162 HOUSE PLANNING

DINING AREAS

Before a house plan can proceed far, a family should decide
whether it can dispense with a dining room proper and eat in
an alcove or end of the living room. The average family finds
this desirable in order to create spaciousness by combining these
two rooms. The dining area in the living room might when neces-
sary be isolated by a sliding curtain wall on tracks, by a screen
that rolls up vertically, by a low bookshelf partition, or by some
other device. See pages 239 and 425. Sometimes the dining and
working area is differentiated by a lower ceiling.

A separate dining room is needed in a home where a considerable
degree of formality is observed. A large family, too, usually finds
it a necessity, especially for small children. If a separate dining
room is planned, a very large opening between the living room
and dining room is desirable for spaciousness and for convenience
in entertaining large groups. French doors opening onto a dining
terrace off the garden add to comfort and beauty. A swinging
kitchen door, which should be located near a corner, might be con-
cealed behind a screen or a short fin wall in the dining room.

A dining room should have some conspicuous architectural fea-
ture such as a bay window, picture window, glass wall, French
doors, or corner cupboards. In an average house the dimensions
of the room should be planned to accommodate some of these
ready-made architectural features, in stock sizes*

In a dining room built-in features are particularly desirable for
convenience and also in order that conventional furniture may be
omitted. See page 60. Built-in corner cupboards in one or two
corners of the dining room are suitable with certain styles of
architecture. They make use of space which would otherwise be
wasted. One entire wall from floor to ceiling might consist of
dish storage cupboards. Shelves and drawers built into the wall
between the kitchen and dining area, opening into both rooms,
are a step-saving device*

A spacious dining room might have two eating places: a perma-
nent oversize table for occasions when there is a large group, and
a small table for one or two, for extras, or for children. The small
table might fold up into a wall depression,