Dining table dilemma

[Mum37457]

We have moved into a small rental for a year. We are expecting to buy a much bigger house in less than 12 months.

We don't have a dining table at present. DH and I are eating off our knees on the sofa which we both hate, while DS is eating on a small kids table. Before this we were living abroad and had a horrible plastic dining table that DH felt was too small for the three of us.

Now we want a dining table but it's really hard to find one that fits our space or ticks all of my boxes (light oak, less than 90cm wide, possibly pedestal, modern pedestal would be nice but not essential, possibly extendable to 6 people, no glass or metal, not too small so the three of us are in each others space, round corners or round in shape for DS safety). I'm actually resigned to colours I don't like and covering it with a table cloth, just as long as the size is right. I've looked at so many options for small rooms. But I don't want to spend a lot for a table and chairs that won't fit our needs in a year. The cheap ones just look cheap. And tbh, anything bigger than a table for two looks oversized for the dining/living room, which is also a playroom and where we hang up washing. DH doesn't want to spend much money and is ok to buy from Argos, but I don't like any of the tables from there. We're also horrified by the price of chairs. Looking at chairs is a whole other story and we're considering pedestal tables mainly so that any chair can fit them.

So do we:

1. Buy a small cheap £50-200 dining table that may be useable as a kitchen table next year.
2. Buy a small nice but expensive dining table £500+ that we can enjoy now and use as a kitchen table next year.
3. Buy a mediocre mid price £300 medium sized dining table that is slightly too big for us now but may fit our needs better next year.

There doesn't seem to be anything between 1) and 2), at least nothing at like anyway.

Any advice is much appreciated! We're also considering secondhand and ex-display.

Have you checked ikea?

Look for second hand solid wood on ebay and Facebook marketplace.

You may also find items that fit your criteria but need a sand and repolish/wax.

Just get something secondhand for now that's the right size and cover with a tablecloth.

A table on IKEA is actually my first choice but DH doesn't like it!

What about a second-hand one to see you through until you have space/new house,?

I agree with second hand. Perhaps try a gateleg one so that you can fold it up when it's not in use.

Then when you move into your bigger place you can buy what you really want.

We lived in a flat for many years, just DH and myself and had no dining table. We used stable tables on our laps. We eventfully bought an extension table at ikea and the chairs stacked when not in use.

If you are only there another year- do you NEED to buy a new set of table and chairs? Something on olio/freecycle/charity shop might do you if you need one though.

Buy something solid but second hand and you'll be very likely to get almost all your money back selling on when you move again.

If you buy good secondhand Ercol, the Windsor set is light wood, then you can sell it easily in future for what you paid as it’s very collectible.
Obviously you need to keep the table top protected a little.
Facebook have an Ercol group.
It’s not cheap but it holds its value.

Thank you! I've started looking secondhand and there are some nice sets locally, just a bit big. I'm also a bit anxious about the potential of bringing pests in, like bed bugs, which I know is really unlikely in a dining set. I've seen termites come in from a new IKEA set at work! How do I mitigate the risk?

We've been eating off a small plastic table for years because we were in a very transitional stage. We moved briefly to a house with a lovely dining set where we were happy to sit around a dining table and chat. Now we're on the sofa in front of the TV and it's quite depressing. So even if it's just a year, it's still a fair bit of time, so I'm keen to get a proper set.

We had a small oak effect square Ikea table, they don't seem to do it any more. It was great and became a 6 seater at Xmas. We only replaced it when we moved and had room for a bigger Ikea Skogsta. Never had a problem with Ikea furniture.

An old gate leg table would probably be a useful temporary fix. They fold down to extremely small, like the size of a shelf and are very easy to move around and can be picked up for around £40 from eBay or a local furniture charity shop. They are nearly always dark wood but you can buy a nice table cloth so you can see it or paint it?

In your situation I would buy a very nice patio set, ie table and chairs that could be put in the new garden when you move, but would look decent indoors for now. I think "bistro set" would give you a few hits on Ebay. Winter is an excellent time to buy!

I hear you re the bedbugs, but remember they prefer beds so they can come out at night and feast, attracted by your breathing (shudder). I buy second hand furniture and I think woodworm is more of a concern. Always inspect second hand things thoroughly with a torch, anyway.

Hope you find something.

Maybe an extendable table depending on how much room you have?

We have a small round extendable table that seats 4 comfortably, it extends to seat 6, 8 at a push.

https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/richmond-foldaway-dining-table-p69478

Lovely ideas thank you! We have considered gate leg tables but we still need somewhere to store the chairs (we need at least three). After a few years of sitting on plastic chairs, DH is insisting on proper ones, not ones that can be folded away.

We're definitely looking at extendable dining tables. The problem is that as our dining space is quite narrow, it can't be too wide, more than 80cm would feel huge in our space. Many extendable dining tables start at 100cm, so it cuts back our choice.

I like then idea of pedestal tables as you different types of chairs can fit but the pedestals plus all the extendable bits are quite chunky and make the table look huge. They more modern tables have a cleaner look but are so expensive.

I did find a cheap secondhand table on Facebook - doesn't tick any boxes, it's old and has got a lot of character which is exciting too. 😅 I'm just waiting to see if it fits.

A nice patio set is a great idea, but we have an old plastic patio set in the garden that came with the rented house! Garden is small too and garage is full so we can't accommodate anything else.

Go on YouTube or Google. Put in 'extendable dining table'

People are geniuses.

Some are coffee tables that then rise up and unfold.

Some are big pictures on the wall which fold down into a table.

There's one which is a shelf which then folds down.

Some are sideboards which then pull out.

Some are very expensive, but cheaper than getting a bigger house.

Thanks all! We have bought one that ticks all the boxes from a home outlet that also had a sale, so bargain price too. 😁