I’ve studied, designed, toured, and sold thousands of homes with every conceivable layout. Not one of them was perfect. Even when working with world class architects and the most demanding clients, there’s always something we discover later that could have been smarter, better, more attuned to their specific needs.
Homes are supposed to be reflections of our lives. And yet, when I look at floor plans spanning the past two centuries, not much has changed. Bathrooms for cleanliness. Kitchens for cooking. Bedrooms for sleep and sex. Living rooms for gathering and entertaining.
Over time, we’ve added rooms. A second living room, a home gym, a home office, screening rooms, recording studios, wine cellars, wellness sanctuaries, panic rooms, IT closets, and laundry “suites” full of gadgets.
But one room - the most communal of all - has been slowly disappearing.
The dining room.
Once a staple, now an afterthought. A space that clients, developers and architects quietly erase in the name of efficiency and resale value. A room that used to be a necessity is now treated like a luxury or simply forgotten.
Maybe it’s my nostalgia speaking, but I’d gladly sacrifice square footage elsewhere to keep a dining room.
For me, it was never just a room for food. It was the stage set for the most indelible moments of my childhood.
It was where we came together every evening. Without distraction. The dining room was where Jewish holidays were celebrated, and every Friday night, Shabbat candles were lit. It was the room where laughter (and a few arguments) lasted long after the plates were cleared. It was where I got drunk (well, tipsy) for the first time at the age of fourteen, after four “full” cups of wine at a Passover Seder.
The dining room was designed for eating, but what it fed was far deeper. Connection. Tradition. Rituals.
And now, I can’t help but wonder what we’re losing. In our homes, people are increasingly separated by walls, devices, and endless square footage that scatters us into separate corners. The dining room was the place that brought us back together, face to face, across one table. If there’s any room we should fight to keep, it’s this one.
Let’s do this!
Shaun