I have an eat-in kitchen, and a dining room. I only use the dining room a handful of times a year, but nevertheless am glad to have it when I need it. I do not though also have stools at a counter, and have never needed them. But really, this depends on your lifestyle, so it’s hard for a person to tell you what would work.

We built new a year ago. In our previous house we had an eat in kitchen as well as a formal dining room. The formal dining room only got used 2 times a year. In the new house we have one dining area with a large table that we can use every day and it is still large enough to handle holiday dinners when there are more people.

yea we currently use the dining room 1 or 2 times a year, its more for looks.

I don't think it's too much if you use all of those seating areas right now. I have a breakfast room for 4-6, a formal dining room for 8-10, and a kitchen island with a deep overhang and 4 stools. I certainly don't "need" both the breakfast room and the dining room, but I think it's nice to have a dedicated space (the dining room) for holidays and dinner parties or brunches. I also like the stools at the island because it keeps the kitchen social while meals are being prepared (we cook a few nights a week). I've definitely seen homes in my area that have all 3 options, or just the counter stools and a single eating area that can be used formally or informally. In my area, the second option (with an island and one table) tends to be in homes with a totally open concept first floor.

Know thyself. If you never use your dining room (1-2x a year is never using it), then why would you want to pay for the square footage to put one in?

I built a 2870 square foot house and have my kitchen with an island and 3 stools and a dining table in the dining area. The table opens up to seat 10 people and I can always angle the table to add another table to add more people. Being I only host a sit down dinner 1x a year, I wasn't about to waste my money on a room I'd only see 1x a year. DH and I eat at our dining table nightly when we eat at home. Breakfast and lunch are either eaten at the island or at our computers. LOL.

When I have guests, my island becomes a buffet serving area.

Especially if you're building a new home, build what works for you!

I think it's personal preference and overall layout of the house that will dictate if you 'need' a formal dining room or not. We only used our formal dining room 1x a year (Thanksgiving) and then the rest of the time, it was a staging area for science fair projects, crafting or anything else myself or kids were working on. New build, I didn't want to heat/cool/clean that square footage. So we have one eating area that is off the kitchen, but is in an area that is expandable to add card tables to seat up to 20 people if we need it. We use our kitchen stools and one dining table all the time. For the science projects/craft stuff we built a dedicated craft area upstairs where all of that stuff collects now. Out of site!

I have all of those things... except there isn’t a dining table in my dining room. My last two homes I’ve used the formal dining area as our music room and my grand piano takes center stage. So, I personally look for homes that have a kitchen large enough to have my large kitchen table (we are a larger family) either in the kitchen or just off of it (like a large breakfast room) PLUS a room to house my piano, and dining rooms have been perfect for that. (My last house had an island but no seating at the island, and I currently have seating for two at my island and it gets used just as often as our kitchen table.) We have actually found it difficult to find homes that can fit both a large kitchen table AND a grand piano.

I love having a real dining room even if we don't use it for actual dining all the time. It's a place where I can decorate for a kid's birthday party days in advance, a place where we can complete large puzzles/crafts, where I can lay out long fabrics and not take over the kitchen island etc. I have also a eat in kitchen and 3 stools at the island. Unfortunately the island counter always has laptops there so we don't sit there for eating much. In the new kitchen (adding on and relocating the kitchen) I'm eliminating the eat in table and adding a larger island...laptops etc will be stored at a near by desk (hidden from the kitchen) and are only allowed at the counter when being used. I don't see why I would still need the eat in kitchen table also as all the spaces flow nicely together.

I agree it is a lifestyle thing. My smallish kitchen does not have a table, but does have a small island - a good place to grab a snack but meals are eaten in the dining room. Because of this my dining room is less formal than many. It is more colonial in style - I could still comfortably entertain there, but it is more casual in style.

If you entertain frequently and need a more formal space, have a formal dining room.

I have seen open plans with too many seating areas all close together. A dining space that is close to and visible to an informal eating area is going to take on the nature of the rest of the space - less formal. Then it is good to ask, how many informal eating areas do I need, and could some of that space be put to better use?

The way people live on average has changed. Most people don't need or use three eating spaces, so there's no point in spending extra money on them. Now if you actually use the island seating, eat-in space, and dining room regularly then it's fine.

It depends how YOU are living. Do you entertain a lot ? If you do, do you like to have a separate place to eat on do you prefer a large space where everything happens.

We dont have a dining room (no place for it and we do not entertain in a way that would require a formal dining room, but if I remember the layout you posted, the island, everyday table and dining table were all within the same room and very close one from the other, so it was not obvious why you needed two tables so close. You probably could have a single table with extensions when you have a large party.

Now, if you have a room for the formal dining room, this is a diifferent question, but you have to figure out whether it is worth it for you (it would not for me even if I had the space, and I know my parents had one, but only used it a few days a year and it would have been better to have a larger kitchen.

We have all 3 (island seating, small round 4 person kitchen table, and large 12 person dining table). And we use them.

Stools at counter for breakfast every day.

Kitchen table for dinner every night for my family of 4.

