DUE FOR A REVIVAL
A more formal place for family meals is on many homeowners’ wish lists
For many overscheduled families, “dining” has been reduced in recent years to grabbing a plate of food at a kitchen island or on an ottoman in front of a screen. Even in homes that have a separate dining room, the table is regularly commandeered for homework or, at this time of year, as a tax-prep command center.
But there are signs that we are heading back to the dinner table, designers say. Their clients are tiring of grabbing meals in the “great room,” a more informal, open space that often accommodates drive-by eating and lounging. Or they’re annoyed with noisy restaurants and want to do more entertaining at home. Many young families are looking for a more structured family dinner hour around a real table.
“Everything is so casual these days, it’s nice to be a bit more formal in a room where you entertain or gather your family,” said designer Erica Burns, of Bethesda, Md. “The room sets the tone, since there’s no TV in there and, hopefully, no cellphones. It’s a space focused on conversation and eating.”
A separate dining room is on many homeowners’ wish lists. In the January Home Buyer Reference survey, 73 percent of those who responded said the dining room was “essential or desirable,” according to a spokeswoman for the National Association of Home Builders. But how do families turn the dining room from a stiff backdrop for elaborate Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations into a warmer and more approachable space?
“Dining rooms sometimes give people the chills with memories of their parents’ dining rooms filled with brown furniture,” Washington designer Josh Hildreth said. “If you want to bring a room like this back, you have to make it useful and fun.”
Lots of memorable moments occur in the dining room, yet it’s a space that’s often at the bottom of the list for refreshing or redecorating. We asked designers to share some of their strategies on making this somewhat formal room, often full of inherited furniture, come alive. Above: Go for drama. A dining room is a good place to do something dramatic, if that’s your style. “If a client said, ‘I want glazed turquoise walls,’ I’d say we probably should not do that in a room you’re in all the time,” Hildreth said. “If you want to be wild or crazy, a dining room or powder room is a good place to do it.” Break up your dining room set. Many dining rooms have too much furniture. Why not put your buffet or server in a different room? Hildreth moved his sideboard to the living room to use when entertaining. He arranges appetizers on it before dinner, then serves dessert and coffee on it afterward.
“It’s nice not to be tethered to your dining room table and to move into another room after dinner to talk with other guests,” Hildreth said. “And now my