Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 19:19:27 GMT -5
m.us.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304547704579566130631352874Is that the case for you? While I am not as rich as the people in the article I believe it is true for more recently built homes where they incorporate the dinning room into the kitchen or have a great room. My parents home and aunt home that were built in the 1920's I believe both have formal dining rooms and in my mom case rarely used (when we have guests) since their is already table that seats 4 in the kitchen. So do you have a formal dining room? How often do you use it?
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,912
|
Post by zibazinski on May 24, 2014 19:21:47 GMT -5
I wish I had one. All the new house sales are great room so no dining room. What some people use for a dining room is the office area. For me, it's too small.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
We have a formal dining room adjacent to the kitchen. So it's the best of both worlds. The dining room has a china cabinet, table with six chairs, and a buffet. I really need to get rid of one piece of furniture. At holidays, we were seating about 12-13 people although we have changed that for awhile to split the family groups up into separate celebrations of 8 or 9 each with the latest editions.
My daughter lives in my 1970s house. She is a big entertainer so she converted the den into a dining room and the formal dining room is part of the main living area (it had huge double entry so not much of a stretch). The piano, etc. are in what used to be the dining room. It's odd, though, to see pitchers, etc. on the den's fireplace mantel.
My daughter-in-law also outgrew the dining room and, sort of like my daughter, converted their living room into a dining area. My daughter has a separate living room; my daughter-in-law doesn't. The living area is their basement den. The DIL's previous dining area is part of their kitchen.
I think dining rooms are still "in." It's nice if they are open to the kitchen like mine is, though. Even when I lived in an 1100 sq foot garden home, I made my eat-in-kitchen area into a dining room. It had a china cabinet and table/four chairs.
I will say that I always eat at a table. Even at work, I go to the workroom to eat at a table rather than at my desk. So I'm probably old-fashioned about needing one. But my kids are the same way.
|
|
midjd
Administrator
Your Money Admin
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 14:09:23 GMT -5
Posts: 17,720
|
Post by midjd on May 24, 2014 20:07:50 GMT -5
I like open floor plans. Our kitchen and LR are about the same size - the kitchen has a U-shaped counter with a bar on one side, and then a table (seats 8 with the leaf) and a buffet cabinet on the other side of the bar. We eat at the table or the bar - I don't see any need for a formal dining room. We've hosted Thanksgiving (12+ people) with no problem, and we don't have fancy dinner parties, so if we have more than that many people over they're usually hanging out in the living room/basement anyway.
SIL has a modular house with plans very similar to ours, but they have a formal kitchen next to their actual kitchen. They eat in the kitchen (have one of those round cafe tables) so it's pretty cramped. The dining room is basically used for storage. It would drive me crazy (especially trying to feed 3 kids). YMMV.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 20:22:26 GMT -5
We have one and only use it for dining on holidays . It's mostly a plant room and we eat in the breakfast room that is open to the kitchen. I don't know that we could do big family dinners without it though so I'm glad it's here.
|
|
mollyanna58
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 5, 2011 13:20:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,720
Member is Online
|
Post by mollyanna58 on May 24, 2014 21:07:48 GMT -5
My kitchen is smallish and the floor plan doesn't leave space for a table. The peninsula counter has room for stools. I prefer to eat at the dining room table.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 21:12:41 GMT -5
My kitchen and living room are open to each other but each space has different flooring, the kitchen has slate tile looking vinyl and the living room (and hallway and bedrooms) all have dark wood look laminate. There is a large table in the kitchen area that we use all the time. For us and our lifestyle a dining room would be redundant.
I don't get the point of having a formal dining room that is open to the kitchen. To me the whole point of a formal dining room is that it is separate from the kitchen and guests are not subjected to that particular mess.
|
|
kadee79
Senior Associate
S.W. Ga., zone 8b, out in the boonies!
Joined: Mar 30, 2011 15:12:55 GMT -5
Posts: 10,851
|
Post by kadee79 on May 24, 2014 21:28:23 GMT -5
My dining room & living room form an "L". I don't consider mine a "formal" dining room though...and my kitchen isn't arranged to have a table/chairs in there. So we eat at the dining room table!
|
|
justme
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
Posts: 14,618
|
Post by justme on May 24, 2014 21:32:04 GMT -5
My parents do. It was used every night when we were kids for family dinner. Now it's only used if there's more than 3 or 4 people eating, otherwise either the kitchen bar/peninsula or a small table in the sun room is used. In my apartment I just have a nook that I have a dining table it. It's not used much at all, but that's mostly because it's covered in crap.
|
|
tcu2003
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 31, 2010 15:24:01 GMT -5
Posts: 4,955
|
Post by tcu2003 on May 24, 2014 21:35:47 GMT -5
We have one. It's connected through double doors to our kitchen (doors are usually open, unless my toddler is playing with them). We eat their nearly every meal we have at our house - it's where DS' high chair is set up. Our kitchen has a small eat-in area, but the table their is super-small, and I just keep plants on it instead since it gets great light during the day.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 21:57:16 GMT -5
It is the least used room in our house. Right now it is acting as a closet for things I can't find a place for yet. Both the dining room and eat in kitchen are too small to hold a large table.
