-- Dine-In, YES! --

So you make a nice meal and then what?! Sometimes it is easy to sit in front of the TV and munch on a sandwich or have a bowl of soup (once in a while, I love doing that). However, when you go through the effort of cooking up a small storm, it is good to make the time to sit down and really enjoy it.

The key to a dining area is striking the balance between casual and formal. You want a space that is nice enough to accommodate guests but casual enough that it can be used on a regular basis. If you have the luxury of having a formal living room, its a different story. I'm talking urban-condo living where you have to maximize every sq foot!