suggestions plz

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we have 2 rooms, both big but square. Now I would like to have a tidy room and a family sitting room, but we do have a beautiful walnut dining table in one room. Now we are re-decorating (first time ever since we bought) and my husband thinks we shall maintain a dining room and one sitting room. we have 9,7 and a 4 year old dcs. we r not the tidiest of ppl, so if someone comes by its a manic for me.
we do have a nice kitchen with family dining table in it.
Ideally I would wish for a student interior designer to come , suggest and plan something, but cant afford it.

plz advise.

How often do you use the lovely walnut table for eating around? And when it's not used for eating around, what is it used for?

quite often actually at least once a month when we are entertaining. when not used its just dining room waiting around.

Well it depends on how you'd feel about using the family table in the kitchen for entertaining. Personally I prefer having guests to eat in the kitchen rather than a separate dining room, because I can still talk to them as I cook. So I'd have the two sitting rooms as you suggest and then just one eating space in the kitchen.

Shame to get rid of a lovely table though. Could you put the walnut table in the kitchen or will it get ruined? Could it go upstairs at all?

no of course I would move that nice table to the kitchen, once my husband understands the phenomenon :) but then again kids do draw and paint in the kitchen too :(
In reality I'm looking for a magic solution where I have two sitting rooms plus a lovely dining room:) :O

Alternatively does it extend, and therefore could you make it smaller IYSWIM? And perhaps use it as a display table in the more formal living room (for one's family portraits ). Or

Sorry, hit post too soon! I've seen these used for drinks/books/flowers/collections...but don't know whether that's your style?

My parents house when I was growing up had the formal livivng room with the 'posh' diding table in. It was a rectangular room, the dining table was at one end and then the sofas arranged around the fireplace at the other end.

The second living room had the tv, computer etc in and was where we played.

Would that work for you?

Get rid of the dining room. If you entertain in it once a month, that means it is not being used for 353 days of the year. Can you afford wasting a room that much?

Move nice walnut table to the kitchen Get a small, foldable play table for the kids to paint and play in the family room. Problem solved :)

We are doing what orecrumbs decides (at least that is the plan).
Ie have a sitting/dining room and a separate family room with tv and comfy sofas/beanbags etc.

whoops, pressed post too soon.
I think its a waste to have an unused room in a family house so would deffo try and combine dining room with something else if possible.

We got rid of the dining room and use it for play. It is used daily. Once a month does not justify keeping it as a dining room. We happily entertain in the kitchen - they're friends for goodness sake. At Xmas we turn it back into a dining room for about a week and DH with help has to get the table back in there (much cursing as it has to go out of the house and in through the window).