Ideas to repurpose a formal dining room

Formal dining rooms are no longer a must-have among home buyers. Reports on the decline of the formal dining room appear to have been premature, as many real estate professionals have noted that some clients still insist that a home must have such a space. However, many agents also report low demand for formal dining rooms.

Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder regarding formal dining rooms. Buyers and homeowners who see these rooms as unnecessary can consider the many ways to transform them to better suit their needs.

• Playroom: Parents of young children know that kids have a way of taking over living spaces in a home. If the living room has been overtaken by toys, homeowners can consider converting their formal dining room into a kids' playroom. Formal dining rooms tend to be spacious places that can accommodate a large dinner table, a bar and a buffet table. That means there's ample space for a kids' toy chest, bookshelf, crafts table, doll house, and more.

• Home office: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many modern workers go about their typical workday. Millions of workers now work from home at least a few days a week if not full-time. When the pandemic began, that led to a space crunch, particularly in homes with more than one working adult. Workers who have been using the formal dining table as a desk for years can now fully commit to repurposing the room. One factor to keep in mind is whether or not the room will need a door. Some formal dining rooms already feature pocket doors or even French doors, but many do not offer any such privacy. A door installation could increase the price tag associated with repurposing the room, but the end result could be well worth the additional costs.

• Game room: A large formal dining table might be similar in shape and size to a pool table, but pool players will need some space around a pool table to ensure they aren't putting holes in the surrounding walls each time they pick up a cue stick. If pool doesn't tickle homeowners' fancy, then a room devoted to gaming, complete with a flat screen or two on the wall and some new gaming chairs, can be a great way to repurpose the space. Modern parents often play video games alongside their children, making this a great way to create a fun and family-friendly space in the home.

• Reading room: Devoted bibliophiles may aspire to turn their formal dining rooms into spaces tailor-made for curling up with a good book. Book lovers often lament they lack the space to display all of their books, so this idea can provide the perfect solution to that problem. Replace existing furnishings with some bookcases and a comfortable reading chair and then sit back and crack open a good book. Homeowners who want to go the extra mile can convert the room into a traditional English library, complete with wood-paneled walls, a fireplace, a floor globe, and leather furniture.

There's no end to what can be done when homeowners decide it's time to convert their formal dining rooms into spaces they're likely to use more often.