Redefining the 'dining room' experience

In the last week, how many times did you eat a meal, at a table, sitting in a chair?

Nope... the chair in front of your TV and the table beside said chair do not count.

Let's face it. The idea of sitting in a 'dining room' to, well, dine is not nearly as common as it used to be.

When I was a child - a few decades ago - Mom called my sister & me away from our afternoon of lego-village-building and TV-watching (Zoom, probably) to set the table. This was our chore. Now, if you're old enough to remember the original Zoom theme song, you will also know that we were NOT setting the table in the DINING room. That room was saved for the Sunday pot roast or for special occasions. We ate our family dinner around the little round melamine table in our kitchen, with the plastic place mats and the paper napkins. (fyi: wallpaper with the different spice jars and spice names all over it... bet you had that, too.) This was when Mom was home in the afternoon, Dad worked downtown, and dinner was at 6pm for the whole family (egads).

Fast forward a few decades.

Few houses of new construction even include a formal dining room in the plans. Kitchens are huge and they flow into family rooms, eating nooks, breakfast areas. Living rooms became 'studies' or home offices.

So... where do we eat now? (other than in front of the TV)

At a table. Sitting in a chair. Over a plate of food.
That part hasn't changed.

A variety of forces have propelled Americans back into the kitchen and, subsequently, into their version of a 'dining room.' Nostalgia, health, and finances have us eating together again.

The Food Network has us salivating at the possibility that we can be a great chef, or at least make a 30-Minute Meal. According to Laura Miller, staff critic at Salon.com, cookbook sales are on the rise - one of the few shining stars in the publishing world.

Concern for our health has propelled people to search for more organic and healthy ways to feed our souls. A resurgence in community gardens, farmers' markets, and expanded organic food sections at the grocery store has also pushed us back to the kitchen to experiment.

According to Amy Kyle, editor of Home Furnishings Business, a trade magazine for furniture types, dining rooms are making a comeback. In her May editorial, the idea of inconspicuous consumption is trumping luxury. As our more fiscally prudent household budgets have reduced our visits to our favorite restaurant from weekly to monthly, we return to the dining room to satisfy our newly expanded palates.

What does this mean to a furniture store... like LaDiff?

For one, it means understanding what our consumer means when he or she says they are looking for 'dining furniture.' This category has expanded so much in the last 15 years, it takes some drilling down to know what they mean.

How do YOU dine?

• barstools at the kitchen counter
• small table in the 'breakfast' room, where the dog sleeps and the high chair lives
• formal dining room, cooking and presenting to family and friends
• casually - pulling out a mix of your specialties with your CostCo favorites
• romantically at a table just for two
• outside... definitely outside.
  

There is no 'right way' to eat dinner.
There is no 'right way' to buy furniture for your 'dining' experience.

All of the above are 'appropriate' and bring us back to the table for
good food, good conversation, and good fun.