These days, in the USA, relatively few people know what true hunger feels like. Obviously I could take this post many directions from dark and gloomy to light hearted.
Being I am using Timmothy's cartoon as inspiration I am going to go for the more light hearted point of view.
I can tell you that no one in the Timm household goes hungry unless by their own choice (I fast a few times a year). As far as the pictures above, that is NOT Carol (my wife) and she only picks up a rolling pin if I've been a really bad boy. The kitchen above is not ours either but it is representative of the size of our kitchen.
The kitchen and dining area of our home is the focal point of our living area. We actually do very little "Living" in the Livingroom. We have a large kitchen with a formal dining table and chairs that can easily seat 8 people. The table below is a good representative of our table.
Our home is a semi-open floor plan with the dining area being part of the kitchen so that those doing the cooking can be part of the conversation with family and guests. Our Livingroom is two steps down with a half wall so family and guests can kickback on the sofa and watch TV or listen to music. With the half wall one can still be part of the going on's in the kitchen dining area. ("Honey, bring me a beer").
Real Estate Application
When home hunting know what is important to you in a floor plan. I am NOT a fan of the open floor plan. It would be too chaotic for me with guests visiting at the table with each other, kids playing, TV blasting, and the dog scurrying about trying not to get stepped on. Most open floor plans I've seen have hardwood floors that amplify all that noise as well.
Know what will work for you. Consider that while the majority of the time it will be your nuclear family there will be times you have guests. Will those friends with kids and pets leave as friends?
You don't need a large home to make all this work. My home is less than 1200 square feet yet the floor plan makes it seem much larger. Last week I visited my daughter in her first home which is less than 1000 square feet but the layout provided for a good guest and friends environment that still promoted sanity if the house were filled with people.
Again, I wish to reiterate: you don't need a million square feet or a million dollar home to have an environment that is hospitable to family and friends. Just know what you want when you are shopping for a home.
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