When we were out west looking at new homes, most had an open plan where the one eating area could hold a huge table and was between the kitchen and family room. That seems like it would work better for us.
|
|
mmhmm
Administrator
It's a great pity the right of free speech isn't based on the obligation to say something sensible.
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 18:13:34 GMT -5
Posts: 31,770
Today's Mood: Saddened by Events
Location: Memory Lane
Favorite Drink: Water
|
Post by mmhmm on May 24, 2014 21:58:59 GMT -5
We have a formal dining room and a breakfast nook. We rarely use the dining room. It's just a furniture storage area.
|
|
quince
Senior Member
Joined: Sept 23, 2011 17:51:12 GMT -5
Posts: 2,699
|
Post by quince on May 24, 2014 23:19:00 GMT -5
I don't think I'd waste space on a formal dining room. We have a dinner table in a corner of our living area.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,489
|
Post by Tiny on May 24, 2014 23:34:12 GMT -5
I have a dining room - it's between the kitchen (which also has a small kitchen table and 4 chairs) and the living room. Seeing how as I have to walk thru it every day - I use it often. I can squeeze in 10 people around the table for the holidays (or add additional table/s chairs in to the living room so we're all at one giant table). When it's not the holidays - I use the dining room table for stuff... it's nice to sit at on Sunday mornings with the paper and coffee (it's got good natural light). It's also good for Game Night as the table is large. I'll usually serve dinner in the dining room if someone is joining me. The cats have their heated cat beds on the floor in the dining room during the winter (it's the warmest room and has the best sun). So, yeah, I do use my dining room I'll admit, I'm not a fan of floor plans where the dining room gets shunted off to no man's land - it's next to the kitchen but not really available to the rest of the house. I'd like the way my house is set up, with the dining room as a kind of 'pass thru' room. My house was built before the 'open floor plan' or great room became popular.
|
|
Peace Of Mind
Senior Associate
[font color="#8f2520"]~ Drinks Well With Others ~[/font]
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:53:02 GMT -5
Posts: 15,554
Location: Paradise
|
Post by Peace Of Mind on May 25, 2014 1:30:11 GMT -5
We have a formal dining room and it gets used every single day. By my cats. They love the chairs and huge window in there. All the homes around here have formal dining rooms. Many are off to the far side of the house (I don't like that floor plan) but mine opens to the living room which is part of the reason I love/chose this house. Our house is set up with a family room off the kitchen along with the breakfast nook in one part of the house and a large foyer, dining room that opens into the living room on the other side of the kitchen that is positioned front side of the house. It's like 2 houses in one. I love that set up because when we have company I prefer to use the dining room and the living room. The dining room is open into the living room and really flows when we move from one area to the other and the lanai is also off that area. It's actually more casual because of the sofa and large chairs in the LR have fabrics that are easy to clean if an accident happens. Our family room has the expensive Ethan Allen furniture with white sofas that is off the kitchen in the back of the house. The lanai is also off that side of the house. We mostly sit at the kitchen bar and breakfast table area when we eat and watch TV and don't like people to eat when on those sofas. The TV is a big screen so we prefer sitting further back any way. Guess who uses those sofas the most. They don't care about the TV. I need to be reincarnated as a cat. They have the life!
|
|
❤ mollymouser ❤
Senior Associate
Sarcasm is my Superpower
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 16:09:58 GMT -5
Posts: 12,861
Today's Mood: Gen X ... so I'm sarcastic and annoyed
Location: Central California
Favorite Drink: Diet Mountain Dew
|
Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on May 25, 2014 1:49:44 GMT -5
We have a formal living room ~ it gives the cats an excellent vantage point to watch birdies out the front window. It's filled with furniture, beautifully decorated, and I walk past it daily. We have a formal dining room ~ it also gives the cats an excellent vantage point out the front window. It's also where we keep our lovely china cabinet, filled with lovely china, stemware and silverware that we never use. We've lived here 11+ years and I'm pretty sure we've only used it once. Our kitchen has a large eating area, with a kitchen table. About once a year I think we use the table for actually eating. The rest of the time, it's a delightful flat surface for piling things on. If anyone cares, we DO use our family room a lot
|
|
bobosensei
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 11:32:49 GMT -5
Posts: 1,561
|
Post by bobosensei on May 25, 2014 1:52:28 GMT -5
DH and I mostly eat at the table, and depending on the houses we've rented sometimes that has been in a separate room from the kitchen and sometimes not. Right now we have a 2 seater bar height table with stools squeezed into the corner of our living room and we mostly use that on the weekend for lunches where we are eating something quick. Breakfast (if eaten) and dinner tend to be at the table. When I am alone I am more likely to eat on the couch while watching tv.
