In an era when most people eat at the kitchen island or in front of the TV, the dining room has become perhaps the least-used room of the house. Now, some luxury home owners are eliminating their dining rooms altogether, instead using the space for libraries, dens¹ and 'living pavilions' -- in which dinner may sometimes be served.

如今，大部分人都是在厨房中岛旁或是电视机前就餐的，餐厅可能已经变成了家庭中最少被使用到的区域。现在，一些豪宅业主干脆彻底将餐厅的空间设计成了藏书室、小书房和偶尔作为就餐区的“生活馆”。

After a two-year, $6.25 million renovation², Tad Dekko's 146-acre Pony³ Up ranch⁴ outside Vail, Colo., has an equestrian⁵ center, a wellness facility with an indoor pool, and a glass-walled garage that doubles as a movie theater. In fact, the only thing the 8,600-square-foot house doesn't have is a dining room.

经过耗时两年、耗资625万美元的改造，塔德・德科(Tad Dekko)位于科罗拉多州韦尔(Vail)郊外、占地146英亩（约合59公顷）的牧场“Pony Up”有了一个马术中心、一座带室内游泳池的康体设施和一个玻璃墙车库──它也可以作为影院使用。事实上，这幢8,600平方英尺（约合800平方米）的住宅中唯一缺少的就是餐厅。

Instead, Mr. Dekko, an entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Tierra Verde, Fla., created what he and his interior designer Andrea Schumacher call the 'dining study,' lined with 2,500 books. 'It was never intended at the beginning as a dining room,' said Mr. Dekko, who is 59. 'I said, 'First of all, I want one room that can house all my books -- I had not had that in my life.' '

59岁的德科是一位企业家兼慈善家，主要居住在佛罗里达州的铁拉贝尔德(Tierra Verde)。他和他的室内设计师安德烈亚・舒马赫(Andrea Schumacher)设计了摆放有2,500本书的“餐厅书房”。德科表示：“我们一开始就没打算把它当成餐厅。我说，‘首先，我想要一个能装下我的所有书的房间──我还从来没有过这种房间。’”

When the Dekkos throw a dinner party, the casters on the study's three custom-built walnut⁶ desks can be interlocked to create one long dining table. The glass wall is designed to retract⁷ into the ceiling, so they can roll the table out onto the stone deck and dine al fresco⁸ by a man-made stream. 'It allows us to seat probably 20 to 25 people,' said Mr. Dekko -- not that he does very often. 'It took me a while just to meet 25 people,' he said.

当德科夫妇举行晚宴派对时，书房里三张定制胡桃木书桌的脚轮可以相互扣起，组成一张长餐桌。这个房间的玻璃墙可以缩到天花板上，因此德科夫妇可以将餐桌推到石头露台上，在一条人造小溪旁野餐。德科说：“这样，餐厅里大概能坐下20-25人。”不过，这样的派对并不常常举行。他说：“与25位客人见面就够我忙活一阵的了。”

Anne Dubbs and her husband, Richard, a banker, bought a prewar apartment in the landmark⁹ Eldorado building on New York's Central Park West five years ago. The dining room -- a dark, boxy space facing a concrete wall -- seemed like a dead zone. 'It didn't make sense for us,' said Ms. Dubbs, who owns a fabric¹⁰ and wallpaper company.

五年前，一家纺织品和壁纸公司的老板安妮・杜布斯(Anne Dubbs)和她的丈夫、银行家理查德(Richard)买下了纽约中央公园西(Central Park West)一栋埃尔多拉杜(Eldorado)式地标建筑中的一套战前时期的公寓。餐厅──一个四四方方、面对一堵混凝土墙的昏暗空间──看起来死水一潭。杜布斯说：“在我们看来，这真是糟糕透了。”

During a 15-month renovation -- Ms. Dubbs declined to reveal the cost -- her designer Alexander Doherty and contractor¹¹ Chip Brian added crown moldings and baseboards to the room, and lined two walls with built-in bookcases wired with library lamps. It is now a combination library, television, and 'check-writing room,' said Ms. Dubbs. There's also a dog bed for the family Labrador: 'She likes to be in the same room with us as we watch TV.'

