Is the kitchen really the heart of the home or is your living room replacing your kitchen? Just over one in ten admit the kitchen is where they spend the most of their time in as a group, in contrast, four fifths of people named the lounge / living room as the place where they spend the most time with each other. Are we using the sitting room for entertaining guests, reading, watching TV etc. rather than standing around in the kitchen talking and socialising?
Interestingly, the age group that are most likely to spend the majority of their time in the living room are those aged between 45 and 54 years old. Younger people aged between 18 and 24 are least likely to pick the lounge as the heart of the home and more inclined to pick the kitchen, perhaps due to the proximity of the fridge.
But it appears that when asked which room their household spent the least time together in, it was in fact the dining room. This space appears to be saved for special occasions such as Christmas, Sunday lunch or family get-togethers. Polls suggest that the dining room is declining in popularity.
Dining rooms are becoming obsolete and it seems that households are gravitating more towards the living room or kitchen as a place to share their family time.
Many people knock through the kitchen and dining room walls to create a kitchen-diner, this is becoming a more popular option. People may consider this as a home-improvement to bring the family closer together.
In my household, the heart of the home is definitely the living room as I feel that this is a more relaxing area to be in. I’m not really much of a cook, so I usually go for takeaways instead of cooking. Which room is the heart of your home?