Kitchen Dining

I shall continue to connect the kitchen to the dining space in designing houses. I shall eliminate the Dining Room (formally) from almost any plan. Living in a town-house for 7 of the last 8 years has had a profound affect on how I see family social time. Another aspect driving me to design in this manner is the fact that my in-laws are from a country where family dining occurs on a daily basis. Considering my parents were in the process of separating for most of my high school life, home dining with my parents and siblings was non-existent. The joined kitchen-dining space in most town houses is a great way to try to keep the family closer knit. If town houses were still designed with small kitchens and dark dining rooms, certainly there would be more alienation between spouses, children, and even the neighbors. The combined effort to gather, eat, commune, and discuss on a daily basis is difficult for families. The party atmosphere of having friends over and everyone interacting with the preparation, serving, and enjoyment of food and spirit is best when the kitchen is not a compartmentalized square in the house, but when it is joined with a dining space to easily entertain twenty or more people. Our previous two apartments had galley style kitchens in a separate room. The connection to the dining or living space was only through a two-foot six-inch opening, not very conducive to entertaining in our less formal society. As busy as we are during the week, the more people that can help at anytime in the kitchen helps the communal nature of eating and enjoying the fruits of our combined labor.