We eat in our kitchen. Our house is small and we don't have a dining room.

In the family room in front of the TV. With luck something will catch everyone’s attention so I don’t have to listen to my wife jawing on about who knows what and the kids boring me with stories about their school days..

My house is small too, but I do have a dining room/corner. No room in my kitchen to eat.

Most of the time I sit at the dining room table by myself... I am the only one that lives here.

But I hope to get a bit of a small deck off the back door this spring, big enough for a cafe size table.. and plan to eat out there when the weather is right for it.

Dining room or outdoors in the summer. No eat-in kitchen.

We rarely eat in front of the TV unless it's pizza or sandwiches....something easy and not too messy.

Our dining room is becoming more and more of a sun room with all of the plants I've acquired! It's rather pretty!

Dining table or under the pergola in the garden. No eat in kitchen for me, sadly.

When we moved into this house ten months ago or so my daughter decided that we should have dinner in the dining room at least once a week. That didn’t last long. We gravitate to the kitchen table which is across a peninsula from the working area. Our house has a bit of a weird layout which has the dining room quite detached from the kitchen. I love it for company - keeps people well away from me - but there’s little incentive to go there for a simple family meal.

Of course my post above is kidding, but being as our dinner time tends to be between 8 and 9 we do eat in the family room here and there if one of “our shows” is on. But we don’t make a habit of it. With DVR we can just hit pause.

Either at the dining room table or in our chairs and small tables to watch tv. If we have company it is the dining room.

My kitchen is large and has a big oak dining table. That is where all eating is done in my house. I actually don't like anyone to eat elsewhere in my house for housekeeping purposes. I do have a dining room too and with large groups, such as holidays, people eat there also. There is a television in my kitchen if one wants to eat and watch tv .

I have a breakfast nook area--I like it. I also drink a lot of tea and read at that table!

On the couch in front of the tv. The only time we eat at the dining room table is for Thanksgiving!

Here's our DR table. We had a late Ukrainian Christmas dinner so it's still clad in it's Xmas garb.

I thought I'd posted these before. Doing a Houzz shrug!

I eat at the dining room table as no table in the kitchen. In the summer I like to eat outside as much as possible.

Breakfast and lunch in the breakfast nook. Dinner sometimes there, sometimes in the dining room, and outside in the nice weather.

Anniegriet, I also drink tea and read at the table in our breakfast nook. It's under a large arched window so I have good light and a nice view. It's one of my favorite spots in the house.

My kitchen and dining area are one space; cooking etc happens at one end and eating happens at the other. We are working on a screened in porch (almost finished!) so when the weather permits we can eat out there. I can't wait!

We eat breakfast in the dining room that has a large patio door to the deck and back yard. Most other meals we eat in the living room in front of the TV/computer.

All meals are eaten at the dining room table, whether there is company or not. We have a long kitchen/dining area separated by a short wall and a peninsula. There are stools to sit at the peninsula but that is never used except by the grandkids when they are having a snack.

The view in the living room is nicer, we have a wall of windows that look out over a three acre pond, but we never eat in there and we seldom watch television at all.

Annie

Thanks for sharing about your favourite places to eat.

I never even thought about watching shows while eating. Up until the day before yesterday we had no television in our living room so mostly we just eat and talk. I have no idea if that will change. We only have Netflix and recorded movies and TV shows on an external drive. Everytime I research getting Cablevision I get sticker shock again.

Just wanted to link to home decorating conversations where I had to make a whole new thread since it wouldn't let me link this when I posted it. I thought everyone would enjoy reading about other people's places and seeing some nice photos of some of their spaces.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5850353/where-do-you-eat-your-meals

When we had children at home (two boys), company or holiday dinners we always ate at our kitchen table. Our house was quite small so it had no designated dining room but I would have loved one. Now with just me & hubby at home we eat in front of the TV, a habit I wish we hadn't got into. We do still use our kitchen table when the family or company come together.

We eat the kitchen table 6 nights a week. On the other (pizza night) everyone eats in front of the tv and watches a movie-except for me. I prefer the table and usually read and eat while they watch tv. Holidays are in the dining room. We never seem to eat outside. Not sure why. It’s too hot in the summer, but there are nice days now. It’s surprising to me how many people eat in front of the tv. Even with a tv table it’s not comfortable to me. What if you need more ketchup? Move everything and trek back to the kitchen!

We definitly eat majority of our meals in the living room in front of the TV as much as id rather not admitt to it, however im usually drawing up estimates or improving my companies web appearance as my fiance is engaged with whatever ABC Show is on that night. I guess it not too abnormal for two people in their late 20's especially given the amount we both work. I tend to the actuall jobs and production side of things and she works the secretary end, working phones and finding more leads and perspective clients, etc. Not always easy but id say we're a powerful Duo when we both work together!

