Ridiculous argument over table, Aibu?

[Tsubasa1]

AIBU unreasonable to ask, how many tables does one need in a house?
We currently have TWO tables, one in the kitchen and one in the living room.
I want to SELL the one in the living room (seats 6 to 8 people) to make a "play nook" for the kids and have more room to move around the room in a free way. The table gets in the way of everyone. Husband thinks this table is ESSENTIAL for when we have guests, although he admits we don't have guests often (even before covid).
The kitchen table can sit 6 people.
YABU- you need that table
YANBU- sell the table and make room for your lods to play

We have tables from community playthings because you can adjust the legs of them and take the legs off to store them flat on their side to make more space. They are built for children so craft and paint friendly but you can throw a table cloth over them to double as table when you have guests over. Great to move into the garden when needed as they are waterproof. We bought 2 different sizes and over 10 years later they are still going strong and get repurposed all the time. Currently being used as desks for lock down home schooling!
www.communityplaythings.co.uk/products/classroom-furniture/multitables

One table in the dining room and that's it. We don't really use it for meals. The boys do, but me and my wife use the lounge (lazy bastards we are).

Only rule is, if stuff is dumped on it, there is one warning to move it, if it doesn't get moved, it's in the bin.

Thanks for all your suggestions, @ittakes2 good suggestion about the store away table. And @m00rfarmIt the ikea table is nice. Seems like most people use one table. Most people with two tables have an actual dining room though, which we don't!

Do you have a garage that you can store the lounge table in? Otherwise a dropleaf table pushed against a wall somewhere. I do think you should get rid of the table in the living room.

I’ve never understood people who have a table in the kitchen and in a dining room. I despise dining rooms. It’s a waste of space

@Velvian we live in an apartment so no garage!
@LetsAllGoOnHoliday 😂

I really think to have a dining room table, you have to have a dining room. Filling your living room with a dining table is just weird and obstructive to life.

How often do you usually host dinners for 8 people anyway? Is that really more important in your lives than your DC having space to play?

It's remarkably easy and cheap to buy and sell furniture (especially at auction - you can get antique wooden furniture for peanuts. Sell on facebook or ebay if you can). If and when you have need of and space for a large dining table, you can buy one.

And of course the reason antique wooden furniture, especially huge dining tables, is so cheap, is that no-one wants it any more, because it doesn't suit current ways of living, or home sizes.

If you 'must' have a formal dining table, then you 'must' also have a piano, at which you can accompany yourself singing, to entertain your guests. You should probably dress in Victorian clothes too - or maybe mid C20th with a dansette, space to dance and a cocktail cabinet?

People get weirdly hung up on 'things' that they mentally associate with a nostalgic, fantasy or aspirational lifestyles. One that they might never, or could never have. While, if you do buy a bigger home one day, you might find you want quite a different style of furnishing - that you can then afford to choose.

We did it the other way, we had a kitchen table that seated 6 and a dining table that can seat 10. If you stood at a certain point you could see the two tables just feet away from each other so we took the kitchen table out to make more space for units. I'd love to knock the wall down between the kitchen and dining room but we can't as there are big wooden beams in the way :-(

@lottiegarbanzo I like sitting down for a formal meal (at the kitchen table) every day and i'm not fussed if I go to a dinner party and there's no table to eat at, and guests can eat on sofas/chairs. However a lot of people think it should be the other way around (daily tv dinners on the couch and formal sit down parties)

@TimeWastingButFun that sounds perfect!

My DC often use the dining table to play things like lego or playmobil, or arts and crafts. I would really like a second table.

Perfect for you but not in my situation is what i meant

Unless you have a huge kitchen diner affair, which doesn't look like you're sitting in a kitchen, I would keep the real dining room table for guests, Christmas and so on. You can all eat meals off it rather than in the kitchen. Maybe change it to an extendable one?

I favour eating at tables daily too but I think the answer is to have an extendable, or small trestle table, to add on to your kitchen table for bigger occasions.

Or yes, go for floor cushions, a coffee table and a 'nomadic tent' dining experience

My extending coffee table is from dwell, although they have some still the one I have is no longer on their website there's loads on eBay and amazon as well last time I checked.

Homes come in all shapes and sizes and you need to make it work for your family. With toddler floor and toy storage space is more important than formal dining areas (especially if you have a table in the kitchen anyway!)

Our dining table is getting a lot of use currently- home school, Lego, games- currently DDs have their sewing spread out over it. But they are 7&almost9), a completely different ball game to little ones. We also don't have room in the kitchen for a table, plus a living room and guest room/playroom and a bedroom each- we don't need the floor space. In our last house, we had room for a 4seater dining table in the kitchen, but a small living room/dining room. The dining table was legless and lived behind the sofa in case we ever 'entertained' (which we didn't!)

We unscrewed the legs of our dining table and it lived under a bed for 5 years so we could have a play room. Once the dd outgrew the need for a playroom, it came back. So glad we didn’t get rid of it

@mnistooaddictive this sounds like a great idea

Def get rid and have an extending table or drop leaf table for the kitchen, then you can move into front room if your having guests for dinner and not enough room in kitchen when fully extended. No need for two tables

Same I didnt think tables are that unpopular

I'm in the minority I guess. I like dining tables. Have 2 plus a desk.

Kids just play wherever

If DH really wants to have a table in the living room something like this might work - www.habitat.co.uk/heath-2-4-seat-walnut-folding-table-780457 - you could have a larger extending table in the kitchen if you have lots of people round? This seats up to 4, but I used it as a console table before making it my work from home desk.

I love having a dining room, don't often eat in there unless we are having guests or a formal occasion but I use the table as a work surface fir home admin, Zoom calls (at the moment), crafts etc etc.

We have a large kitchen with a good sized table and chairs ... would never eat sitting on the sofa, unless a very casual sandwich type meal ... it's just so uncomfortable to eat slouched on a sofa ( or is that just me ?)

After reading and re-reading this thread im inclined to selm my very large table and go for a small-medium table with 4 charis that is extendable and lives in a corner of the living room. Many people are insisting it will be necessary for lego and crafts in the near future. I'm still undecided though 🤭

@Innitogether what a lovely desk/area, is that your house??😍

@Tsubasa1 it’s an ‘after’ photo I took to show friends the colour of the wall really (Farrow & Ball - Vardo). The shelves and lamps are IKEA, the most expensive bit is the table, which I actually got from Argos a few years ago. I do like my little nook though 🙂