Dining room or two living rooms?

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We have recently moved into a new house and have a newborn (first time parents). Downstairs we have a front room, a kitchen at the back and another room in the middle. We can’t decide whether to keep our treasured 12 person dining table in the front room and have it as a formal dining room or have two living rooms? Ie. One cosy snug for grown up time and tv watching and one day to day room with baby bits/toys
In reality we won’t be throwing many dinner parties very soon but it seems a shame to not have a dining table either. Kitchen is too small for one. Any wisdom from other parents?

If there’s no room in the kitchen for a table, where would you eat? You’ll need to keep the dining room. Maybe look at extending in the future?

Put the giant table in the garage / loft or get rid. Two living rooms will get far more daily use but I would want a table to eat at, even if only a small folding table. I don't believe in keeping a room unused except for special occasions unless you live in a multi room mansion.

If you have room- would go for a small dining table in the middle room and leave space for sofa and play area and use this as the day time room.
Have the front room as a seperate living space.
In reality how many times will you be utilising and hosting 12 people?.
We had a smaller dining table/ day room nearer the kitchen - it was easier to keep an eye on them when I was cooking and used the table more due to locality- eating and drawing etc.
We chose a rectangular table which we could fit a garden table ( covered with table cloth) on the end for things like Christmas where we needed more sitting spaces.

I agree that you need somewhere to eat, though a 12 seater table is quite grand! It sounds amazing, but could you perhaps sell it for something smaller? That way you might be able to have a room that you can dine in and also have a ‘zoned’ area for relaxing and tv watching.

I would have a living room and a dining room. Keep your table.

Ive got 2 small children and love the open space kitchen/living area for playing and a separate more formal living area for adults/TV.

Do you still have space for a smaller table in the kitchen?

You have room for a dining table so I would absolutely have a dining room, without doubt. Where will you eat otherwise? Why would you want two sitting rooms?

to be honest, most nights we don’t eat at a table, just on the sofa. Dining table tends to be when we have guests only.
i do appreciate that having a table to sit at will be better when our baby is a bit older and we can eat together more as a family. We could potentially squeeze a 4 seater in the kitchen.

It’s one thing 2 adults eating on the sofa, it’s another with a toddler! I’d knock a wall down in you can to make a kitchen / diner / family room.

Smaller table, and have it as a dining room/playroom. That room can get a bit more messy, can have food, and paint, and play dough. And none of it is allowed in the nice sitting room.

I have a 3 and 1 yr old my advice would be...
You dont need to commit now

Do not go buying brand new neptune furniture or anything like that.

In our equivalent house...
Pre kids
We had a 6 seater solid oak dining set we got for £50 from ebay... that worked fin for a bit then got pushed against a wall to make way for world's largest playpen when oldest was 9m and go mobile that lasted to 18m ish

Then oldest got a proper bedroom and toys etc went in there and playpen went away before no 2 arrived.
Then we moved the "living room" into the dining/ play pen as it worked better spacewise And for keeping an eye on kids.

Now the other room has become a dining / craft and hobby room where we do drawing and crafts and activities as well as eat.
we put a small round 2 seater in the kitchen for ease of eating woth kids but the kids LOVE the dining table and prefer to eat there.
As we knew by this point we wanted a proper table/ dining space i got searching and we got a nice "proper" dining table set from neptune 😅 for 70% off retail on ebay

Make the space work for you.

They are compact dining tables available too
You can find them cheaper but something like this
https://dusk.com/products/ava-space-saver-4-seater-dining-table-and-chairs-light-wood-green

Ikea do loads of different tables. Think flexibly as your DC get older. The rooms will take on different functions as they grow up.

I would keep the table, or get another table. Tables are not just for eating, they are for gathering round, colouring and drawing, playing board games, entertaining, lots of things. I have two reception rooms - one also has a table - but one never gets used.

Keep the table. Rooms can be flexible but a kitchen diner would be preferable for me so in time you can knock through or have an arch way to the dining area.