You’re probably familiar with the nostalgic scene of a family gathered around a dining room table stuffed with food served on fine china. Eating at this setting was usually reserved for special occasions like holidays, and the room was otherwise largely ignored on other days. Now, fewer and fewer newly constructed homes actually have dining rooms. In medieval Europe, meals were usually communal and were served in the kitchen. Once the Victorian era rolled around and single-family homes became more common, there was a separate room for dining. The dining room was meant to be formal, a place where the furniture was high quality, displaying the finest glassware and cutlery. After World War II, the rise of suburban homes embraced open-plan living, which began to blur the lines between the kitchen, dining and living spaces. People would still eat together at the table, but that table was no longer placed in its own room. Today, with the size of new homes down by 100 square feet and dedicated family meal time becoming fairly rare, it doesn’t make sense for modern homes to include a room dedicated to group dining.
Dining Rooms Are Disappearing From Homes
You’re probably familiar with the nostalgic scene of a family gathered around a dining room table stuffed with food served on fine china. Eating at this setting was usually reserved for special occasions like holidays, and the room was otherwise largely ignored on other days. Now, fewer and fewer newly constructed homes actually have dining rooms. In medieval Europe, meals were usually communal and were served in the kitchen. Once the Victorian era rolled around and single-family homes became more common, there was a separate room for dining. The dining room was meant to be formal, a place where the furniture was high quality, displaying the finest glassware and cutlery. After World War II, the rise of suburban homes embraced open-plan living, which began to blur the lines between the kitchen, dining and living spaces. People would still eat together at the table, but that table was no longer placed in its own room. Today, with the size of new homes down by 100 square feet and dedicated family meal time becoming fairly rare, it doesn’t make sense for modern homes to include a room dedicated to group dining.