Is Ditching
a Dining Room
in Style Now
or just a Current Phase?
Every
year, the internet if
flooded with “design experts” opinions about what’s in and what’s out. One year, it’s all about
farmhouse chic; the next, mid-century French reigns
supreme. When it comes to home design, trends come and go faster than
you can say “ship lap”. Do
you think it has to do staying relevant and having work? If design
doesn’t change it means no work.
Really,
most
people don’t pay much attention to the
”new color” or styles for the current year.
Who has the time or budget to spend on it year after year? OR even want to?
But
among all the shifting fads predicted to bring about changes, a larger
question has surfaced. Is
the dining room—an entire category of space—disappearing?
It
seems to have been over the last few years. But is it a good idea?
If
you are contemplating a remodel or are shopping for a new home, will
it have a major impact on you? While most changes in the new trends
such as colors might not be a large issue to consider unless you plan
on selling, floor plan designs will affect your living more.
So
hearing
that the formal dining room is on its way out could have a major
impact on your decision-making process if you’re a homeowner
contemplating renovations or even
if you plan on selling or buying. Is it an option that is a
consideration for most people?
So, if
remodeling should
you change
or get rid of your dining room? That choice is yours but there are factors to consider. it’s
always better to make it with all the facts on the table—whether
that table sits in a dining room or not.
What
the Numbers Say (Or Don’t Say)
About Dining Rooms
A recent
2025 article from the New York Post posed
that very question, and while the article didn’t settle the debate
one way or the other, they did suggest that they’re on the way out
according to real estate experts:
“Realtor.com®
analysts noted that only 25% of properties listed in the U.S. have a
dining room. However, this number may not actually reflect the true
number of houses with dining rooms— only that “Realtors
aren’t highlighting them in the listing.”
There
are a number of factors that would impact that percentage, but any
real estate agent will tell you dining rooms are alive and well in
more than one in four homes on the market.
The
way people use their homes has changed becoming home offices, classrooms, or workout spaces. For some, they’ve
never gone back to their original purpose.
Yet,
dining rooms aren’t universally unwanted. Just take a quick glance
at the online comment section of that article in the Post and
you’ll see that people are clearly divided. Some love dining rooms,
some don’t, and others just want the option to customize the space.
Many buyers still love the idea of a dedicated space for family meals
or hosting holiday dinners, while others prefer an open floor plan
where dining, living, and kitchen areas blend seamlessly.
No
single design choice pleases everyone as
everyone has different lifestyles and needs but having that extra
well sized space that can can be used differently based upon current
needs with the ability to change with the families’ different desires
as time passes.
Technically
It’s Something You Can Change…
Real
estate agents will advise buyers not to fixate on cosmetic elements that are easily
changed about a house, like paint color, light fixtures, or room uses.
So,
technically speaking, it’s a changeable feature, but remodeling to
add or remove a dining room can be a major expense
or undertaking.
Many
times a renovation is not the best choice if selling. Why?
Because dining rooms are often tied to the structural layout of a
home. Removing one might mean tearing down walls, potentially
load-bearing ones, and reworking the flow of adjoining spaces, and
probably will entail renovating each of those rooms as well. Adding
one could involve a similarly hefty renovation. Neither option is
cheap or simple.
So,
if you’re considering a renovation, the question isn’t
just can you
do it, but should you?
Will the investment pay off when you sell? Or will it alienate buyers
who might have preferred the space’s original use? Real estate is a
delicate balancing act, and understanding your market is crucial.
True
story: agent friend had a listing many years ago. Everyone coming
through commented they did not like the open dining room space to the
right when they entered the home. That room was open to the hallway
with no walls. So the sellers decided to wall it off with an
entrance door. So the next people who came in to view the house
remarked they wanted an open concept dining room and purchased the
house with plans to add new walls. Had the sellers waited that renovation could have been avoided.
The
Risk With Renovations
One
of the biggest mistakes many homeowners make is diving into major
renovations without consulting a local real estate agent. Agents have
a finger on the pulse of buyer preferences in your area and can
provide valuable insights. It’s common for sellers to find that
they spent tens of thousands of dollars on a project that didn’t
produce a positive return on their investment—or worse, makes their
home more difficult to sell. The key is to align your renovation
plans with what buyers are looking for in your price range and
neighborhood.
If
you’re planning to stay in your home for years to come, the
decision isn’t as critical. Renovate in a way that suits your
lifestyle and makes your home more enjoyable for your family. You
should enjoy where you live and
make changes to make you happier.
However,
if there’s a chance you’ll sell in the near future, your choices
might need to reflect broader market trends. This is where your
agent’s expertise becomes invaluable. They can help you gauge
whether buyers in your area prioritize dining rooms or if other
features take precedence.
Before
choosing to do major renovation, especially if you are altering the
way the space is used, it never hurts to speak with your local
agent—they can help you make a more informed decision than an
article about the latest trends. Trends vary from location to
location. What works in New York doesn’t work in California. What
works in the north may not work in the south.
This
is a personal opinion having viewed hundreds of homes in the last 20
years. The newer homes have small dining areas (breakfast areas) off
the kitchen which flow into the daily living area and are not
conducive to holiday dining so having a dining room is very helpful
during the holidays. Most kitchens extend into those small breakfast
areas since most are actually sized for maybe 6 people at the most.
Some are so small that is actually awkward to access the patio which
limits the size of that table.
So
what to do if selling soon:
Are
dining rooms a thing of the past? For some, they’re still very much
a room they want and
expect in a home. For others, they’re a useless room they’d
rather convert into something else. A
dining room can be used as any homeowner desires—a holiday dining
room, an office, a school room or craft room. But if the shape is
there and not altered it can always be converted back to a dining
room easily. As
with most real estate questions, the answer isn’t
one-size-fits-all.
Before
making any major changes to your home—especially those that alter
how a space s
used—consult a local real estate expert. They can provide the
perspective you need to make informed decisions based upon your local
area. Understanding what buyers value in your market can save you
time, money, and headaches down the road.