Breakfast is at the counter but all other meals no matter when, are eaten at the dinning table. It's a very open concept space but if the TV is on as a meal begins (it pretty much always is) it is turned off. That is how it was when the children were here and that is how it is now.

Usually in the dining room. We have a table that seats eight as normally configured, with extra leaves can seat more. One end is usually covered with laptops, books, papers. We eat on the other end.

Not in the kitchen, as we don't have an "eat in" kitchen. Two people can sit on stools at the island but it's not an appealing place to eat.

Sometimes in the family room, laying on the couches and watching TV. This is rare, not because we're so decorous but because the family room is the attic and carrying trays of food and drink up to the third floor is a big pain. I wish we had a dumbwaiter.

Why don't houses have dumbwaiters any more?

We eat in the dining room. I'd like to set up an outside dining table again but haven't gotten that far. I think it's much healthier to take the time to sit down, eat a meal and converse. I think I'm much more likely to control how much I eat and feel that I've had enough at the table.

I love how the Europeans sit down for several hours to enjoy a meal, more like the way we lived when I was a child. The table is for more than eating, it's to keep relationships strong and relax.

We eat breakfast and lunch in the breakfast room and dinner in the dining room. Occasionally, for football Sunday we'll eat on trays in the living room while watching the game. But we prefer to put our attention on the food and conversation rather than the TV -- the exception, as I said is football. Our kitchen is too small for a table so we can never eat in the kitchen unless we eat standing up at the island!

Since moving here, I live in a small house trailer. We plan to build a house next year. There is no dining room, and little room in the kitchen for a table and chairs. I have a small vintage kitchen table in here. It is one of those with a porcelain top, and I have chairs to go with it, but it is between the pantry closet and the hall, so I keep it pushed against the wall. When Jody is here, he eats on a TV tray in the living room. When I am here alone, I have a tall stool and eat at one of the kitchen counters. There is a bar on the other side, but kind of cramped for space there also.

We are so used to eating on the couch it's sad. I don't have a dining room and my kitchen is small, but it's big enough for the two of us. I do have a kitchen table but it seems to be a collector of "I don't know where to put it" stuff. I'm actually sitting at it right now while on my laptop. Growing up, we ate at the table every meal. TV was turned off and we actually talked to each other. My parents still eat at their table. I don't know why my husband and I decided it was ok to eat in the living room. My kids do the same thing.

Small house, no dining room, single occupant, rarely entertain. I eat at my coffee table....which is where I conduct a good 75% of my daily business as well! TV is on, as the only one to have a conversation with is the dog......and those tend to be very one sided, for some reason :-)

In good weather I often eat outside. Especially morning coffee, doing the rounds of the garden, and lunch or the cocktail hour.

We eat breakfast in the area right off the kitchen in the "breakfast" room. It has big windows almost to the floor where I can watch all the birds and animals in the early morning. We sometimes eat lunch there too if it is raining or too cold to eat at the table on the deck. Most of the time we eat lunch outside all year long. At dinner time we eat in the formal dinning room. It seems funny to me that we eat in 3 different places but that is how things evolved when we moved here. Our last house only had one place to eat and no outside patio.

We eat in the breakfast room, I turned the dining room into a library years ago. Our kitchen table can seat 10.

We have several choices and use them all. A table in the kitchen seats 6 and has a leaf that can be added so that's for informal meals - just us, or close friends, or family. The table outside the kitchen on the deck is also a choice we like. Or at stools at the kitchen island counter, these are most often used for solo meals. We use the dining room for guest dinners or larger family occasions when doing it in the kitchen would be cramped.

We have only one TV and it's in the family room. It's not visible from the kitchen. We never eat while watching TV and in fact we have an informal rule (because the seating upholstery in the family room is fabric) that there's no eating or munching allowed in that room. The living room is a separate room and no TV there.

With all due respect to others, I've never understood eating while watching TV. As Raye so well described, meals are an important time for interaction, bonding, and conversation. Those who don't do that are missing out, there's nothing so compelling on TV (in my opinion) that should be a weightier priority. If it is, record it to watch later.

Lunch today, yep, lean cuisine

Unfortunately, I eat most of my meals in my chair entertained by either The News Hour or Alex Trebeck and Co. IF I should be so lucky as to have company, we eat at the large kitchen table - with the TV turned off - so as to have good conversation with our food. It is the dinner conversation I miss the most; as kindly as Alex is, yelling out the right question isn't quite the same.

When my family was home we ate at the kitchen table, although I will,admit that I sometimes let the kids eat in front of the tv. Now it’s just me so I sit on the couch in my den and eat there. Kinda pathetic. If I have company we eat at the kitchen table or sometimes at the dining room table, which is actually in the living room!