Growing up my family ate at the table when we were little, there were 4 kids and 2 adults. As we became teens and different activities took us out of the house we ate at different times so people could fit at the kitchen counter as they had time. Of course the living room was across from the kitchen so we could still hear or see the TV from the kitchen Then the dining room was only used at holidays when we all ate at the same time. I believe DH has always eaten at the table. His dad is Italian so meals are important family time, and his mom is pretty religious and meal times were important to her too. My family didn't have that sort of way of eating. We might have all been at the table, but we weren't necessarily talking or bonding.
I'm not sure that I would necessarily need a separate dining room especially if a full size table fits at the kitchen. If we have people over for dinner we aren't that formal, though I do have enough plates and silverware to have 20 people over at one time, and I think having the table in the kitchen allows for preparation of a better meal and lets the hosts participate in what is going on while cooking. The most people I've had over at once is 18 and then we usually end up all over the house because our table only seats 8.
|
|
Spellbound454
Senior Member
"In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends"
Joined: Sept 9, 2011 17:28:42 GMT -5
Posts: 4,096
|
Post by Spellbound454 on May 25, 2014 2:23:09 GMT -5
We have a long living room and the dining table with 6 chairs is up one end. It is used often
Used to crave a dining room when the kids were small....... as I didn't want to eat in a room full of toys I wanted adult space but never got it.
I would also have liked a kitchen table so I could feed them at lunchtime without ruining the polish on the table.
|
|
truthbound
Familiar Member
Joined: Mar 1, 2014 6:01:51 GMT -5
Posts: 814
|
Post by truthbound on May 25, 2014 5:17:54 GMT -5
Thanks to our current crop of politicians people can't afford the extra square footage. That aside there is no reason to heave two tables which are on average 12 feet away from one another.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 7:51:19 GMT -5
I have a formal dining room. Has a table that can seat 10 (squeezed) or 8 (comfortably) with the 2nd leaf. Also have a buffet. right now the cat's bowls are on the table so the dog doesn't eat her food. I have an eat-in kitchen with a table that seats 4. I also have a formal living room that I love. I like to lay in there on the couch and read. The main level family room has the TV and fireplace. I used to spend more time in there when I had cable, now I just hang out there if I'm watching netflix.
as to having 2 tables (truthbound's comment) - rather hard to have anyone over for dinner without the dining room table. I guess I could make them stand in the kitchen and eat.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 7:51:45 GMT -5
Thanks to our current crop of politicians people can't afford the extra square footage. That aside there is no reason to heave two tables which are on average 12 feet away from one another. what?
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 8:02:52 GMT -5
Thanks to our current crop of politicians people can't afford the extra square footage. That aside there is no reason to heave two tables which are on average 12 feet away from one another. I wouldn't blame it on the politicians. The size of the average house has ballooned from the 1950s, when I was raised in a 3-BR, one bath ranch (with my parents and 4 siblings). Somehow in subsequent years people got the idea that it was child abuse to make kids share a bedroom. Builders got greedy. If you can make more money building a 4BR, 3 Bath McMansion on the property, why build a 3-BR, 2 Bath? I'd say that house buyers are coming to their senses and the baby boomers are (mostly) realizing they don't need all that space. There are some who entertain a lot and who have kids and grandkids visit and will want to keep a big house, but the rest of us are downsizing.
DH and I are thinking through this now. I just retired and while we can afford the house we have, we'd like less to clean and maintain, and lower utility bills and property taxes. If we get a place with a dining room it will be turned into an office.