Dining room for family dinners for 9-11 people 1-2x/month. It's not usually formal plated dinners, but simple things like roast pork, baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli. But it's nice to have everyone sit together. I'm lucky to have a lot of family within a 30 min drive, so it is useful for me. YMMV. Build for the life you have, not the life you want.

I once went to a party at a remodeled older large colonial house. They turned a big chunk of the main floor into an open kitchen-dining room. There was a very long table and I think they seated 30+ people ... it was a long time ago. I never saw how they arrange the space for every day living, but it worked for them as they did a lot of entertaining. They also had a large remodeled party barn on the property that could host very large groups.

I'm with skmom. Our formal dining room is for our 1929 baby grand piano.

I purposely made table seating for 2. The 2 of us use the dining room most dinners. In our home before we had 3 eating areas within sight of each other. It always made me think of a restaurant.

I have only a formal dining room. No eating at the kitchen island, mine is small and I don't care for sitting diner style in my house anyway, makes conversation pretty hard. I wish I had a breakfast room or a kitchen table for the first two meals of the day. We entertain formally fairly often (even when it's just the immediate family, setting a pretty table feels special), so we could not do without an eating space that could accommodate that.

Think about what is best for you. I would imagine two dining areas would be sufficient.

We currently have one dining space that can comfortably seat 10 (more if we squeeze or add folding tables to extend the table), and we love it. We eat there casually when it's just my husband, daughter, and I, and we can leave homework/craft projects going at the other end of the table for those times. It also works for guests (and we usually have guests over for dinner at least once a week). We have no other dining room or island seating and we've never missed it.

In our new house we'll have the same dining table, though we will have some island seating for when my daughter wants to do homework or help while I cook.

To me the key is to question what you really need and want for the way you live, and make decisions accordingly, rather than do things just because it's what you've always done. The posters who've turned their dining rooms into music rooms are doing exactly that. If you only use your dining room 1-2 times per year, I would think hard about whether there are ways to cut down on how many separate seating areas you need and reassign one space to something that will, in Marie Kondo speak, bring you joy every day and enhance how you live. For some that's converting the dining room to a music room or homeschool room; for others it's turning the breakfast nook into a sitting room or an amazing pantry. For you it may be something else entirely.

We have all 3 (island seating, small round 4 person kitchen table, and large 12 person dining table). And we use them.

Build for the life you have, not the life you want.

Very well said. My mother had a U shaped kitchen with a table in it that she and my Dad had dinner at nightly. As well as breakfast and lunch. They had a formal dining room and that room was used EVERY Sunday for family dinners. For them a dining room was a must.

As I said, I never have formal meals or family over weekly. My style is more informal where I have buffet get togethers where everyone takes food from the island and then can sit anywhere they want indoors or out. (The advantages of living in FL). For me a dining room would be a huge waste.

There is no one right or wrong answer but the best one is the one she said just above. Build for the life you have, not the life you think you want.

In our new build we will have one big dining area and stools at the kitchen island. I want no unused spaces -- every room will be used every day.

if we do ditch the formal dining room with, what about the china cabinet and displayed china? can that stay with a casual everyday eating table?

Only you can answer this correctly for your situation. I have always had eat in kitchens until my current home. I personally would rather have one single area for dining that combines the space taken up by our breakfast nook on one side and dining on the opposite side of the kitchen. neither space is large enough for a good size table. And since it's just me and my husband we use the smaller breakfast area. For us a separate dining room is a total waste of good space. But because it is right inside the front entry with French doors it can't really be closed off enough to use as a craft or sewing room or something that would be cluttered. And we have a dedicated office on the other side of the entry.

Last I heard, people buying houses were demanding a separate, defined dining room, even in they didn't plan to actually use it.

I agree that you should build and plan your house as you see fit, but what about when you go to sell?

You would have to post your kitchen/dining layout - I am sure the layout gurus can help you figure out a spot for your displayed china.

We have a breakfast nook within the kitchen in lieu of counter island seating which I find impersonal. It allows for casual breakfasts and lunch actually facing one another. We sit at our “formal” dining table for dinner, which can seat up to 12. Like others said, it’s a personal choice.

Is there a reason that you can't have a china cabinet to store and display china in a dining room you use every day? Then you'd be able to see and enjoy it.

If I remember your layout correctly, I would actually keep the larger dining room and plan that it would be your daily use dining area in addition to being used for more formal dining. It's equally close to the kitchen as the breakfast area. You'd still have the island seating for quick in-kitchen eating. Then you could use the breakfast area as additional kitchen space.

I detest counter seating (feel as if I'm in a diner or bar), have a kitchen table for day to day meals, and a dining room for "dining" rather than merely eating.

if we do ditch the formal dining room with, what about the china cabinet and displayed china? can that stay with a casual everyday eating table?

Of course. Did you notice how I built a niche for my buffet? Nowadays you can mix and match.

Last I heard, people buying houses were demanding a separate, defined dining room, even in they didn't plan to actually use it.

I agree that you should build and plan your house as you see fit, but what about when you go to sell?

Sorry I haven't heard that at all. In my neck of the woods most people are redesigning without a formal dining room.

