What happened to dining rooms?

[FUEGO]

I wonder if anyone here still likes going over to someone's house (not family) and having a sit-down dinner at a dining table in a dining room other than me? Pretty traditional I agree, but if you have good conversationalists there it can be a blast...or I hope so. I've always enjoyed attending these dinners even if the food is mediocre.
I'd hate to see this social activity die with the times myself.

+1 for me. I much prefer this format versus meeting friends at a loud bar. The dinner format isn't really relevant - it's the conversation and social interaction that is important.

 

[IndependentlyPoor]

I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than to have friends over for dinner and talk, and I'd be willing to bet that Orchidflower is a master at it. I just like the open plan better, and think that a beautifully set table is just as delightful whether separated from the kitchen by a door or just an island.

Hey, no worries! There are plenty of houses (and buyers) for both approaches.

 

[Orchidflower]

Just noticed that many of the positive responses about dinner and conversation were from men...that is so cool!

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I live in a spec house built in 2004. I have a great room which comprises a dining area (large table with seating for 8) and a living room(large sectional, never sit here unless I have company). I also have an eat in kitchen with room for a table and 4 chairs (could fit six chairs if I did not have an antique corner cupboard sharing the space). A den is incorporated into the kitchen design and this is where I have a couch, TV, gas fireplace and a coffee table...I am a bit embarrassed to admit that the coffee table is where I eat most of my meals. The most practical thing for my lifestyle would be a breakfast bar in the kitchen with a couple of bistro chairs.

 

[BUM]

My dining room just got 3 coats of paint (moroccan spice)

I'm getting used to it. I think I like it. You could splash spaghetti sauce on it and not notice... thats a good thing.

 

[Marie]

I wonder if anyone here still likes going over to someone's house (not family) and having a sit-down dinner at a dining table in a dining room other than me? Pretty traditional I agree, but if you have good conversationalists there it can be a blast...or I hope so. I've always enjoyed attending these dinners even if the food is mediocre.
I'd hate to see this social activity die with the times myself.

I like that, too. It doesn't have to be a dining ROOM but even some dedicated dining area. Is fun.

 

[FUEGO]

Just noticed that many of the positive responses about dinner and conversation were from men...that is so cool!

We just had dinner and played board games at an old high school friend's new house this past Saturday. Hadn't seen her in 12 years since HS! They just built the house, and it is a fairly large house for the area (double the median housing value). I'm not sure what other rooms she has in the house, but she had a dinner table adjacent to the kitchen.

We spent the evening sitting at her dinner table having dinner*, drinking wine, and playing games. But the best entertainment was the conversations we had, catching up on 12 years of life, and each of us getting to know the other one's spouse. We didn't leave till almost 3:00 in the morning.



* pizza was served. The people make the event, not fancy meals.

 

[Orchidflower]

My dining room just got 3 coats of paint (moroccan spice)

I'm getting used to it. I think I like it. You could splash spaghetti sauce on it and not notice... thats a good thing.

Decorati | Moroccan Spice by Benjamin Moore

Nice color really. Warm and that will make folks more stimulated to eat, which is why restaurants use red or orange for decor often (FYI in case you didn't know that). When you sell restaurants you have alot of time waiting for the owners to come give you a check, so I picked up their reading material and learned this trivia.

 

[HFWR]

My dining room just got 3 coats of paint (moroccan spice)

I'm getting used to it. I think I like it. You could splash spaghetti sauce on it and not notice... thats a good thing.

I chose my new floor tile based on the color - coffee with cream...

 

[Kronk]

Our new house has a dining room -- but it also has an enormous eat-in kitchen area. We'll be buying a large table (around 10' long) as our kitchen table. We also have an island with stools for additional seating..

Going from the kitchen through the butler's panty leads one into the nominal dining room. But that is going to become our home theater room...

 

[jIMOh]

Just found this thread, here is my $.02

It depends on when the house was built, and what the family which built the house "wanted" at the time.

I bought a 3400 sq ft home in 2005.
It has 2.5 bath, 4 BR, an office, dining room, living room, great room and a bonus room upstairs over garage.

When we looked, most other floor plans offered some of the above, but not all the above. For example we could get an office, but not bonus room, or a dining room or an office.

The common trend is to build big kitchens with a morning room attached. We did not do this... so the dining room is important if we have company (our kitchen might fit a 4x6 table, maybe 4x8). We do entertain some (thanksgiving, birthday parties, out of town family, a couple summer parties) where having the dining room get used helps, but 350 days a year its just space I pay property taxes on.

So if kitchen can hold a big table, why also have space set aside for a dining room? In most ranches I see, the dining room is still there, but its smaller than my current kitchen... and if someone needs an office in an older house, the dining room is probably among first rooms to get compromised.

 

[Meadbh]

Going ....... through the butler's panty ....

 

[Westernskies]

Goingthrough the butler's panty

Wonder if the maid knew he was wearing hers?