Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?

[Anonymous]

White Americans don’t have dinner parties anymore. A formal dining room is pretty much obsolete!

[Anonymous]

Our formal dining room really functions as a study space. The kids have books and papers everywhere. One DC is into art, so it’s also a great studio space. For our family, it’s really nice to have this big with Take that we don’t need to clear off at dinner. I’d carve some kind of unique space next to the kitchen. It could be a study, a library, a sunroom, or a playroom. It just needs to be big enough to fit a table and 8 chairs when you stage the house to sell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our formal dining room really functions as a study space. The kids have books and papers everywhere. One DC is into art, so it’s also a great studio space. For our family, it’s really nice to have this big with Take that we don’t need to clear off at dinner. I’d carve some kind of unique space next to the kitchen. It could be a study, a library, a sunroom, or a playroom. It just needs to be big enough to fit a table and 8 chairs when you stage the house to sell.

Same. My DH often works from home in our office and I’m usually busy cooking after picking the kids up from school, so they usually meet with their tutors in our formal dining room. This is at least twice a week. We also use the formal dining room for actual dinner parties a couple times a year. Typically we just eat our family dinner together in our eat-in kitchen. Lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]That would be awful, but you do you. We yse the dining room daily.

[/b]

Op, you can do anything you want but you do affect resale value because there will always be families, like ours, who want a dining room. I wouldn’t even go to see this house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback

No they're not. They've been cashed in for offices or guest rooms for quite some time now. Most people do not want a formal dining room anymore.

It’s swung back again. Dining rooms are en vogue for multimillion dollar properties. Maybe not smaller homes that have to maximize efficiency?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:White Americans don’t have dinner parties anymore. A formal dining room is pretty much obsolete!

A lot of people aren't cooking any more. No need for a formal dining room when celebratory meals are eaten out. And if people only get together for holidays no use in wasting a whole room that is used so infrequently. Like having a guest room if you never have guests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback

No they're not. They've been cashed in for offices or guest rooms for quite some time now. Most people do not want a formal dining room anymore.

It’s swung back again. Dining rooms are en vogue for multimillion dollar properties. Maybe not smaller homes that have to maximize efficiency?

Not really. People are building out kitchens to be even bigger with massive butler pantries, prep kitchens, large breakfast nooks to accommodate a bigger table, and huge islands. No need for a separate dining room.

[Anonymous]

For the 2 million plus price point, I would make sure there is a room someone could use as a formal dining room, but I would use it differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the 2 million plus price point, I would make sure there is a room someone could use as a formal dining room, but I would use it differently.

$2m pp? You get crap for $2m now. This is not year 2010.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the 2 million plus price point, I would make sure there is a room someone could use as a formal dining room, but I would use it differently.

$2m pp? You get crap for $2m now. This is not year 2010.

That house is just tall with 3 floors. Rather than have a bunch of tiny chopped up rooms, they planned for a large 2nd suite on the first floor so the builders must know that is what the people want. Perhaps a lot of multi generational families buying at that price point who need more first floor sleeping space than extra dining space or formal sitting.

[Anonymous]

We entertain a lot and most of the time we serve food buffet style. Our kitchen island is the place where we stage the appetizers, the formal dining area is where we set the buffet on chafing dishes and the breakfast area is where we put all the desserts. We have another table where we set the drinks. It keeps people flowing...

We have a formal sitting room, a family room and a study converted to a sitting area...so between these 5 areas - there is enough place for people to sit, socialize and eat. - indoors and on the main floor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback

No they're not. They've been cashed in for offices or guest rooms for quite some time now. Most people do not want a formal dining room anymore.

People who buy $3.6 million homes are not like your friends.

[Anonymous]

It could easily be added on/remodeled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback

ITA. For a house this size IMHO it's negative to not have a formal dining room. It's totally ok for a smaller home where you have spaces have double function or switch the function of spaces. But when someone goes all the way out to build over 8K sq.ft. which is a huge home by any standards, with all sorts of luxury features and one-purpose rooms, it's stupid to not have a formal dining room. I am fine dealing with using our regular table for a formal dinner (we have a few family gatherings each year) since I have a small house. But if I spent millions to build I would want a formal dining room for hosting. I would hate to deal with cleaning up the usual family daily stuff like laptops, books, mail, etc (a small house problem ) after having dished out millions for a house when I have people over for dinner. I would absolutely use a formal dining room a lot more in that case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could easily be added on/remodeled.

Cool, but it costs money on top of already hefty price of a build. Why would you build a custom home without this? Why would you need a library more than a formal dining room? I get the usability of ground floor main bedroom suites, but I don't get why you would have a library and not a dining room in an 8K sq.ft. house. Much smaller homes have formal dining rooms. And they are useful if you have guests over even for a casual gathering, because your main "breakfast table" doesn't need to be cleared and you don't even need to tidy up your kitchen, as you won't see your counters and casual family table from your dining room.

It's great to not have to prepare for guests, but always have a nice tidy dining place without daily clutter. I think maybe this is a reason formal spaces like sitting rooms and dining rooms are making a come back. If you are loaded to afford huge new builds and you are busy, you can separate family utility places from formal guest places. Even having a friend over for a takeout is easier in a formal dining room.