Is it worth having a dining table?

A dining table is an important furniture and design feature in every home. But many modern homes, especially open-concept kitchens, welcome other alternatives, like a kitchen island with bar stools. Since removing dividers and building a more functional space has become the norm, many compact homes get rid of the traditional dining table setup. 

So, is the dining table still needed?

If you’re looking into maximising your space or choosing between a dining table and other alternatives, read on to this guide.

Benefits of Having a Dining Table

It Helps You Maintain Your Work-Life Balance

Due to our changing lifestyles, our eating habits also change. Breakfast, for example, might be taken on the way to your destination, while many take their meals in their seats during busy work days. This can blur the line between working and taking a break. But keeping a balance in terms of work, study, and personal routines is important to maintain your overall wellness and, well, sanity. When working from home, we highly encourage taking breaks far from your work desk and eating your lunch at the dining table.

It Promotes Healthy Eating Habits

In line with creating a work/study/life balance, eating at the dining table without doing other stuff like work tasks helps you stay focused and more relaxed when eating. This prevents stress eating or unhealthy weight gain.

Sharing food at the dining table also helps create a mental cue to prepare proper, healthy meals compared to the quick meals that we take in our beds or living rooms.

A Dining Table Helps Separate Open-Concept Areas

Many open-concept homes combine the dining room, kitchen, and living room into one spacious layout. If you love keeping well-defined zones at home, having a dining table creates a distinct area for dining and a different area for lounging or conversation (a sofa). This can help you enjoy your meals better without distractions while keeping the entertainment area conducive to staying in.

A Dining Table Brings People Together

Many memorable family happenings happen around the dining table. Whether it is your nightly dinner, weekend gatherings, or holiday celebrations, the food and stories shared around the dining table make family events more remarkable. This can also help develop healthy communication among family members, especially young children.

It Provides a Spacious Area to Do Work/ School Tasks

If you are thinking about the multifunctionality of your area, a dining table can certainly offer more functions. A dining table is spacious enough for doing projects, assignments, and tutorials together.

Dining Table vs. Kitchen Island

Dining table vs. kitchen island: What is better for a modern dining room? Both provide distinct advantages and features. They also create a distinct ambiance with their design elements.

Here’s a comparison to help you choose between the two:

Food Preparation and Cooking

If you’re opting for a spacious area to prepare your meals, a kitchen island is a better choice. This is because of its proximity to many kitchen zones and its hard-wearing materials. But if you opt for more scratch- and stain-resistant dining tables, they can provide you with the same benefits. In this case, the choice will be up to your preferences.

Dining

Dining tables have heights and overall configurations that support comfortable dining. These can be used comfortably with standard dining chairs. During gatherings, dining tables allow you to rearrange or add more seats depending on the need. On the other hand, the taller kitchen islands work best with bar stools, which can be uncomfortable for long seating, especially those without backrests. Kitchen islands are ideal for casual and quick meals.

Conclusion

The dining table is an integral part of the home as it holds various functions and is of significance to many homes. Do you love sharing good food and stories with your loved ones? Make the most of your bonding time by choosing a dining table that fits your needs and unique style preferences. 

Check out Megafurniture’s premium modern dining tables in Singapore and discover myriads of excellent choices for your dining space.

The dining table has long been one of the most important features of the home, but as our dining habits have changed over the years have we fallen out of love with it? A recent study conducted by Furniture Village on dining habits showed that, while people’s eating habits have changed as the years have gone by, over half of Brits (58%) still feel it’s important for family and friends to eat meals around the dining table.

The Benefits of Communal Dining

1. The table brings people together

According to Family Therapist Dr Reenee Singh, “families who eat together around a dining table are likely to be closer.” Although it may not always be a possible thing to do, trying to factor in time for this can help children and young people develop both “healthy eating and communication patterns, it can also help parents to find a time when they can switch off from the stresses of their day, and speak to each other and their children in a relaxed way.”

2. People make better food choices

Eating a quick meal or on the go can leave us ‘vulnerable’ to making unhealthy food choices. As Registered Nutritional Therapist, Samantha Paget notes, “people are more likely to eat nutritionally balanced food at the dining table as the dining table provides a focal point… [this] encourages individuals to pay more attention to what, when and how they eat.

3. It can restore order to an otherwise chaotic day

Fifty-one percent of Brits admit they don’t eat regularly around the dining table due to busy schedules, but regularly sitting around the table can be the one aspect of a busy day that you actually have control of. Finding the time to unwind and relax can easily start with sitting around the table, having a meal and discussing things other than work. Alternatively, as Dr Lucia Giombini states:

4. It allows for time away from all the screens, and a moment of ‘reality’

It’s no secret that in an age where technology is at the forefront of most people’s lives, many find themselves glued to their screens at all times of day and night. Dr Reenee Singh recommends enforcing digitally free zones at mealtimes, and eating and talking as a family together, at least once a day.

Tips

So, what can we do to really combat dinner-time around the dining table deterrents?

Tip 1: Design a dining space to be proud of

If you find that you or your family don’t really like eating at the dining table, try to refresh the space into something that your proud of. Remove clutter and mess, and make the space more attractive.

Tip 2: Practice a dining digital detox

Try and make meal times tech-free to prevent as much distractions as possible while eating, but remember to practice what you preach!

Tip 3: Carve out some real time for eating

This way, you can avoid the negative feelings of anxiety and stress potentially caused by eating on the go. You’ll also be able to pay more attention to your emotions and what you’re eating.

Tip 4: Create a sense of routine

Routine can help solidify that something is part of the day, making you less likely to miss your planned meal around the dining table. Strive to establish a structured routine by eating at a regular time each night.

Tip 5: Get the kids involved

Try and have the children involved in as much of the food prep and the shopping as possible, then when you do finally sit down for dinner, keep the conversation family-focused and interesting for the kids too. This way they’ll want to be more involved!

Happy dining!

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