Why Your Home Still Needs a Formal Dining Space | Billy.com

If you’re remodeling or upgrading your home, you may be thinking about how you can best make use of your square footage. A formal dining room can feel like a waste of that limited square footage, since you probably already have an informal dining space or an eat-in kitchen. But don’t write off formal dining rooms so quickly. Keep reading to learn why your home still needs a formal dining space and how to decorate it well.

Entertainment Space

One of the main uses of a formal dining space is to entertain. If you have guests over, you can certainly entertain them at a bar or in an informal dining area. However, if you’re serving multiple courses or having special mixed drinks, then a formal dining space is the best area to host. Why is it the best area? Because formal dining rooms are often built to allow space for bigger tables and larger, more comfortable chairs, so you’ll have room for multiple glasses, plate settings, and serving dishes on the table, as well as chairs that people can relax in as they eat and talk.

Family Space

Most of the time, families eat in their informal dining space. The informal dining space is often closer to the kitchen or even attached to the kitchen so you can easily and quickly serve food and eat. This is ideal when you have kids chowing down breakfast before hopping on the school bus or cleaning their plate before sports practice. An informal dining space is more comfortable for this style of eating, and parents often don’t mind if this area gets messy, which is common with young children.

But having family time in a formal dining area can make family dinners more special and help you eat slower and enjoy time together. While you may not use it for dinner every day, you can still use it at least once a week for quality family time in a special space that isn’t normally used. This new area can be a signal to your children that nothing is more special than family.

Decorating the Space

Now that you know why your home needs a formal dining room, it’s time to learn how to decorate that dining space. Choose an inviting wall color, which can be anything from neutrals to cool colors to warm colors that aren’t harsh to look at. Make sure there’s enough lighting for people to see everything on their plates without squinting against blinding lightbulbs. Arrange the chairs around the table so that there’s about 24 inches of space between them, giving guests plenty of elbow room. Add personal touches that will make the room cozy, and provide conversation pieces.

You should have a formal dining space in your home so you can use it for entertainment and family time. Decorate that dining space with inviting colors, good lighting, comfortable chairs, and personal touches that will provide you and your guests with a relaxing, cozy atmosphere. Even if you’d rather remodel or upgrade your home and get rid of your dining space because you don’t entertain or have a big family, consider how your lifestyle could change in the future. It’ll be better to have a formal dining space and eventually use it than to not have one and realize you want one later.