Formal Versus Informal Dining Spaces:
How popular are formal dining rooms in Apex North Carolina new homes? We've analyzed the custom home floor plans from Parade of Homes entries, and here's what we found out about dining room trends:
79% of Apex new homes included a designated formal dining room.
Here's the full breakdown on formal versus informal dining trends, based on the Parade of Homes entries built and submitted by Apex new home builders.
1. Separate Dining Room Floor Plan - 79% of Parade of Homes Entries by Apex New Home Builders
- 11 of 14 or 79% of Parade of Homes entries in Apex had a designated formal dining room.
- Formal dining rooms are traditionally located near the front entry. As one of the first rooms in the home visible to guests, the formal dining often features special details such as a tray ceiling, wainscot wall panels, chair rail, or butler's pantry cabinets.
This Stanton Homes formal dining room has a butler's pantry with glass front cabinets, custom "reverse tray ceiling", and gray paint colors:
2. Dining Room Flex Space - 7% of Parade of Homes Entries by Apex New Home Builders
- 1 of 14 or 7% of homes in Apex homes had a "flex space" dining room.
- Flexible dining rooms are spaces that can be easily closed in if the need arises. For instance, the dining room could have French door entries, allowing them to serve as a home office or formal living room as needed over time.
This photo is and example of a flexible dining room / home office with glass French doors dividing the space from the foyer entry. The chandelier style light is reminiscent of formal dining rooms, while the built in bookcases are more common in a home office:
3. Informal Dining Only - 14% of Parade of Homes Entries by Apex New Home Builders
- 2 of 14 or 14% of homes in Apex had an informal dining room.
- Informal dining rooms are generally dedicated to eating, but do not have the same "traditional" elements of a dining room.
This photo shows an example of an informal dining room. The vaulted ceiling, hanging lights, and craftsman trim make this eating space feel formal. The lack of a third wall to divide the room from the kitchen keeps the space casual:
What does this mean for homebuyers in Apex NC?
Parade of Homes entries generally represent what trends new home builders believe homebuyers are looking for today.
Looking for floor plans with a formal dining room or flex room? Check out floor plan samples, including top-requested one story, main floor master, and two story plans, here:
These custom homes are move-in ready, or nearly available, in Chatham County. Click the address for new home cost and more information:
65 Brookhaven Way – 3144 Sq Ft – First Floor Guest Suite – Move-in Ready Home
280 Horizon Drive – 3430 Sq Ft – First Floor Master – Under Construction Now
152 Brookhaven Way – 3474 Sq Ft – First Floor Master – New Home Under Construction
Learn more about building a new home with Stanton Homes!
Special Meet the Builder Event Nov. 12th - Click here for address and more details.
This is representative only of the homes featured in the Parade of Homes, and not intended to be a general indicator of the Wake County new home market, though Parade of Homes can be representative of overall trends. These statistics were derived by Penny Hull from public information about Parade of Homes entries, and are copyright Stanton Homes. The statistics calculated above represent Parade of Homes entries in Wake County in Arcadia West, Colvin Park,Enclave at White Oak Creek, Hempstead at Beaver Creek, Madison at Evans Creek, Regency at White Oak Creek, Riley's Pond, Siena at Bella Casa, Stillwater, The Pines at Wake Crossing, The Townes at Bella Casa, Verona at Bella Casa new home communities.