We have a formal dining room ~ it also gives the cats an excellent vantage point out the front window. It's also where we keep our lovely china cabinet, filled with lovely china, stemware and silverware that we never use. We've lived here 11+ years and I'm pretty sure we've only used it once. Fortunately, DH and I never fell into the trap of buying formal china. My Ex brought 2 sets of china and one of sterling into the marriage and took them with him after we divorced. DH and I chose a sterling pattern together and we have 6 place settings. We do like to use it when we have guests. We're practical people and figured that if you drop china, it breaks and you have to replace it. Sterling is a lot more durable.
|
|
swamp
Community Leader
THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 16:03:22 GMT -5
Posts: 45,618
|
Post by swamp on May 25, 2014 8:08:04 GMT -5
We have an open floor plan (kitchen/LR/DR) so I do not have a DR, but I do have a dining room table. We don't eat there very often, we use the bar in the kitchen area.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 8:11:36 GMT -5
Thanks to our current crop of politicians people can't afford the extra square footage. That aside there is no reason to heave two tables which are on average 12 feet away from one another. I wouldn't blame it on the politicians. The size of the average house has ballooned from the 1950s, when I was raised in a 3-BR, one bath ranch (with my parents and 4 siblings). Somehow in subsequent years people got the idea that it was child abuse to make kids share a bedroom. Builders got greedy. If you can make more money building a 4BR, 3 Bath McMansion on the property, why build a 3-BR, 2 Bath? I'd say that house buyers are coming to their senses and the baby boomers are (mostly) realizing they don't need all that space. There are some who entertain a lot and who have kids and grandkids visit and will want to keep a big house, but the rest of us are downsizing.
DH and I are thinking through this now. I just retired and while we can afford the house we have, we'd like less to clean and maintain, and lower utility bills and property taxes. If we get a place with a dining room it will be turned into an office.
We have a formal dining room ~ it also gives the cats an excellent vantage point out the front window. It's also where we keep our lovely china cabinet, filled with lovely china, stemware and silverware that we never use. We've lived here 11+ years and I'm pretty sure we've only used it once. Fortunately, DH and I never fell into the trap of buying formal china. My Ex brought 2 sets of china and one of sterling into the marriage and took them with him after we divorced. DH and I chose a sterling pattern together and we have 6 place settings. We do like to use it when we have guests. We're practical people and figured that if you drop china, it breaks and you have to replace it. Sterling is a lot more durable. when I got married and the area I got married in, china, crystal and silver were standard shower/wedding gifts. I use mine several times a year.
|
|
qofcc
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:30:58 GMT -5
Posts: 1,869
|
Post by qofcc on May 25, 2014 8:15:10 GMT -5
My house was built in the 50s. Picture 4 squares two over two. Kitchen is the top left. Dining room is the top right. Living room is the bottom two squares. Kitchen is separated from LR by a solid wall. DR is separated only by a dropped ceiling beam. Kitchen/DR wall has an open door way and a window cutout with a ledge. Just enough that the two rooms are separated and I have a bar height table on the kitchen side. The fireplace w TV over it is on the right wall of the bottom square and can be seen from all 3 rooms but the kitchen is hidden from the seating area in the LR and when sitting at the dining table most of the view of the stove & countertops is blocked by the partial wall. It's a perfect setup and I use the dining room a lot.
|
|
Shooby
Senior Associate
Joined: Jan 17, 2013 0:32:36 GMT -5
Posts: 14,782
Mini-Profile Name Color: 1cf04f
|
Post by Shooby on May 25, 2014 8:59:46 GMT -5
We don't need, want or use a formal dining room. I have an old house built in 1851 so it does have a formal dining room. However, I converted it into a family room for the kids and they have their Xbox in it. And, I also have the computer in that room. Works for us.
|
|
Blonde Granny
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 15, 2013 8:27:13 GMT -5
Posts: 6,919
Today's Mood: Alone in the world
Location: Wandering Aimlessly
Mini-Profile Name Color: 28e619
Mini-Profile Text Color: 3a9900
|
Post by Blonde Granny on May 25, 2014 9:17:21 GMT -5
My ideal? Keep the dining room, get rid of the kitchen.
|
|
Gardening Grandma
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:39:46 GMT -5
Posts: 17,962
|
Post by Gardening Grandma on May 25, 2014 9:37:27 GMT -5
We don't have one because we consider it a waste of space. We have an open floor plan with an eating area off the kitchen and visible from the living space. For holiday dinners, I just add leaves to the table and bring in extra chairs.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 9, 2024 14:22:04 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 10:18:59 GMT -5
I don't have one, I just have a middle class house. The McMansions here have Great Room + formal dining room + formal living room.
|
|
Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
|
Post by Bonny on May 25, 2014 10:24:21 GMT -5
LOL, we bucked the trend 12 years ago and added a formal dining room. We have DH's 100 year old dining room table. It has 7 leaves and can seat 22 people. Back when DH was working we did host several parties so it did get used on a fairly regular basis.
Now that we took down the wall between the kitchen and living room and there's now a counter to eat at, I think the next owner is likely to convert the dining room and adjacent breakfast room into a master bedroom suite. There's enough space in the living room to have a standard size dining table.
|
|