Do you need a formal dining room?
Back at Rehkamp Larson, Matt and I flipped through Jean’s first draft of our floor plans, while talking eating spaces: informal, formal, island seating, or maybe a breakfast nook?
Our conversation sort of made me laugh. Because this wasn’t the life I’d mapped out for myself. Not too long ago I lived in a friend’s furnished attic. It was all I could afford, as, like most recent grads, I was strapped for cash. Then I married Matt and my surroundings shifted dramatically. Most of the time I feel lucky. But occasionally, slightly disoriented.
Island seating, we decided, was out. Because we’ve got it now, and too often I clean while our children eat. It’s all about convenience.
I want to celebrate food in our home. Good food. What it is, and how to make it.
A booth I like, especially Liz’s, pictured below, which has a built in bench around it. According to her, it’s the perfect way to contain kids. Which appeals to us, since ours usually end up under the table.
Some consider a formal dining room a waste of space: after all, how often does your family wander in there? But I love a good dinner party, far, far away from the kitchen, where I can’t see the mess I’ve made. The pans I’ve burned. The flour the kids spilled on the floor. Especially on holidays, when you lengthen your table to hold family and friends.
But our home plans came back with more square footage than we’d like. And something must go. The key to a Not So Big House is not to have spaces that duplicate function.
Would you cut a formal dining room?
PS: After much debate, Matt and I decided to set our home traditionally on the lot. He, I think, is too traditional to turn it, and I’m too much of a privacy freak to have windows that face our neighbors’ home.
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I already tweeted my preference, but I LOVE the idea of a built in bench. That is awesome. We have a large island where we always end up eating and I really regret that. We all sit next to each other but no eye contact. We have a dining room table but hardly use it. Its awesome you are focusing so much on how you want to experience dining, etc. So fun!
i live in a one-bedroom apartment in nyc so i am jealous of your undertaking here! the booth-bench style in the kitchen and your focus on the celebration of food sounds wonderful.
I like the formal dining room and would not cut it. I am with you on the dinner party thing. I don’t use mine much but it sure is nice to have when I want it. You are building a home that you will be in for a long time (hopefully) so make sure you put everything in it you could / would need now and in the future.
Personally, We would do without the formal dining room and instead incorporate that square footage into the living/family room. That’s where we do most of our living! My mom, on the other hand, would LOVE to have a formal dining room. Tough decision!
I totally agree with Mama Monkey its a tough decision!! For the most part families spend there time in the living/family room or den area what ever the case may be so you wouldn’t want to take away from that space but you don’t want to rule out the possibility of ever having a formal dinner party in a formal dinning room by cutting it out altogether. Good luck with your decision =)
I love dinner parties, so I would definitely keep the formal dining room. I was also thinking that as a mom, I walk around with spit up on me all day, cooing and playing dolls with my girls, and I love it. But every now and then, I’d like to put on my lil black dress, and invite some friends over with tons of food and a nice bottle of wine and have fun in my formal dining room.
We are choosing a formal dining room as well. I just need a table that sits 14! I totally plan on having a large extended family when the kids are married!
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http://momcents.com/2010/08/269/
I don’t have a formal dining room and would love one. We have a dining room tables squeezed in the corner of another room.
Stopping from Mom Loop!
I have used the formal DR twice in 3 years…I don’t think I am a formal person. But I adore dinner parties…just casual ones!
My parent’s always had a formal dining area in a nook off the living room. I liked that because it wasn’t a wasted space since it wasn’t a whole separate room. They have a table that the sides fold down and my Mom can move it around for buffets, parties, or just to hold a fabulous centerpiece. One year we put a small Christmas tree on it and decorated it with themed ornaments for fun. It was accessible which kept it from being too formal. I try to create the same atmosphere now. I LOVE the breakfast nook/bench. You are more compelled to sit down with the kids but without the formality of a huge table every night. Plus, benches/tables are great for arts & crafts projects on winter days.
the booth is a must. a must, I tell you. if we had the space I would totally do that. and I’ve got to say, I think the formal dining is a good thing, you’ll be really happy to have it when you need it.
