Aussies increasingly eat their dinner away from the dining table.
Aussies are increasingly abandoning the dining table to eat meals alone in front of the TV or in their bedrooms, leading furniture giant Ikea to declare dining rooms could soon die out.
Ikea also reported a marked rise in Gen Z Aussies eating their meals in bed, a trend health experts revealed was more likely to attract pests, cause digestion issues and lead to overeating.
There was a noticeable gender split too: those most likely to be eating their meals alone in front of the TV were women.
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The research was based on Ikea surveys across 31 countries that gauged how dining habits across countries compared.
Households in Australia were revealed to be shifting how they ate at home at a greater pace than other countries.
Eating messy food in bed can pose hygiene problems.
The Swedish multinational revealed only about half of Australian families now ate meals at a dining table, while informal dining was growing.
It led to speculation that the dining room as we know it today could be dying.
Ikea manager of home furnishing Ainslie Woodham said Aussies were “rewriting” the dinner rule book, especially compared to the dining habits from Europe and around the world.
“Comfort and convenience matter more to us than strict routines,” she said.
“After a long day it can feel easier to relax in your own space … as long as you’re comfortable and enjoying your food, where you eat it isn’t an issue, even if it’s in bed.”
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Ikea observed a shift to informal dining, with 30 per cent of Aussies opting to eat on the sofa and 4 per cent taking their meals in bed. About 8 per cent of Gen Z respondents dined in bed.
Aussies were much likelier to eat on the sofa compared to the global average of 18 per cent, and far less likely to sit at a kitchen or dining table than the global average of 44.4 per cent.
Australians were also among the most likely people on the planet to eat alone in front of the TV, with a staggering 64.4 per cent of the population engaging in the practice.
This move away from the table coincided with Aussies putting a higher priority on speed and convenience in the kitchen.
The dining table is losing its place as the centre of family life.
Aussies also reported higher rates of cooking food in microwaves and air fryers than other countries.
About half of respondents cooked their food in microwaves compared to 34.6 per cent globally. Air fryers were used by 41 per cent of Aussies compared to 31.2 per cent globally.
Widespread use of quick appliances supported a culture of speed: Aussies ate earlier and faster than most other countries, the research showed.
Ikea noted these shifts were altering how we designed our homes.
Ikea range manager for dining Josh Cooling said the ways Australians used furniture was distinct and the dining table was no longer the anchor of the home.
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Increasingly its lounges where many families do most of their eating.
Dining tables were instead being used for other purposes away from meals, Mr Cooling said.
He pointed out that the vast majority of families (70 per cent) now use their tables for non-meal tasks.
This has seen dining tables transformed into hubs for work, homework, creative hobbies and entertainment.
Ms Woodham added: “The Australian love for open-plan living has a big influence on how flexible our idea of “dining spaces” has become.
“Rather than sticking to one formal area, meals often move between different parts of the home depending on comfort, weather, or who’s around.
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Ainslie Woodham, Ikea Home Furnishing Manager, said Aussies were repurposing dining tables for other uses.
“This is especially clear in the way indoor and outdoor spaces blend together, for example, many Aussies prefer to eat on patios, balconies, or near open doors during warmer months.
“Everyday living and entertaining flow naturally throughout these parts of the home, with dining treated as something that can happen anywhere, not just at a table in a designated room.”
English (US) · 