I have no formal dining room and I bet I have no problem when I go to sell.

yes,i see that niche. works nice. I almost feel like with less room to work with it would be alot easier. i have this kitchen and this massive dining room, even if we lose the eat in kitchen and eat all meals in the dining room, its just too big and not part of the kitchen enough for your quick meals...

im trying to come up with something where maybe i move the kitchen down 3-6 feet and into the dining room. I do need a bigger pantry anyway, and would love a huge one to take over some of the storage i would have to use the garage for (bulk paper towels, waters, etc).

but i then would have all this dead space then between the current butlers pantry and the new island. its too much square footage for just a kitchen and a dining area. 27x16 (current kitchen) - 17x20 (current dining), maybe i make the front room bigger and play around with shapes of pantry / kitchen walls.

If separate/defined formal dining rooms are coming back, that is news to me. From my understanding, it is the opposite. Most people I know building new homes are opting against separate dining rooms.

I do think it depends on your lifestyle....no right or wrong. Our last home had a formal dining room that we never used, so we had no desire to have one when we built our new home. That said, if we were shopping for an existing home, a formal dining room wouldn’t keep me from buying a house. I do see it as wasted space in our case. If a home does have a formal dining room, I prefer it to be easily accessible to the kitchen, while still being separate from the main living space. I have been in many model homes, and I really don’t understand having the kitchen island seating, informal dining, and formal dining all very open and connected to eachother. It just looks like an “L” shape of tables and seating....I don’t get the appeal.

With more and more people wanting to have the kitchen not really OPEN to the whole house, the dining room is coming back up in need? It's just nice to have a place to put even one extra couple that might drop in around meal time, where one doesn't have to clean off the bar, or scrunch a chair into a table for 4 or 6 in a 'nook' area. The dining room is where the kids went if they had a big school project to create, the grandkids play board games, the company sits & visits, and if the grandparents come, they always prefer sitting at the dining room table, where the chairs are sturdy and have arm rests so they can get up and down easily, but most of all, in the dining room the acoustics are usually better, with walls on at least 2 sides, if not all 4 of the table, the hearing aid work better, my Grandmother always said! and it must be true, because that is the room most of our visiting takes place in whether it is business, family or a party. Just make sure you have a nice family friendly comfortable chair seating and do keep that dining room a welcoming place for any generation as needed, including yourself...(and between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is gift wrap central! LOL) so it is the office, the game room, the parlor, and the go to place...not JUST the "dining room" in a house that doesn't have all those other specialized rooms. It's the flex room.

For resale value if the other homes have formal dining rooms, you may regret not having one in your new home should you need to sell it. You may have difficulty selling your home or will have to reduce the price even if your home is the same square footage , number of bedrooms and baths, Just because it is called a dining room, if you don't think you will use it, or you don't entertain or have more formal dinners, use the dining room for another purpose. If you want a dining room only for occasional entertaining but want to use the space, I have designed dining rooms with library walls, and beautiful lighting. A chandelier and table in the center can be used for a library/or study room. It is a way to get more use out of the room and there may be photos of library /dining rooms posted on Houzz.

As redsilver above suggested, consider it a flex room, a room with a table can have many uses. It could be an occasional office or homework room if you have school aged children. I have had homes with all three dining areas and enjoyed using all three for different types of meals and entertaining.

It depends on so many factors. If you live in a 4-5000 square foot home then yes i believe it makes sense to dedicate one (of the likely many) rooms you don’t use daily to a dining room. I think the trend toward no separate dining room is partially because many people prefer to have their casual meals at an island rather than at a smaller eat in table. In our home the island replaced the too small eat in kitchen table. We made the dining room part of the kitchen - large expandable dining table stayed as did the china cabinet. We can still expand to host holidays and eat daily dinner together comfortably. Essentially we created a kitchen and dining room in one. We are a family of 6 living in a 2800 sq ft home. We don’t have enough square footage to have a large room go unused! In a different home we’d have come up with a different solution. So it all depends on your layout, house size, family size and age etc if you have too many eating spaces near each other. It’s really whatever works for you.

What do you like and what can you afford? I have a breakfast room, no table or island seating in the kitchen, and a formal DR. I will always have a formal DR as I like to entertain more formally, even if only 2-3 times yearly. I look at it as one does an evening gown; if the event calls for it, you need it, even if only ever 2-3 years! But if money is a serious concern, think about where you really, really need space.

It’s a lifestyle preference. I have a large open concept living, formal dining and breakfast room. I love to entertain formally and use both formal and casual tables and then use the island bar for buffets. I have stools at the bar for guests or family to chat while I am cooking.
My challenge is how to better utilize all the extra space in the breakfast room. I want more cabinets but don’t want to lose my Nantucket beading. Floating shelves are an option but they are dust collectors.

I live in Australia, where the average new house size is starting to shrink, not increase (bye-bye McMansions), so I suspect the demand for rooms that are surplus to requirements for day to day living will likewise shrink. I personally want a dining area that works both for daily meals and the occasional dinner party, because that's how we live. (No one our age uses bar stools for actual eating).