier in life, particularly when your kids get to a certain age, than sitting around the table sharing a meal and talking. There's a saying: "The family that eats together, stays together" - I'm actually a LP but the meals together every evening at the table enable us to keep talking to one another. I love hearing about their day.
I believe that it also helps children develop important social skills as well as contributing to their language development.
I would rather have no sofa than no dining table, TBH.

I've happily managed without a dining table for the last 10 years but now my DS is nearing 3 and outgrowing his little table and chair combo I realise I'm going to have to find some way to fit a dining table in. Plus it's a bit embarrassing when friends etc come over and we all eat on our laps on the couch

Oh wrong link...its the lichfield flip top table

The trouble is with British housing. Modern houses are often built with not enough space for a proper dining room.
We sometimes watch an American programme called 'Buying and Selling,' and we've been amazed at the amount of space in some American homes. Some of them have basements that have more space in them than we have in our house.
In the UK, you have to pay a fortune to get a similar amount of space.

www.topfurniture.co.uk/oak-dining-furniture/oak-dining-tables.html

I bought this t o manage space issue..console size when not in use..large dining table when needed...perfect..really good quality too

How can you watch telly perched on a dining room chair? Or do the rather do without a sofa people not have tellys either?

We haven't had a dining table for 6 years for the same reason (lack of space). When we move somewhere bigger it'll be my first purchase as I do miss it but it's not the end of the world, you quickly get used to not having it.

And yes, we use our table to eat but also for doing homework/ working from home etc. My kids share a bedroom and we don't have enough space for a desk each! Not sure why that makes me highbrow!

I'd rather have a table and a smaller sofa. I don't just eat at the table, I sew, write, use it to sort things out on. We have 2, now and they're basically work stations that we occasionally eat at.

@DDIJ

So do you have a sofa or not bother? Could you live without? Do you just have a dining table and chairs?

Oh jeez I’ve just managed to have a glance at the thread

I forgot what snobs people where sometimes

Surely it's not an all or nothing situation? A smaller sofa is fine. We have bean bags in the kids bedrooms and bring them in to watch tv together. We couldn't fit in 2 sofas without getting rid of the table.