Would you buy a home without a formal dining room?
sarahmn1
11 years ago
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DLM2000-GW
11 years agowagnerpe
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Have you eliminated your formal dining room?
Comments (47)Oh, gosh, the pics of all your former-dining-rooms-turned libraries are wonderful! I, too, think that it's a great idea . . . if you're not using your present dining room. Repurposing space to fit your needs is so darn practical. For us, though, it wouldn't work. We eat every dinner in our dining room and our weekend breakfasts, too. And, I ENJOY having sit-down dinners with friends and family. Most are fairly casual, but I enjoy sitting around the table for a good couple of hours, chatting and enjoying food, friends and family. I'm not Italian or Spanish, but I do admire their dedication to that time you spend eating and enjoying the company of each other . . . and we're not overweight or over-eating because of it, either ;^D. We just had a big taco party here the other night and I loved having so many people laughing and talking around my table. We have a kitchen peninsula with very comfy stools, but I prefer looking at my family while we eat . . . instead of the tv or the kitchen cabs (LOL!), so we limit it to occasional quick lunches or snacks. But, getting back to dining-rooms-turned-libraries, I agree that if you're not into entertaining around a dinner table or you have a table in your kitchen for family dinners, this sounds like the ideal solution. Now I'm off to see Justgotabme's slide show! Lynn...See MoreHomeschool room in Formal Dining Room or Office?
Comments (8)I know the way we do it is not for everyone, but I will tell you what works for us! We do not homeschool, but we do believe that education happens all day long, and much of it comes from us as parents. We keep educational things all over our dining room. Our dining room is also the main eating area for us, since our kitchen is not an eat-in kitchen. Almost everyone that comes to visit sees the dining room from where they are sitting or standing, or has to pass through it at some point. The underlying décor in the dining room is nicely done and the school materials are fairly well organized. There is no one that would visit here that would not understand why our dining room looks the way it does, and we have never been embarrassed by it. Our kids have grown up with placemats that have maps, math, presidents, etc. on them, and have learned many things from the conversations we have at the dinner table while using these placemats. We have had conversion charts, periodic tables, maps, money charts, clock posters, and number lines on the wall over the years. The kids have learned from them because they are where they can see them any time of day. The room is constantly changing as the kids grow. The kids also have their desks in the dining room. We don't really have another place for them. We have an extra room, but we use that as a craft room, which is usually somewhat messy...their desks stay clean and useable when they are out where we can see them. They do use the craft room for school projects, and that way the projects can stay out until they are completed. Our dining room is never in magazine-worthy condition for sure, but I know that the kids are only kids for a short time, and it is so fun to use every opportunity to teach them new things. Also, this is our own home for raising them, so I don't really think about how the décor looks to other people that might stop by for a visit. I will have a beautiful dining room later in life, when the kids are grown and gone. To me, at this stage in our lives, this is beautiful décor to me! This post was edited by myfoursquare on Tue, Oct 8, 13 at 13:31...See MoreWhat do you think? Does a house need a formal dinning room?
Comments (161)Depends upon your interior load bearing walls or whether or not you can add to a room and increase the footprint of your home. In my view, you do not need a "formal" dining room, but if you entertain at all -- even just family or special occasions, it's a good idea to have a very specific dining space that accommodates the size crowd you have -- even if it means seating children at a bar or adjacent drop leaf table -- rather than having only a "dining nook" in and part of either the kitchen or the living room. I like the idea of an "L" shaped great room so the living room guests cannot see the kitchen at work but those guests moving into the dining room and near the dividing cabinet/bar would be able to socialize -- without actually being in the kitchen in the way or getting a close up view of dirty pots and pans or dishes ... because There would be a room dividing cabinet/bar w/overhead cabinets with class doors on both sides. That overhead cabinet with glass doors would hold glass items -- mostly clear drinking glasses but perhaps a cut glass pitcher and/or some colored glass candy dishes and/or candle holders w/candles -- something both useful and decorative. All the kitchen cabinets would have doors solid so you'd not have a constant struggle to keep all cabinets neat enough for displaying what's behind them. A guest powder room could be accessible from a mud room -- with pretty much wall to wall, floor to ceiling cabinets, including a closet for washer and dryer. The mudroom could b e adjacent to the kitchen accessible via a door beside that room dividing cabinet and also lead to a sun room or a porch or a deck or a patio so the entertaining can be indoor/outdoor.....See MoreMove formal dining room to formal living room.
Comments (11)My questions are: Do you use a dining room? For sit-down dinners, I mean. Do you use a living room? It's certainly thinkable to reconfigure these rooms. Serving and clearing up in a dining room that is farther from the kitchen is a little less convenient than when it's adjacent, although a full-grown butler's pantry could include a dishwasher and sink along with storage for the best china, flatware, and glassware (a very traditional layout in a large home). But if you don't use a dining room now, you probably won't in the future. And is your living room mainly for show (and receiving the pastor, etc.)? So many of us essentially live in our family rooms (which might be the den in your current layout) and only use the official living room for special occasions. Sometimes a family room that is open to the kitchen, plus a den for quiet and privacy, makes the most sense. If expanding the kitchen is the top priority and you don't actually use the living room, this could make sense. Or a living room-dining room combination might make sense. But please think carefully about how you actually live in your house....See Moreterezosa / terriks
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