to think it is just not necessary to have a dining table anymore?

[LDNmummy]

Traditionally it has always been the look of a good home to have a dining table, preferably with its own area/ room in a house for family gatherings.

But, with modern life as it is, I just don't think it is necessary to have one anymore, unless of course you genuinely use it at least once a week. But do most families anymore?

I don't know many families who still go through the process of sitting around the dining table every weekend let alone every day, possibly for the fact that it is a little extra effort people are not as formal about anymore and sitting together doesn't have to be around a table but even just in the living room watching the telly together IYSWIM.

Plus, houses are not always big enough to accomodate a large family sized table and some may just feel it isnt worth the hassle to cram one in.

I also think this about the large cabinets that traditionally housed all a households fine dining wear that would come out on special occasions.

Aren't these bulky pieces of furniture that take up lots of space and are rarely used outdated now except with older people?

My MIL has a six seater table in the living room that could easily fit eight diners but is used properly about once a year. Half the reason for that is that it is too big and has to be crammed against a wall so isnt convenient to sit around daily or even weekly anyway. She also has a very large display cabinet full of her best dining wear wich is only used when special guests such as family travelling from abroad are visiting, which is rarely.

She is about 60 and in her eyes these two items of furniture are essential to beautify a home as well as for practical reasons, which IMO is questionable. My DM and all the older women in my family feel the same way.

But isnt this just all outdated and unecessary faff a house can do without in a time when people are no longer as formal when it comes to situations such as dining?

This is absolutely bizzare. I don't know anyone who doesn't eat at the table!

We always have family time at the dinner table, I couldnt bare sitting with my dinner on my lap in front of the tv every night

We eat every meal at the dining table and always have done. I don't think it is totally unrelated that our kids are good eaters who behave when in restaurants.

We have a kitchen diner. I love it. I missed having no table in our old house. The kids eat better sat around it, it's far easier for help yourself meals and there's no jam on my sofa.

We do a bit of both but I miss it if the table is out of action for some reason.

I wouldn't have a big cupboard of naff all though.

We use ours for every meal we eat at home. It also gets used for homework, colouring, Lego building, jigsaw making. It's probably one of the most used pieces of furniture in our house :)

Wouldn't be without my table.

We seldom eat in front of the tv.

We moved from a 3 bedroom semi to a 2 bedroom flat to downsize a bit. 3 bedrm also had a separate dining room. No dining room now, but made sure we have a table and chairs in the living room, as we use it daily for all our meals, doing paperwork, home ed, crafts, lego,....

With younger children, no table means more chance of spillage (to me anyway). I'd rather have them at the table for meals. Plus they need to learn table manners.

Someone must've googled 'dining table outrage ' and come up with this.

Very odd.

But I will say I love my table, while I'm here.

It'd be hugely inconvenient not to have a table, especially with growing kids. Breakfast in our house is usually cereal, boiled eggs, toast and marmalade, if we had to eat that that balanced on laps most would end up down the sides of the sofa.
Much easier to have everything in one place on the table.

There are three things I don't put together, children, sofas and food.

Our TV area is upstairs so it's rarely an option anyway. We rarely use our diningroom table but we have a table in the kitchen and a breakfast bar. We eat together everyday. Eating in front of the TV is a once in blue moon treat.

I don't know anyone that doesn't eat at a table, even two friends that have tiny London council flats. They have their table in the sittingroom and use it everyday.

If you don't have a dining table, where and when do you model conversation to your children? When do you share news, tell jokes, fix the worlds problems? The quality of speech and language is declining in our young people (under 5s particularly) and this is a huge concern for educationalists working in EY and KS1. The decline of the evening meal eaten as a family is contributing significantly to this.

We have s dining table that's folded away against a wall as we have no room (currently) to use it. We eat off our laps or little fold away tables. Due to things like after school clubs and evening work we rarely eat together. Dining table is moved into the middle of the lounge for use on Christmas Day only. When the table is out we can't use the sofa!

We use our table - open plan kitchen/dining - every day. Infact dh and his friend are currently sat round it with coffee chatting.

We eat dinner at it more days than not each week. Sometimes we sit at the breakfast bar but the table is more comfortable. We deliberately bought comfortable seats for it.

Yesterday we had 12 sat around it for drinks and a burger whilst chatting.

We use our dining table to eat dinner every single day.

Our dining table is used for breakfast and dinner everyday. We all sit at the table (breakfast us a bit come and go but we all eat our evening meal together). The only time we eat in front of the telly is pizza night in front of strictly, dr who or a family film.

There are six of us, three of the kids are young adults now. We eat at the table every meal except the odd takeaway pizza on film night. We have a no TV in the kitchen and a no phones rule at the table.

Some of the kids' friends have commented that this is "twee" . I genuinely feel quite sorry for them: sharing a table with your family is one of life's pleasures.

We're lucky in that we have a decent kitchen table in a good sized kitchen/diner that seats 4 (6 at a push). We also have a dining room which is now a "home office/junk room 😳". I love eating at the table. That said we do have a small wall mounted tv in their and probably have a knee tea once a week too on the sofa in the sitting room in front of the tv. Breakfast only DD sits at the table, I usually eat toast and have a mug of tea on the go getting ready for work/school. DP eats brekkie at work. Sunday roast is always a big sit down affair and is our most leisurely meal. The kitchen tv is normally on during tea on weeknights, down low with the news on, don't watch it as such, it's more background really.

When we have family round or friends to dinner, we use the dining table: it would be impossible to have dinner parties without it. Modern living does not mean having to balance trays and eat only in front of the tv. Bizarre idea. Isn't modern living all about having space for a table in the kitchen?

I love our kitchen table . It's not expensive , it was an ikea 12 seater pine job that cost us about £150 , but it's lived in every one of our houses , has had thousands of meals served on it , been danced on, and used as a catwalk , and still looks pretty good despite being over 20 years old . And we sit round it every night too .

YABU. We use our dining table every day too - even if we eat alone!

Oh, and no electronics allowed at the table or TV on in the background. Radio is allowed though!

We use our table everyday for breakfast, which we all eat together, lunch the DTs and I eat together (though not from Weds when they start school , and the DTs eat dinner at it most nights. Table is in the kitchen though and not at all in the way.

Also used for crafting, cutting and sticking, painting, basically making a big fat mess

I don't think i would have bought a house that didn't have space for a table as i think it's important to all eat as a family when you can.

We have a table that seats 6 (8 at a push) in our kitchen that gets most use: casual family dinners, kids friends over etc and an island unit with high stools which is mostly used for breakfast.

Our big dining table which is in a more formal dining room only really gets used when we have guests or on weekend for meals. We do play board games on it though

We have a dining table in the dining room that we use very infrequently. We also have a table in the kitchen diner that we use every day. In fact I am sitting at it now. We never eat in the living room aside from if we get a very rare pizza which is a treat. I can't imagine not having a dining table. That said we do have the TV on in the kitchen when we eat

What are you on about? We eat at the table. Together. Where else would you eat? It's not 'formal' to eat at the table, it's just... well, where you eat. With the TV off. Gawping at the TV with food on your lap has been considered uncouth at least since I read 'Matilda'.