A 1924 issue of Good Housekeeping had the following suggestions for ensuring that a dining room is friendly and welcoming:
The dining room of all rooms in the house, should have a sprit of friendliness. It may be dignified or it may be gay, but it should be a room which is conducive to the brighter, more sparkling side of life. Here the family meets three times a day. A sunny room in the morning will do much to make breakfast a pleasanter meal. A room prettily lighted at night, with a colorful background, may make dinner a happy as well as a necessary function. Just as a living room should be a place of comfort – somewhere to write, somewhere to read – so the dining room should be a place of cheer. The happiest families are those who taboo all the serious, annoying topics and reserve meal times for the lighter, gayer sort of conversation.
By reason of its definitely prescribed use, the dining room and the arrangement of the furniture can be varied but little, but this does not limit the choice of interesting background, in floor covering or wall color. The dining room is in many homes, the “step-child” room of the house, where color and design have been forgotten in an altogether utilitarian arrangement, whereas in the rooms we show, everything has been chosen to give color, ease, and charm.
Source: Good Housekeeping (December, 1924)
Now it seems dining rooms are used only for special occasions.
I had similar thoughts. Even mid-20th century, my family only used the dining room for special occasions. I wonder if families were more likely to use the dining room for everyday meals when the family was very large.
My daughter was house hunting in the NE and many houses did not have eat-in kitchens. She will be using the dining room for every meal. I’ve been lucky enough to have big kitchens.
Years ago, I lived in several places that didn’t have eat-in kitchens. Currently, Iike you, I am fortunate to have a kitchen with plenty of space for eating.
These images have something of a ‘tea room’ vibe.
Or tea rooms where going for a dining room vibe
🤣
Not sure whether it’s dining rooms going for the tea room vibe or vice versa. One or the other.
😆
While I don’t love that old fashioned traditional it does look pleasant to me and having lived most of my life in tiny 1950’s ranches I would love to have a separate dining room. Well really have any room that is actually 15×15! 😯🤣
I wonder why the magazine provided information about the size of the room. I’d think that 15X15 would have been really large for a dining room, and that readers would have been better able to relate to the story if they could imagine the room being similar in size to their own dining room.
This is so very interesting, Sheryl. I love the theme of a good room makes for good meals, and find it so true.
It’s nice to hear that you liked it. I also really liked the concept of good rooms making for good meals.
My grandmother’s house had a large dining room because the kitchen was strictly for cooking – no place to eat a sit down meal! The dining area (kitchen or formal dining room) has always been the hub of activity both as I was growing up and as I raised my family. The room was always cheerful – from my grandmother’s flowery curtains and bright pink table cloth, to my mother’s red and white gingham curtains and matching table cloth to the rainbow stripes in my kitchen that eventually gave way to a variety of colorful placemats!
I love your descriptions of the cheery dining areas across the years. My kitchen is similar to yours – I use colorful place mats. 🙂
Very nice article, although dining rooms are fast becoming a thing of the past with everyone wanting open concepts.
Like you, I have the sense that dining rooms are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Interesting article. And today a dining room is almost obsolete.
Times have changed, including where and how we eat.
Yes they have.