Update on using the formal dining room...

11 years ago

I posted a month ago about wanting to use my formal dining room more... and the gist of the advice was "use it then". :-) and by golly - it's worked. ;-) We have been using the formal dining room for all our dinners with the kids (we have a blended family so some of the time it's just my husband and I - but often we have 2, 3 or all 5 kids). The kids decided a good theme for the room would be our vacation travels - so we've added a huge map where we can pin places we've been or want to go. I found a vintage suitcase and cut it in half for shelves, and we are going to fill the frames with photos from our trips. I also am going to laminate photos and maps to make placements. I made napkin rings from foreign coins attached to coat hanger wire wrapped in 2 inch circles.

I LOVE eating in the dining room - it makes such a difference to not view the kitchen mess. It's more relaxed, the kids have more fun, and we have better conversations all facing each other. So thanks for everyone's support and encouragement.

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Comments (25)

debrak2008
11 years ago
Very nice! Looks like a cool room to be in. So happy to hear you are using the room.
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sis2two
11 years ago
I just love it! And the travel theme is so fun!
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I know the way we do it is not for everyone, but I will tell you what works for us! We do not homeschool, but we do believe that education happens all day long, and much of it comes from us as parents. We keep educational things all over our dining room. Our dining room is also the main eating area for us, since our kitchen is not an eat-in kitchen. Almost everyone that comes to visit sees the dining room from where they are sitting or standing, or has to pass through it at some point. The underlying dÃÂ©cor in the dining room is nicely done and the school materials are fairly well organized. There is no one that would visit here that would not understand why our dining room looks the way it does, and we have never been embarrassed by it. Our kids have grown up with placemats that have maps, math, presidents, etc. on them, and have learned many things from the conversations we have at the dinner table while using these placemats. We have had conversion charts, periodic tables, maps, money charts, clock posters, and number lines on the wall over the years. The kids have learned from them because they are where they can see them any time of day. The room is constantly changing as the kids grow. The kids also have their desks in the dining room. We don't really have another place for them. We have an extra room, but we use that as a craft room, which is usually somewhat messy...their desks stay clean and useable when they are out where we can see them. They do use the craft room for school projects, and that way the projects can stay out until they are completed. Our dining room is never in magazine-worthy condition for sure, but I know that the kids are only kids for a short time, and it is so fun to use every opportunity to teach them new things. Also, this is our own home for raising them, so I don't really think about how the dÃÂ©cor looks to other people that might stop by for a visit. I will have a beautiful dining room later in life, when the kids are grown and gone. To me, at this stage in our lives, this is beautiful dÃÂ©cor to me! This post was edited by myfoursquare on Tue, Oct 8, 13 at 13:31
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Your dining room table and chairs are classic and will never go out of style. Your rug too is great but I would move it to another room and replace with something much lighter in colour, perhaps another oriental rug or maybe something more modern. The spaces around your dining room have wainscotting with panels below. Those bottom panels are missing from your dining room so I'd add them, the chair rail looks odd without the panels below. Then I would paint the wainscot the same white as the other wainscot. Paint above the wainscott a soft cream so it will be slightly different from the wainscot. On your window wall, move the plant to another room and add white linen drapes. Remove the tapestry, candle sconces, mirror, and that little table with the lamp (that table is much too small scale for this room, looks like baby furniture). Add a single piece of art to the tapestry wall in large scale, don't do small pieces. Replace your chandelier with something more current and reupholster your chair seats in solid cream (this is an easy DIY). And then stop. Your dining room table and chairs are the stars of this room. Keep it simple. Table, chairs, rug, drapes, chandelier, one large piece of art. And BTW, your table looks really stately with the extensions, I'd leave them in all the time. Perhaps one more decor item would be something for the middle of the table. And make it one single thing and make it large scale.
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Is there enough room behind the sofa for a very narrow console table? It could hold a lamp (or two) instead of using any end tables. I could imagine myself sitting sideways on the sofa facing the fireplace and using the table for my coffee cup while I talked on the phone. There is something about the drapes that bothers me. They are beautiful and a lovely color but seem to block the beautiful window. Could you have all the panels at the two ends instead having four groups? I, too, have struggled with a backdrop for ZOOM calls. Remember that on Zoom you see only what is directly behind the person and a couple feet to each side, not the whole wall. So only a few feet of the bottom any large panels would show. You may have to make a trade off on what looks good in the room versus what looks good on ZOOM. For my ZOOM calls, I ended up not using my desk. I took an unused corner of another room and put an old laptop on a small table to make a ZOOM “studio.” I put a console table behind my chair with a large Grecian bust and a small topiary plant over one shoulder and a tall pair of brass candle sticks with two small family photos over the other. The wall directly behind me is blank and coincidently is painted a color that contrasts with my coloring, which also looks better on ZOOM.
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alex9179
11 years ago
That's fantastic!

