Do you have a separate dining room? How often do you use it? Daily? Weekly? Or only a handful of times when family comes to dine for holiday meals? A distinct space for dining has persisted in homes throughout the last century, despite the fact that fewer families eat together at the same time in the same place.
A few theories exist for why it was necessary to have walls between the dining room and kitchen. One popular guess is that when the breadwinner came home they’d want to enjoy their meal far from the mess and smell of the kitchen. Besides the risk of transporting and spilling food, we think separate dining rooms aren’t as idyllic as they used to be. Why do you want a life sized museum display of how families used to eat?
The open concept kitchen rules these days. Consider knocking down a few walls and expanding the kitchen into this space. There will still be space for all of your needs. You can have two dining areas, one at the counter or island and another within the open concept kitchen to dine, do homework, or pay bills.
Be realistic about the number of times you have actually used your formal dining room. Is it just a place to house fine china? That is precious square footage that should be working in the interest of you and your family – so consider talking to a professional about reconfiguring your unused dining room.
Even if you decide not to knock down walls to expand your kitchen, your formal dining room can transform into a child’s or grandchild’s playroom, library, office, craft room, gym, or art studio.
In conclusion, our top 5 reasons to ditch the dining room are:
- You need the space for your open concept kitchen
- They’re usually carpeted – which is not ideal for serving food
- Your family spends less time there than in any other room of the house
- You need the space for a home office, art studio, library, etc.
- You could transform the space into an extra bedroom for a growing family or aging relative
Call Castle Builds at (303) 944-0488 to discuss your dining room do-over.