Through the week I eat at the kitchen table. I work evenings, and it's usually a quick meal before I start work.

Weekends is my time to catch up on tv shows. So it's actually a treat for me to eat at my little tv table with a decent meal and a glass of wine. Tonight it's going to be scalloped potatoes with pork chops and a vegetable, and glass of white wine.

For those of you who live alone, are retired and/or don't have regular family visitors, why not start a practice of inviting friends over for a meal a few times a week? No need for it to be fancy.

I know some people don't like to drive or be out at night so if that's an issue for the people you know, make it a lunch invitation instead of dinner.

The dining room table. I can watch the TV from there

We also have several possible dining locations and use them all depending on the company or our mood. There are no strict rules, however.

We have a big multipurpose room with a large TV, fireplace, and comfy seating at one end. A coffee table in front of the sofa has seen many a bowl of chill or plate of snacks in order to watch a good game, movie, or Jeopardy GOAT episode (for example). Some of those events are best viewed live, if you know what I mean.

There is also a good sized table at the other end of the room where we often eat if there's a fire going or if the room is lit up by holiday lights. That's also where card games are played and puzzles are worked on.

We usually eat at our table in the kitchen. It faces the backyard and is a great wildlife viewing station. One of the flowerbeds is located in front of the window; the butterflies go crazy out there. It's a great place for a meal, or a cuppa, or a nosh and cocktail.

The screened in back porch is also a favorite dining area when it's not too cold or too hot. I love to host guests out there, it's an extension of the back yard where we are often grilling. We have a little fridge out there, serving pieces, and dinnerware. The table seats six. We have a flat screen that we can hang for a movie night or a game that Robert and some of his buds want to watch.

We do have a dining room for bigger crowds but it's not where we gravitate towards at a meal time. More often than not I have a project of one kind or another spread out all over the place.

I live alone and love it, but everyday I have someone here it seems! I seldom go down to my kitchen any more and have a small table in my living room that I eat at. I do not have a television in my living room.

Sue

Well, Elmer, I've tried that, but folks here still follow the old tradition of needing to invited a host back, and so would rather go out to a restaurant and each pick up our own tabs. I have a fiend that I can usually get to share a meal if I'm cooking lamb. ;-)

Our kitchen is too small to eat in. We use our dining room for company, but when it's just us we take our meals in the living room, on a tray on our laps. I like the living room because my chair is soft and comfy and I can put my feet up easier than when sitting at the table.

Just because it hasn't been mentioned and I feel like it does need to be represented, occasionally particularly on a cold winter night I take my dinner and eat in bed with a book!

Family eats in the dining room. I choose to eat at the kitchen counter, alone. Its due to my hands shaking so bad now. It draws attention, its embarrassing, and can be messy.

Kate, I don't understand your comment. Are you saying that people think they're reciprocating your hosting them to dinner in your home, by inviting you to a restaurant where each party pays for their own dinner? That's not a gesture that returns the effort and cost of your hosting them. If I have that right, what deadbeats!

Among friends, you'd expect invitations (like favors) to be traded. But like for like.

Aunt Audrey, I understand your choice, but I'm afraid I'd feel so badly about you eating alone that I'd have to come and stand in the kitchen with you. I always care far more about the people I'm sharing a meal with than I ever do about the meal itself, so I'd probably make you sit right next to me!

Some sturdy/unbreakable plates and glasses and inexpensive table coverings that I could wad up and throw in the washer and we'd be in business....

Annie

Dh and I usually eat at the kitchen island when we eat together. Or sometimes I'll stand at the counter on the other side. Have a table in the kitchen as well as a separate dining room, used mostly for friends and family.

DH and I eat mostly at our dining table which is just off the kitchen. Big bifold doors look to a contained courtyard type view with lots of greenery.

Occasionally, maybe once a fortnight, we eat off the coffee table in the living room to watch the news or something that is particularly interesting to us.

Sorry for the yellowed image, it's gloomy outside today, but this is the view from the eating area in our kitchen. Here is where we eat 95% of our meals during cool or super hot weather, if it's mild or warm, we eat out side at the table. Our dining room is for larger gatherings. I love it there too, but rarely would the two of us choose to eat there alone. I've cleaned up the table so that the bottles of vitamins, supplements and Kleenex box are on the island, normally they live at DH's place! The tv is on the counter, to the right of the table. DH hates it being on in the mornings because it disturbs his reading of the paper, however we are usually watching the news or Jeopardy during dinner. Rarely do we eat in the den. We just don't find it comfortable to hang over the low coffee table while sitting on the sofa. Although that said, DH takes a tray in there when I'm having a Mahjongg game at the kitchen table.

DD moved to Georgia and has the above areas and a darling screened in porch. I think that would be the best of both worlds.