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Old 08-05-2015, 06:17 PM
Status: "Mistress of finance and foods." (set 16 days ago)
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
49,996 posts, read 63,313,910 times
Reputation: 92465

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I think a big table is important, either for a family with kids, or for occasional visitors. A home should always have a place where people can eat food and look across a table at each other.
In my current favorite home improvement show, Fixer Upper, I notice there is always a big, long dining table somewhere in the public spaces. This is a good thing, whether or not there is a separate room to house it.
It seems almost tribal. I think every family should sit around the table, at least a few times a week, and share experiences.
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Old 08-05-2015, 08:26 PM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,728 posts, read 74,675,578 times
Reputation: 66665
Quote:
Originally Posted by reneeh63 View Post
"Formal dining room" is totally wasted space...just like a "front living room" - both are for show only.
Not if you use them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton View Post
Honestly the mega-kitchen thing in newer construction has always confused me. I mean, more counterspace is always better. But Americans are eating out more than ever, and cooking at home less and less. There's no reason the kitchen should be one of the larger rooms in a house.
LOL. Oh, the irony ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Girl View Post
But those of us who cook at home 95% of the time enjoy our big kitchens. We also like our big kitchen because during parties (of which we host a few) it's the place most people congregate and socialize.
I have a big kitchen, with space for a table. I also have a dining room. Why not have -- and use -- both?
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Old 08-05-2015, 08:32 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,104 posts, read 80,174,082 times
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We use our formal dining room - on Thanksgiving and Christmas with about 14 people for dinner. The rest of the year it's either left alone, or used by my wife for cutting fabric.
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Old 08-05-2015, 10:29 PM
 
Location: southwestern PA
22,254 posts, read 47,182,535 times
Reputation: 47168
Kinda funny...

People who call it a dining room seem to actually USE the room (and for things other than dining).
People who call it a formal dining room rarely use it at all!

Maybe making it less formal will increase its usage?
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Old 08-05-2015, 10:48 PM
 
Location: Folsom
5,128 posts, read 9,785,404 times
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I eat in my dining room, and drink coffee, and read, and hang out with friends/family, and... It's one of my favorite places to relax as it's right next to the slider which I can open when the weather is nice.
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Old 08-06-2015, 07:45 AM
 
Location: The analog world
17,077 posts, read 13,262,776 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Girl View Post
But those of us who cook at home 95% of the time enjoy our big kitchens. We also like our big kitchen because during parties (of which we host a few) it's the place most people congregate and socialize.
I have a small kitchen with no space for a table or bar, and I prepare most meals at home. My dining room, however, is generously sized and casually decorated. I'm a Midwestern girl at heart. There's little formal about me, including my dining room, but it is completely separate from the kitchen. Guests always end up sitting in the dining room, which is one of the first rooms you encounter after entering my house. They never seem to make it all the way to the living room.

Last edited by randomparent; 08-06-2015 at 09:04 AM..
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Old 08-06-2015, 08:26 AM
 
Location: Florida
4,103 posts, read 5,392,674 times
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My issue is homebuilders have made diningrooms so little that theyre completely useless when you have a family gathering. My dining room (as are most homes in my area) can barely fit a 6 person table with a china cabinet. When we have thanksgiving dinner it is typically a 10-15 person gathering. So we have to stretch out a folding table across our kitchen/living room and it looks absurd.
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Old 08-06-2015, 09:37 AM
 
117 posts, read 92,209 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thecoalman View Post
We have a formal dining room but it opens to the kitchen which has no table.
We have too normal dining table. I don't like to have my meal with all.
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Old 08-06-2015, 10:28 AM
 
Location: southwestern PA
22,254 posts, read 47,182,535 times
Reputation: 47168
Quote:
Originally Posted by thatguydownsouth View Post
My issue is homebuilders have made diningrooms so little that theyre completely useless when you have a family gathering. My dining room (as are most homes in my area) can barely fit a 6 person table with a china cabinet. When we have thanksgiving dinner it is typically a 10-15 person gathering. So we have to stretch out a folding table across our kitchen/living room and it looks absurd.
So true.
That is the reason we just redid ours.

The new dining room has an almost 10' table with ten chairs around it. More can be fit in as needed. And everyone can get up to refill their plates/move around without disturbing others.
Sooooo nice!
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Old 08-06-2015, 10:28 AM
 
Location: I am right here.
4,977 posts, read 5,722,543 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WoodburyWoody View Post
We did.

Our current house has no formal dining room, but an open floor plan across the back half of the main floor of kitchen>eating area>family room. The kitchen and dining area share a wood floor, the family room is carpeted. .
This is how my house is. I have a HUGE kitchen with an island, and that flows into the eating area, which flows into the family room. I have a table in the eating area that can expand to seat 14 for holidays. I do not have a separate room for a formal dining room - intentionally. When we built the house, the original plans called for it. We re-did the plans to eliminate it and expand the actual day to day living areas - the family room and daily eating areas.


Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyJet View Post
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Anniversary's New Years Eve we use dining room to make it fancy.

Kids do homeworks and projects on it inbetween.

I be pissed if one of my kids when they got married got rid of dining room as it means they are lazy pieces of crap who never plan on hosting a thanksgiving or christmas
Yeah, sorry - I got rid of the dining room, but I still host several holidays for 20 people. I do not need a dining room for that, simply a large eating area next to the kitchen (which also has an island and a counter to seat an additional 6 people.


What is really kind of funny is that I now eat virtually every meal while sitting on the couch.....
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