Anonymous
02/21/2026 00:01
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
I think a lot of people don’t care these days. We have a relatively small house we’ve lived in for 20 years. DH wanted to take down the wall between the kitchen and dining room to combine the spaces and have a bigger kitchen. We owned a gorgeous formal dining set from our previous home so I didn’t want to give up a formal dining area. I envisioned lots of formal holiday meals and worried it would hurt resale. 20 years later I kick myself because we entertain once a year but I use the kitchen 365 days. I see now that most of my neighbors did open the spaces and have had no issue selling. I think formal dining rooms aren’t a requirement anymore. I’d just want to make sure my kitchen had space for a really large table.
Anonymous
02/20/2026 23:39
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
If you are buying a $3mil house, you own dining room furniture, china, crystal, and silver. You expect the house to acommodate that.
Anonymous
02/20/2026 23:35
Subject: Re:Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mistake. Doing rooms are making a comeback
In some design magazine?
In real life, people have never been trending further away from serving and hosting formal meals and formal spaces in their day to day life. For better or worse.
Not in our area. People have dinner parties all the time. They love to break out the china - if you have it, use it! We use our dining room at least once a week for a nice meal.
Anonymous
02/18/2026 18:02
Subject: Re:Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
Anonymous wrote: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.
People who like this have their lives revolve around kitchens and like to invite their guests to be around kitchens. It's a lifestyle choice, but it's not for everyone and not every guest likes it even if they will never tell you. Let me be brutally honest. As a guest I don't want to hang out in your kitchen. I don't want to see you cook, clean up, while you are trying to talk to me and be feeling guilty I have to help you. Of course I will offer to help! But I don't really want to, I didn't come to your place to do domestic chores. Unless we are very close for decades (best friends) or you are family, I would prefer to go out to eat every time as opposed to coming to your home.
Anonymous
02/18/2026 17:54
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We are planning to build in the 22101. Our proposed first floor layout includes an enclosed library, a formal dining room open to the family room, a breakfast area open to a chef’s kitchen with a 9-foot island seating four, a prep kitchen, and a bedroom with a full bath and closet.
Given this layout, do we still need a separate living room on the first floor?
Yes... unless you want to tidy up your family room each time you have anyone over. I'd make the library double as a former sitting room. Having books on the shelves instead of the TV (common for family rooms) and nice cozy furniture and art would create a great place to hang out. Have it connected with your formal dining room, and do not have your dining room face the family room and casual dining area. Even if you do not drink still have a wet bar in between your library/sitting room and your dining room, so that you could serve beverages and meal containers without going to the kitchen.
Dining and sitting areas that are aesthetically pleasing and flow into each other and don't provide a view of family clutter is what I call luxury, that's expected when you spend money on home. Hosting your guests in your informal family room spaces is what I associate with apartment living (where I spent most of my life) and small urban homes, or empty nester homes.
The wealthy don't have tiny cluttered little homes with chopped up rooms. Why is your family room a mess? Too small or can't afford someone to tidy it up? You're not the people who can afford the $3M home.
You are so wealthy that you can afford full time staff going around tidying up and picking up after everyone, but you cannot afford to put a dining room in your mansion?
Anonymous
02/18/2026 17:49
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This sounds like the no bathtub trend.
+1
+2. These "trends" are understandable for when you have to build apartments or other limited space homes. For a house in multimillion price range in residential area there shouldn't even be the concept of compromise when it comes to these features (that aren't even luxuries).
Anonymous
02/18/2026 17:45
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If I were building a house I would not include a formal dining room. It's simply not the way we live anymore.
Do you not have dinner parties?
You don't need dinner parties to use your dining room. You can use it casually.
Anonymous
02/14/2026 14:59
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
Anonymous wrote:If I were building a house I would not include a formal dining room. It's simply not the way we live anymore.
Do you not have dinner parties?
Anonymous
02/14/2026 14:57
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
That house is a travesty. Never mind a dining room.
Anonymous
02/14/2026 08:36
Subject: Is it ok to build a new house without a formal dining area?
I don’t care for formal dining rooms, but I still think it’s a mistake not to include one, especially at that price point. The best layout I’ve seen in a new build had one that was more of a flex space and could be converted to an office. This was around $1M though. A $3.6M house should have both.