经过15个月的装修（杜布斯未透露装修的成本），她的设计师亚历山大・多尔蒂(Alexander Doherty)与承包商奇普・布赖恩(Chip Brian)在餐厅中加入了顶饰和踢脚板，并沿着两面墙摆上了带书架灯的内置式书架。杜布斯说，现在，它是一个兼具藏书室、电视室和“支票签发室”功能的房间。这里还有他们的拉布拉多犬的一张小床。杜布斯说：“当我们看电视的时候，她喜欢和我们待在一个房间里面。”

The Dubbs eat most of their meals at a banquette area in the kitchen. Their formal drop-leaf dining table is parked against a wall in the living room, its five leaves stowed behind a sofa. When they entertain, they set the table up in the apartment's wide limestone¹² foyer.

杜布斯夫妇多数时候都在厨房条凳上就餐。他们正式的活板餐桌靠在客厅的一面墙上，五个活板收在沙发后面。当他们招待客人时，会把桌子支起来，摆在公寓宽敞的石灰岩门厅中。

For Ann Liston, a partner in a Democratic political media firm in Chicago, getting rid of the dining room of her four-bedroom Bucktown house was a savvy¹³ political decision. When Ms. Liston threw a fundraiser and invited 120 people, local designer Angela Stone helped her transform her dining alcove¹⁴ into a lounge, both expanding the available entertaining space and carving¹⁵ out a private nook within it. They pushed Ms. Liston's dining table out into the front room, and grouped four custom-made slouchy chairs -- upholstered in cowhide for an 'urban cowgirl look.' Ms. Liston's new salon¹⁶ -- part of a $50,000 decorating project -- was a hit.

对芝加哥一家民主党政治媒体公司的合伙人安・利斯顿(Ann Liston)来说，将餐厅从她位于巴克敦(Bucktown)的四卧别墅中去掉是一个明智的政治决定。当利斯顿发起了一项筹款活动并邀请120人来家中做客时，当地设计师安杰拉・斯通(Angela Stone)帮她将餐厅区改造成了一间休息室，扩充了待客空间，而且在其中打造出了一个私人角落。在这项耗资50,000美元的装修中，利斯顿的餐桌被推到了前屋，在腾出来的私密空间中摆上了四把定制休闲椅──它们带有牛皮软垫，看上去颇具“城市女牛仔风”。这个沙龙大受她的客人欢迎。

'At the same time the house is full of lots of people, there's an intimate gathering¹⁷ place where conversations can occur and secrets can be shared and people can corner off -- that was my intention,' said Ms. Liston, 47, who recently married Chicago Sun-Times journalist Dave McKinney.

47岁的利斯顿说：“当这栋别墅塞满人的同时，这里也是一个亲密的聚会场所，人们可以在这里谈天、分享秘密、结交朋友──这就是我的目的。”她最近刚刚与《芝加哥太阳时报》(Chicago Sun-Times)的记者戴夫・麦金尼(Dave McKinney)结婚。

When Judy Opatrny and her husband Donald, former partner at Goldman Sachs, began designing a home in Jackson, Wyo., on 35 acres near Grand Teton National Park, they gave their architect Eric Logan some mandates¹⁸. The couple, both in their 60s, wanted a central living area designed around their collection of contemporary art. The space had to work for big parties, yet exude¹⁹ a sense of simplicity²⁰ and warmth. And they didn't want a dining room.

朱迪・奥帕特尔尼(Judy Opatrny)和她的丈夫、前高盛(Goldman Sachs)合伙人唐纳德(Donald)的家坐落于怀俄明州杰克逊(Jackson)一片35英亩（约合14公顷）的土地上，毗邻大提顿国家公园(Grand Teton National Park)。当他们开始设计这幢房子时，他们向建筑师埃里克・洛根(Eric Logan)提出了一些想法。这对年过花甲的夫妇希望拥有一个围绕着他们收藏的现代艺术品打造而成的中心生活区。这个区域的面积必须满足举行大型派对的需要，但是同时需要具备简约风格和温暖的感觉，而且他们表示并不需要独立的餐厅。

'In Europe and also back East, we did have formal dining areas,' said Ms. Opatrny, whose family has lived in London and Greenwich, Conn. 'In this house, we wanted to have more of an open flow.'