Planning a new home is so much fun. I love having a huge eat in kitchen. I’ve had a dining room in the past and it became an unused room. At our current home I made the dining room a more formal sitting room.
Thanks for sharing your adventure. I’m glad to have found you at BF.
Even though it sometimes feels like a waste of space, I sort of like the idea of having a dining room. I guess for me it would just depend if we planned on being there for 5 years or for 80.
We don’t have a formal dining area, but if we had more square footage I’d love one. I love to entertain and I find that I do almost all of my entertaining in the summer because we have a big deck off the kitchen and a fairly decent size yard. So the only way to comfortably have about 6 or more over is to entertain outside. Good luck with your new home, I’d love to have your challenges right now.
Thanks for stopping by my blog from Mom Loop.
We hardly use our formal dining room, but its great for holidays and special occassions. I pretty sure that I’d get one in a new house too!
Good luck on your house adventure!
Love the booth, my in laws have one and we call it the nook. Its the best, just think of the fabric you could use! Have to have the formal dinning room! If you have too much space could you throw in a butler’s pantry?
We have booth style seating in our kitchen, it’s a god send when the kids have friends over to eat. You’ll love it.
…just a suggestion…count the number of steps you will need to take each day…three times a day plus snack…between the kitchen table and sink, stove and refrigerator…and if you will need to walk around an island to get to the table…now multiply the number of steps by seven days a week by fifty two weeks a year by twenty years…I’m soooooo glad my kitchen table was close to the sink, stove and refrigerator when the children were home…saved many, many steps over the years!!!…what a life saver!!!…as for the formal dining room…definitely!!!…it’s a place where you can showcase your beautiful dishes and candlesticks!!!…hugs…
Our formal dining room is a great place to fold laundry. I’d use the space another way or eliminate it if you are trying to cut footage.
Hello – I am undecided about the dining room…one because I don’t have one therefore, I’d love one, and two I know in our house (as we contimplate the idea of a second story), we can not really have one. Our option, and this doesn’t help the hide the kitchen mess as you pointed out, but we are making our existing dining room longer. Then when we have events we can add table space, but when we don’t need it, we’ll have a Mature sitting area for us to sit and read, have a glass of wine etc.!! Good luck!!
Personally, I want all the space in my house to be functional and usable. So If I were designing a house I wouldn’t have a formal living room or formal dining room. We don’t do formal entertaining – but you might. You need to consider your own lifestyle.
I loved the way the kitchen and dining room was set up in my last house. We did have a huge island, but the majority of our meals were eaten at our big farm table – which is where I set it up. I’ll send you pics.
I love the idea of a breakfast nook. I’m more of a nester who likes cozy spaces than a formal kind of girl.
I’m sure that you will end up with something just fabulous!!
i think the comment i just wrote was lost…so I’ll just tell you I’m thankful I found your blog! Really enjoy it! We have a nook with a booth and LOVE it! Following you now from blog frog! ~Kimberly
I agree with you on the formal dining room. When I was growing up we had a booth in our kitchen and that is one thing I would’ve liked in our house now.
I would cut the formal dining room and perhaps have a library or office instead. Every party always ends up in the kitchen. I would like to have just one family table.
I would cut the formal dining room and make it an office or a sewing room
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
I would put a smaller eating area in the kitchen (a booth sounds great!) for breakfast as kids roll out of bed and lunches when not everyone is home (school days). We use our dining room most nights for dinner – and I LOVE not seeing the mess in the kitchen!
I’m with you. I admit I don’t use my dinning room too often, but I do love it. I love the long, lingering dinners with friends. I love the family holiday meals. It is a must in our house!
Hi!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I think its important to have a formal dinning room table, you might be thumping yourself on the head come the holidays when you don’t have that space. As for us we have a lack of space and no dinning area anymore…not since the baby was born and its become the play area.
Heather from Mommy Only Has Two Hands!
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I have a raised ranch with a formal living room and a kitchen with a dining area off to the side (all open). I’m wondering if I should convert my living room (which I hardly use) into a formal dining room. I have the opportunity to inherit a beautiful oriental style dining set, but I think it would look to “fancy” as part of the kitchen. Should I eliminate my living room and turn it into a formal dining room?