Is formal diningroom a must in your dream house?

[VegasAngel]

Yes, our dining table is big & needs it''s own space, plus we like to have company. Preferrably I''d like to have a small table in the kichen too as it''s easier with a child.

 

[HollyS]

''Formal'' dining is not a priority to me. A definite eating space that can accomodate guests, holidays, etc., along with a ''breakfast nook'' would be important. If I could have what I want, the family room and eating area would flow right from the kitchen - - not in that very 1970s way, of course.

My personal taste is comfortable and slightly cottage; low on glitz, glamour, and formality.

 

[tigian]

Date: 5/5/2009 11:57:22 AM
Author: princesss
My dream house belongs in my dream life, in which we are fabulously weathy and entertain frequently. So yes, in that life, it''s a must.

In my real life, I don''t really care. I like open floor plans, so as long as I have someplace to put a table big enough to entertain around, I''m fine.

Took the words right out of my mouth!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We have a pool table in our formal dining room

 

[rainwood]

If you never entertain, then a dining room isn''t needed and the only consideration is resale and whether a dining room is considered a ''must have'' in your area/neighborhood. It''s definitely a must have for us because we entertain a lot. And to me a dining room is formal only if you make it formal. It''s just a bigger space than what most eat-in kitchens offer and after that it''s up to you.

I find it interesting that so many people want their dining rooms open to the kitchen. I had that in our previous place and didn''t like it. We made sure our kitchen was big enough that people could sit or stand and have appetizers and drinks, but the dining room is open only to the living room. We even have a door to the kitchen we can slide closed in our current house so no one is looking at dirty dishes, pots and pans when we sit down to eat. But that''s me.

 

[dianne]

In a dream house, probably...but with that dream would come a maid...

but, for reality, we bought the house we have because it didn''t have a formal dining room. I knew it would be wasted space for us.

 

[beau13]

As "Arjunajane" would say..shouldn't this topic be in "Family and Home" not "Hangout"?

lol
Just kidding..I think this is the perfect spot for it...and NO..a formal dining room is not a must for me, we are a "not so formal" family!

 

[bee*]

No, I think that I''d rather a bigger kitchen than having a formal dining room.

 

[kittybean]

In my dream house, yes, I need a formal dining room and space for my fabulous china and silverware. In my ideal "real" house, I just want space for a table for 8-10, whether it''s in a separate room or as part of a "great room."

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I wouldn''t care if we had one if it was just DH and me. We would just hang out in the kitchen/living room, drink & eat and chat. . .however. . .

We have kids, and also host holidays and need some sort of more formal setting.

Oh, and in one of our houses, we turned the formal dining room into a library with books and a seating area! Later we were given a formal table for gatherings.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/5/2009 1:54:08 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
We have a pool table in our formal dining room

There was somewhere I saw a pool table converted into a dinner table for a holiday gathering! Pretty creative idea.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 5/5/2009 3:18:41 PM
Author: MC

Date: 5/5/2009 1:54:08 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

We have a pool table in our formal dining room

There was somewhere I saw a pool table converted into a dinner table for a holiday gathering! Pretty creative idea.

This idea alone makes getting a large formal dining in a dream house room A MUST!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 5/5/2009 2:30:53 PM
Author: beau13
As ''Arjunajane'' would say..shouldn''t this topic be in ''Family and Home'' not ''Hangout''?

lol
Just kidding..I think this is the perfect spot for it...and NO..a formal dining room is not a must for me, we are a ''not so formal'' family!

same here. we eat in the informal breakfast nook.

 

[Haven]

I''m really torn on this issue. We love to entertain, and we have large groups over a lot. Actually, we''ve only been in our house since June and we''ve already hosted two large holidays (Thanksgiving and Passover) and had multiple 20+ people dinner parties in addition to the holidays.

Currently, we have an open floorplan where our dining room flows right into our living room, and I love it. We''re planning on adding on to the back of our house and extending our kitchen and dining room, and opening the two spaces up with a large island between them. HOWEVER, the more I read people''s concerns about everyone seeing them working in the kitchen the more I''m concerned about doing this. SO, I suppose what I''m saying is that I don''t need a formal dining space, but I''m not sure how much I love having my kitchen open to the dining space. We''ll see, I''ll make that decision when we get closer to adding on.

 

[Aloros]

I was just thinking about this recently. Our kitchen has a small space that could be used as an informal eating area - seating 4 people at most probably. We don't have a table here.

The family and dining area are part of one big room. Dining area has pergo, family area has carpet. We eat in the dining area. Ideally, I'd like a formal dining area...or at least more formal than it is now. It's on my to-do list to take out the pergo, put in dark bamboo flooring, and get a nice dining set.

May get rid of the informal kitchen eating area in a future remodel. It's just so small, and I'd prefer a larger kitchen. Not sure what that would do to future resale value though.

 

[luckystar112]

Date: 5/5/2009 1:29:08 PM
Author: HollyS
''Formal'' dining is not a priority to me. A definite eating space that can accomodate guests, holidays, etc., along with a ''breakfast nook'' would be important. If I could have what I want, the family room and eating area would flow right from the kitchen - - not in that very 1970s way, of course.

My personal taste is comfortable and slightly cottage; low on glitz, glamour, and formality.

Ditto this!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 5/5/2009 3:24:48 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis

Date: 5/5/2009 3:18:41 PM

Author: MC

Date: 5/5/2009 1:54:08 PM


Author: Tacori E-ring


We have a pool table in our formal dining room

There was somewhere I saw a pool table converted into a dinner table for a holiday gathering! Pretty creative idea.

This idea alone makes getting a large formal dining in a dream house room A MUST!

Actually it has a top that is a ping pong table so I do use it during thanksgiving (finally found a table cloth big enough). It fits A TON of people.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Yes I have it, but I also use it. Now the formal living room is a waste of space. So if you know you won''t use a certain room try for a house without it. If only houses with it are available be creative, like you already have been, and use it for your piano.

HTH

 

[asscherisme]

I''m sitting in my dining room right now, which I don''t use as a dining room. This is my 3rd house I''ve owned and I have NEVER owned a formal dining room set. Never wanted one. I use to use the dining room in whatever home I owned as a playroom for my kids. Now I use my dining room as a computer lab/den. I have a comfly sofa in here, and 3 computer desks. Just converted it last year. One with my computer on it which the kids are NOT allowed to touch because kids can screw up computers. I also have 2 laptops that that are shared among my 4 kids. My kids are not allowed to take the computers to their rooms. I''m too paranoid to allow that. And this room is a nice quiet place to do homework or if nobody is doing homework they can play games if they want.

My freind think my computer lab/ den is great and I have heard comments from friends about how they regret spending money on a dining room set and making the room into something thats rarely used.

I do have a large kitchen and can fit 12 at my kitchen table with 2 leaves so when I do have guests seating is no problem.

 

[Scorpioanne]

I would love to have a formal dining room as I have an antique dining set, two china cabinets and a tea trolley so to have a place where we could keep that furniture in the grandeur it deserves would be fabulous! We are lucky as it is all from my family, no antique shopping for me.

 

[pennquaker09]

I am a big fan of having dinner parties. This house really isn''t made for entertaining, but it is an awesome family house.

My parents have a dining table that seats 20 without the leaves. We used to always use it and I''m pretty sure Nate''s parents home as a table that seats at least 16 or so. As it is now, we couldn''t invite all of our immediate family. But it''s definitely on my list for the future.