奥帕特尔尼表示：“在欧洲和美国东海岸生活的时候，我们曾经有过正式的餐厅。在这幢房子里，我们希望拥一个更加轻松自在的空间。”她的家族曾在伦敦和康涅狄格州的格林威治(Greenwich)生活过。

Hewed²¹ from cedar²², zinc²³ and Montana sandstone, the contemporary house on a butte was completed almost two years ago; its market value was appraised²⁴ at more than $10 million in 2013, according to Teton County records. The central living and dining space -- what Mr. Logan calls 'the living pavilion' -- is a 1,200-square-foot room with a 15-foot fireplace and walls of windows looking out at the Tetons and distant Yellowstone. A twisting Murano-glass light sculpture by Venini stretches down from the ceiling, and geometric abstractions by painter Sean Scully hang on opposite walls. The dining area, defined by a pair of glowing copper²⁵ chandeliers over the table, is set next to a grand piano.

这幢大约两年前完工的现代风格宅邸坐落在一个小山丘上，建筑场地是从雪松、锌岩和蒙大拿砂岩中开辟出来的；提顿县的官方记录显示，这幢宅邸在2013年时的市场估价超过了1,000万美元。中央生活与就餐区──洛根称之为“生活馆“──是一个面积为1,200平方英尺（约合111平方米）的房间，带有15英尺（约合4.57米）高的壁炉和可以眺望大提顿公园和远处的黄石公园(Yellowstone)的落地窗。天花板上挂着意大利Venini品牌的、设计复杂的穆拉诺玻璃灯，对面的墙上挂着一幅由画家肖恩・斯克里(Sean Scully)创作的几何抽象画。就餐区位于一架大钢琴旁边，餐桌上方挂着一对闪闪发光的铜吊灯。

'In the summer, it's so open and airy and you're part of the view. In the winter . . . the focus really revolves²⁶ around the hearth²⁷.' The room has proved equally irresistible²⁸ to local moose, she said, particularly the mothers and the calves²⁹: 'They like to take naps in that corner window next to the piano.'

奥帕特尔尼说：“夏日时分，这里十分开阔、凉风习习，你就是风景的一部分。冬日里……大家都会围坐在壁炉旁。”她说，连当地的麋鹿都无法抗拒这个房间，尤其是母麋鹿和小麋鹿：“麋鹿们喜欢在钢琴旁的窗子下打盹。”

The prospect³⁰ of outdoor living amid rolling hills and grape arbors drew Noreen McGuire to a two-bedroom home in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena, Calif. 'I'm completely surrounded by vineyards,' said Ms. McGuire, who paid approximately $4 million for her cottage in 2010.

置身于连绵的群山以及葡萄园中的户外生活深深地吸引了诺琳・麦圭尔(Noreen McGuire)，因此她买下了位于加利福利亚州 海伦娜(St. Helena)纳帕溪谷(Napa Valley)的一幢双卧小别墅。麦圭尔表示：“我完全被葡萄园包围了。”她于2010年花费了约400万美元购买这幢别墅。

When she's in Napa -- her main residence is in Chicago -- Ms. McGuire does almost all her eating and entertaining outside. So she turned her dining room into a relaxed reception area and sitting room that bridges the indoor and outdoor spaces.

麦圭尔主要居住在芝加哥，当她来到纳帕溪谷时，她几乎总是在室外用餐并在室外招待宾客。因此，她把别墅的餐厅改造成了连接室内室外区域的一处休闲接待区兼客厅。

The exterior³¹ wall was blown out, replaced by a set of wide French doors and windows that open onto a pergola-covered terrace. Comfortable wing chairs are grouped around a marble table heaped with books on architecture and design. The room has become Ms. McGuire's favorite place to sit with morning coffee, or to look out on her olive and lemon trees when it rains. 'I have a couple of crystals around and there's always flowers,' she said. 'It's how you are welcomed into the home, and that's why I wanted it to be special.'

