To live without a dining table??

[inmyshoos]

Can't fit in a dining table in our new house. We have a massive corner sofa and it barely fits in itself. Aibu to just sit there and eat? I really love a table, feels weird not having one. Have even considered weird coffee tables that convert to dining tables but they look weird as heck.

Will I desperately miss a table? Aibu to think we can live without one?

Our dining table is old and cost 50 quid second hand, our sofa was 3k.

We have room and have a table in the corner but rarely use it. I bought some spartan stools when we moved in and I have a bony bum. We were lucky to be given two second hand sofas so we have one each and can make eye contact while using the spartan stools as side tables.

We don't have a table in the dining room. Used to, but decided it was wasted space. We eat round the kitchen table.

@Graciebobcat

We don't have a table in the dining room. Used to, but decided it was wasted space. We eat round the kitchen table.

But you have a dining table. It’s just positioned in the kitchen

I love eating around a table and I have a dining room but I got rid of the table when my kids were late teens.

@Hellotheresweet

You've chosen a cheaper area of the country to search in there. I've seen 'flats' in London that are one room, a separated tiny bathroom with the bedroom put above it in like a little loft. And people do rent them.

Lived in a 2 bedroom terraced house myself that didn't have room for a dining table even a fold out one without meaning you couldn't walk around properly and would be constantly bumping into it. It only had room for one 2 seater couch too because it was that small. Thankfully only rented that.

You can find small houses that you can fit a dining table in, but not all can. Ops house is one of them, and why should she get rid of an expensive sofa in replacement of a £50 table just because a bunch of people online tell her to? That will be fun, she gets rid of that and those old chairs are all she has to sit on. Very comfortable.

Maybe rather than people saying it's grim, disgusting etc you should appreciate what you have and stop looking down at others and maybe just be thankful that you can afford better. You might find at some point, your luck ends and that precious dining table will have to go. How will any of you cope then?

Another vote here for a gate leg table, so it can be folded away when not in use.

It's your house, see how you get on? It will evolve into useable space. Any room for a narrow breakfast bar and stools?

Wow, some of the replies are so snobby and SO mumsnet. We have a drop leaf table in the kitchen but no one liked eating there so we eat on the sofa watching Pointless as a family. Funnily enough my kid can still hold a conversation and eat properly at restaurants and other people's houses. We like it. But apparently it's 'yuck' and 'grim' according to this thread.

I know that my small kids eating on the sofa would be grim, especially the toddler. He's bad enough on the fully wipeable wooden dining chair with no nooks and crannies - was secretly pleased when he gave up on the high chair!

You've chosen a cheaper area of the country to search in there. I've seen 'flats' in London that are one room, a separated tiny bathroom with the bedroom put above it in like a little loft. And people do rent them.

For families? Maybe in that case they should 'get on their bike' and move somewhere they can afford enough room for their family.

@CountFosco

You've chosen a cheaper area of the country to search in there. I've seen 'flats' in London that are one room, a separated tiny bathroom with the bedroom put above it in like a little loft. And people do rent them.

For families? Maybe in that case they should 'get on their bike' and move somewhere they can afford enough room for their family.

Yes because that is sustainable- only rich families living in London so everybody can have a dining table.

@SquareEyes3523

Wow, some of the replies are so snobby and SO mumsnet. We have a drop leaf table in the kitchen but no one liked eating there so we eat on the sofa watching Pointless as a family. Funnily enough my kid can still hold a conversation and eat properly at restaurants and other people's houses. We like it. But apparently it's 'yuck' and 'grim' according to this thread.

manners are like a sense of humour: everybody believes they have them!

lol can’t believe people are doing property searches to prove that houses can fit a table in. Goodness me.

I much prefer a table, I feel quite sick eating hunched up on the sofa and I really don't like the smell of food lingering around. My kitchen is tiny and I dream of a huge kitchen/diner extension.

I'm not remotely snobbish about it (as I said earlier, we often eat on the sofa watching telly), but eating at a low table gives me backache and indigestion. It's one or the other for me: sitting at a full-height table or slurping and shovelling food out of a bowl in front of Strictly.

Is it 'snobbish' to say you don't like eating on the sofa because it's really uncomfortable - unless it's a very simple meal, a sandwich or slice of pizza for example (or a 'fork supper' - bet Mumsnetters hate that expression ) I just find it really awkward to eat on the sofa, do you put your plate on the coffee table and then sit hunched up over it - especially something like the Christmas dinner when you clearly need a knife and fork, and room for you glass of wine etc.

I have a table but still eat my dinner sat on the sofa most nights! We have trays with bean bag bottoms so you can still eat properly with a knife and fork which apparently would shock lots of the posters here. Lots of people do this, it doesn’t mean they are incapable of table manners.

Well we have a large dining room and a large table in it. It is laid with the family silver every night and we think that people who don't do that or dress for dinner are grim and scummy.

Of course, in real life the dining room table is full of crap and we eat ok our laps whilst watching TV or reading through judgy threads on MN.

[quote CakeRequired]@Hellotheresweet

You've chosen a cheaper area of the country to search in there. I've seen 'flats' in London that are one room, a separated tiny bathroom with the bedroom put above it in like a little loft. And people do rent them.

Lived in a 2 bedroom terraced house myself that didn't have room for a dining table even a fold out one without meaning you couldn't walk around properly and would be constantly bumping into it. It only had room for one 2 seater couch too because it was that small. Thankfully only rented that.

You can find small houses that you can fit a dining table in, but not all can. Ops house is one of them, and why should she get rid of an expensive sofa in replacement of a £50 table just because a bunch of people online tell her to? That will be fun, she gets rid of that and those old chairs are all she has to sit on. Very comfortable.

Maybe rather than people saying it's grim, disgusting etc you should appreciate what you have and stop looking down at others and maybe just be thankful that you can afford better. You might find at some point, your luck ends and that precious dining table will have to go. How will any of you cope then? [/quote]
A one room flat is going to be lived in by one person.
In that scenario then a dining table would really be very difficult to squeeze in!

However we are talking about families here.

And they’re not going to be in one room flats in central London

@Roominmyhouse

I have a table but still eat my dinner sat on the sofa most nights! We have trays with bean bag bottoms so you can still eat properly with a knife and fork which apparently would shock lots of the posters here. Lots of people do this, it doesn’t mean they are incapable of table manners.

I have no doubt that you can teach children to eat properly and have manners whilst not at a dining table... although let’s be honest, not to same extent. A dining table IMO is not about manners. It’s about facing one another, no electronics, and enjoying dinner and chatting together

I cannot fathom not having a table. But then we don’t eat on the sofa ever, other than maybe an occasional pizza but I think that’s happened about twice.

Can you get a folding bar table and some stools? They’re really good for space saving

I too would sell the sofa. We eat nearly every evening meal at the dining table. And breakfast, and lunch. At sit and chat. And work. It's very important family time to me.

For me it’s far less about table manners, or dropping peas down between the sofa cushions, than not sitting face to face with the others in your household and talking without watching tv or other distractions.

I’m assuming that the people who always eat on the sofa also eat watching tv, as most sofas are positioned for that reason, and I think that’s likely to make you inattentive to your food, and lead to more mindless eating.

I couldn’t be doing without a table to eat at. We have a living/dining room with 4 seater dining table and only a 2 seater sofa because of how the space worked out. I think eating on the sofa would be too messy plus what do you do with the other stuff on the table like condiments, gravy boat etc?