Should I get rid of our dining table and use just the kitchen island?

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We're in a small and narrow terrace with the downstairs being open plan (living room to the front, dining room at the back of the house and the kitchen on the side). The dining table takes up so much space despite being described as 'compact' for small living spaces. We have a peninsula kitchen island which we never use and I'm wondering if I should get rid of the dining table altogether to free up space. Is this a good idea? We use the dining table a lot and my worry is that we'd miss the dining table/waste the space frees up by dumping rubbish there instead. Fwiw, we use our dining table A LOT. What would you do?

I would worry about little kids falling at the island too. I’d have either a round table in the far corner opposite the bookcases or a Drop leaf table, this could be restored or painted easily.

I don’t like sitting high up at breakfast bars/islands personally. The chairs tend to be a lot less comfy than a dining chair.

I wouldn't favour sitting to eat at the kitchen island but maybe thats because I'm short and struggle with high stools!

When your children get to school and homework age, you'll be glad of a table so I'd hesitate to get rid of it.

How about switching the one you have for one that takes up less space?

I dont understand what the issue is, how much space around things do you think the average house has?

You have a sizeable dining room/area to me, ours is much smaller (although not open plan as I hate that)

The table is large though, we have one where you wind it open and I store the middle leaf of it behind the dinring room door for when we need it.

I wouldnt get rid of the table. I wouldnt have an island but as you say you have storage in the bottom so that is a bit of a nuisance.

Also don't understand

You use the table a lot so it sounds like it's useful and worthwhile ? So why get rid of it? What would you do with the space anyway ?

If it feels cluttered perhaps get rid of the rug instead

How would it be if you moved the door to the kitchen so it went through nearer the stairs, you would probably need to change the door to the WC too. That would though mean that you could put the table further back so it feels less like a corridor.

Like this.

You'd do better to take the book shelves out and put a banquette along that wall for seating, then you gain a lot of space.

I know it's painful, but it's better than losing a dining table. They are very important, imo.

We have very limited space (open plan bungalow) I have a pull out leaf on the dining table,a bench one side. Your dining room is a good size.

l’d turn it round near the patio doors. You could get a smaller one with a drop leaf.

I have the same layout and the same issue - although I have a small table in the kitchen rather than an island. My dining room is pretty similar to yours - with a table and book cases and little else in there.

I wanted to try to use the middle room as something different (my study) and was contemplating building the walls back and losing all the open plan as my children are older now and I no longer need to be able to see what they're up to when I'm in the kitchen.

We've always eaten our evening meals and weekend lunches in the dining table. My dcs asked me to reinstate the dining room - they actually like the table and sitting round it! So that's what we've done. I think sitting round the table is really important - now they are teens it's even more so as I don't see so much of them and they have more independent lives.

Can your dc not play in the front room?

I don’t understand the issue really. You use your dining table and it looks fine..

You could try an oval table instead, it is surprising what a difference not having corners to bang into makes.

don’t get rid of the bookcases, they are food for the mind , just as important as food for the body.

The photo looks lovely so i cant see a problem. But moving a dining table around to try it in different places is easy, so just give it a go.

You could even wait for a dry spell, stick the table outside for a few days and see whether you miss it.

I would keep the dining table.
Can you house it along a wall until more than three or four people eat together?

Can you gain space elsewhere such as making a well screened glass area with seating and plants just outside?

I think it looks lovely as it is and you use it a lot so it's also the best use of the space. I don't see any reason to change it.

I wouldn’t get rid of table. It looks fine to me.

I'd keep the table. If the corners are sharp, replace it with an oval or circular one.

I was imagining that OP would house the books in her sitting room, not that she would burn them 😅

We have put a small table in the kitchen and replaced the large dining table for a double drop leaf one for when we have guests. It’s worked really well for us. we can use the dining floor space and then just pop the table up or pull it out to suit our needs. It also means we can’t use the dining table as a dumping ground. I’ve got friends who live in smaller spaces and eat at the breakfast bar and bring out a big plastic folding table for guests. We’d considered getting rid of the dining table and doing that but the double drop leaf is much nicer.

The photo also looks lovely to me! If you want more floor space just buy an extendable or gate legged table to free up more space day to day. Round shape would be nice, IKEA or Facebook marketplace have loads of options.

I wouldn't get rid of a table with children, even when mine were small we've always done lots of crafts, jigsaw, play dough on the table, now they're older they love sitting to colour, craft, do homework and build Lego there rather than the floor. Plus we eat all meals there, I think with young children the breakfast bar stools won't be very stable or comfortable for every meal and it's not very sociable all sitting in a line.

We had a big house fire years ago. When we moved back in after all the repairs, we didn’t have a table for a bit.

lt was awful. A table is just essential for stuff like homework etc.

Keep the table. It's really useful. Drawing/lego/eating/sociable (no guest wants to be perched on an island to eat).

You could replace it with a small round extendable eg: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1270508540/extending-extendable-round-dining-table?gpla=1&gao=1&
If you look on the reviews, there are photos of this one for eg in actual houses to give you an idea.

Could you move the table so that it's not in the middle of the room?