别墅的一面外墙被拆除了，取而代之的是一套宽大的法式门窗，门窗正对一个架着藤架的门廊。几把舒适的翼状靠背椅摆放在一张大理石桌周围，桌上堆着建筑和设计类的书籍。这个房间已经成为了麦圭尔最中意的房间，她喜欢清晨坐在这里品咖啡，也喜欢在雨天从这里看窗外种植的橄榄树和柠檬树。她说：“我在这个房间中摆放了几件水晶饰品，而且这个房间从来不缺少鲜花。这是我用来欢迎客人的区域，这也正是我希望这个房间能够特别一些的原因。”

However infrequently a formal dining room may be used, many homeowners aren't ready to abandon it altogether. Toll³² Brothers, a leading luxury-home builder, sold 4,184 custom-built houses in 2013 -- all with dining rooms.

然而，尽管正式的餐厅被使用的机会越来越少，但许多业主并没准备好彻底取消餐厅。托尔兄弟公司(Toll Brothers)是一家行业领先的豪宅承建商，该公司2013年销售的4,184套定制豪宅中全部都带有餐厅。

'People are coming with dining room furniture and need a place to use it,' said Tim Gehman, director of design.

该公司设计总监提姆・格曼(Tim Gehman)说：“人们总是需要一个地方来摆放餐厅家具。”

But even formal dining rooms are becoming less stuffy³³. Designer Kelly Wearstler encourages clients to swap³⁴ the long lacquered table for a group of smaller 'modules³⁵' in durable³⁶ materials like marble or perforated bronze to create a more casual multiuse room where the kids can work on school projects. 'Propriety³⁷ is so yesterday,' said home-design guru Jonathan Adler, who only began using the living room of his Manhattan apartment after he put a ping-pong table in it.

但是，即便有正式的餐厅，它的设计也正变得越来越简单。设计师凯利・威斯勒(Kelly Wearstler)建议客户舍弃涂漆长餐桌，而采用一组较小的、以大理石或黄铜等耐用材质打造的“模块”，以便打造出一种更加随意的多功能房间，在这里孩子们可以完成他们的课后项目。室内设计专家乔纳森・阿德勒(Jonathan Adler)表示：“一板一眼的设计早就过时了。”他从来没有用过自己位于曼哈顿公寓中的客厅，直到他在那儿摆了张乒乓球台。

When it comes time to sell, high-end homes that lack a dining room can pose challenges. 'If you're looking at the luxury market on [New York's] Upper East Side, 99% of the time, people are looking for a formal dining room,' said Eleonora Srugo, an agent with New York City's Skroka DE team. Were she to market an apartment with a converted dining room, 'I'd pull up the original floor plan and identify the dining room as a dining room.'

那些没有餐厅的高端住宅在出售时会面临销售压力。纽约Skroka DE团队的经纪人奥诺拉・斯拉格(Eleonora Srugo)说：“看看（纽约）上东区的豪宅市场，你就会发现99%的时候，人们还是在寻找有正式餐厅的住宅。”她说在销售餐厅经过了改造的住宅时，“我会把原始的建筑平面图摊开，给客户指出餐厅的具体位置”。

But the true beauty of a dining room conversion³⁸ may be how simple it is to undo³⁹. Sotheby's agent Colette Harron cites an 1870 riverfront mansion⁴⁰ now on the market in Essex, Conn., for $3.48 million. The owner transformed a staid dining room with river views into an inviting⁴¹ family room, adding a gas fireplace and built-in bookshelves and columns. 'It's bright and it's elegant . . . and it's versatile,' she said. 'It could be turned into a dining room again.'

餐厅改造真正吸引人的地方可能在于它可以轻易地被还原成传统的餐厅。苏富比(Sotheby)经纪人柯莱特・哈伦(Colette Harron)例举了目前在康涅狄格州艾塞克斯市(Essex)销售的一幢1870年建成的水岸别墅，这幢别墅要价348万美元。业主此前把一间可以看到河景的正式餐厅改造成了一间颇具特色的家庭房，并添加了天然气壁炉、嵌入式书架以及廊柱。哈伦说：“房间明亮、简洁……并且功能多样。另外，这个房间还可以再次还原为餐厅。”