I secretly knew that we would eventually have to convert our formal dining room into a playroom.
Having three kids in 25 months sped that up a bit.
We never ate at the dining room table.
*maybe…MAYBE* once a year at Thanksgiving.
The rest of the time, I dusted it.
I didn’t take a before photo, but here’s the best one I found in my archives:
The kids’ rooms are all upstairs…and we live downstairs. So I needed somewhere to put toys.
Especially now that I’m home with the kids all day, I was finding that my living room was looking like a disaster and it wasn’t functioning well as a play space.
With the change over, I’ve discovered that Henry plays with his toys a lot more AND my living room stays perfectly tidy all day long! The playroom can be a whirlwind sometimes, but at least it’s contained to one place.
Andy is not happy with this. I can’t figure out why, but he really liked having the formal dining room. Which is weird, because we honestly never used it. So, I don’t what the big deal is. But, I’m the one that is home with the kids all day, so I pulled rank on this decision. I, for one, love it. It may not be the intended use of the space, or the “perfect” place, but it WORKS. And I’m totally going for function over form at this point in my life!
I need to get a bigger area rug and that cute toy box/storage bench? Got it at a yard sale last week for $15! Score!
I had Andy swap out the (ugly) chandelier that was hanging and put in a flush mounted fixture. The mirror will stay since I think it helps make the room look bigger and the black cabinet in the corner will also stay since I have nowhere else in the house to put it.
At some point, we can have a formal dining room again…but not for the next few years. :)
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it looks cute! i kind of agree with andy i loved your dining room but i think the reason hes irritated with the decision is cuz they have there rooms and dosnt want to change the house around for the kids to play, hes just old fashion i think it looks great for now…. plus ur right your at home with them he's not.
i totally feel your pain. we really don't have space for a playroom and my living room almost always looks like a bomb just went off :)
I think it's a great idea! Our living room is a disaster most of the time littered with toys. You'll get your formal dining room back eventually, but with 3 little ones, this is just the "season of your life". Whatever makes things easier for you – DO IT!
i love it! it's a much more practical use of space and we all know if the kids ain't happy, it makes for a long day which makes mama more grumpy. so, i think it's better for everyone in the end.
At least your formal dining room has a hardwood floor… Ours has carpet. Seriously? Carpet! Light carpet, too, I might add. So while we still call it a formal dining room and there is a table and chairs in it, I allow no children to eat in there. (Which, in one way, is nice… adults in one room, kids in the kitchen, but weird arrangement.) I LOVE what you've done. Andy's watched too much HGTV and thinks the room should function as intended in order to sell it. Tell him to stop watching "House Hunters" and go mow a lawn!
Penny-the entire dining room and living room used to be LIGHT beige carpet…but we recently pulled it all up and put in the laminate…light carpet plus kids and dogs do NOT mix so that was a big improvment. If we ever get to sell, I'll be sure to "stage" it appropriately! :)
Totally feeling the need to do the same thing – but don't have any gumption right now to rearrange the furniture. I like your set-up!
Perfect!! What a fantastic idea.