We started using our dining room for our evening meals a few months ago. It DOES make a difference. It's a more leisurely meal with better conversation.

Such pretty rooms should be used often!
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ellendi
11 years ago
Another GW success story :)
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blfenton
11 years ago
What a great idea. To include the kids in the planning helps to create a family eating area rather than 'mom and dad are making us do this' kinda room. I love the idea of the suitcase being used as shelving.
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theclose
11 years ago
Wow! It looks really great! I am so glad you are using the room. And I love the travel theme. You are very creative!
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User
11 years ago
Wonderful!
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Fun2BHere
11 years ago
I love reading a success story! Thanks so much for posting a follow-up to your original thread.
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jjam
11 years ago
Love it!!

What a wonderful place to gather. Lots of great memories will be made there.
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User
11 years ago
Wonderful!
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Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
So glad it's worked out for you. Well done!
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pudgybaby
11 years ago
I wanted to let you know that your earlier thread inspired me to start using our dining room. We only use it once or twice a week, but we love it. It's a more cozy, intimate room than our open, eat-in kitchen table. We light candles, dim the lights and open a bottle of wine. And when I've taken the time to prepare a meal from scratch, I appreciate that we linger a little longer. I feel like eating in the dining room elevates the meal a bit and reminds us to slow down and enjoy the food and each other.

Tonight is a dining room night :)
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amykath
11 years ago
So exciting! That is a brilliant idea with the map and places you want to go. That really makes the dining room more interactive and useful. It looks great!
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Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
I'd be interested in hearing if being in the dining room has impacted the family's relationships and level of conversation at all. So many times people point to things like decor as frivolous and unnecessary, but I think surroundings are very important and it can affect how people feel in a space and with each other....how being more formal about dining adds importance to that family time.

A friend of mine wisely said that children spell love, T-I-M-E. And in my mind, making the effort to elevate dining together is a nonverbal way of giving time and attention to those we love most.
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outsideplaying_gw
11 years ago
Wonderful in so many ways. Great story of how you built it around and for your needs and made it a successful room. I'll bet you and your family will enjoy planning more trips.
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roarah
11 years ago
It is so lovely!
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lynninnewmexico
11 years ago
I'm so glad that you decided to go that route! As I mentioned in my post on that thread, my now-adult kids tell us often how many happy memories they have at our dining room table meals over all those years. I LOVE your ideas for decorating your dining room, too! Your idea of cutting a suitcase in half and using them as shelves is brilliant and so good looking! BIG congrats!
Lynn
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sparklebread
11 years ago
I wish there was a like button for Annie's post. Family dinner has gone by the wayside for so many young families. Kudos to you lovetorenovate for creating what can also be an academically enriching family space.
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patty_cakes
11 years ago
When my now 5 adult children were little, Sunday was designated as eat-dinner-in-the-dining room-night-and-use-your-manners-too. Not that they didn't, but in a DR, w/candles, they knew that there was absolutely no slacking! They actually loved it, and looked forward to Sunday.
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bpath
11 years ago
Fantastic, and there will always be a conversation starter in the room, from how it started, to GW, travels, history, family, crafting, GW, and oh! did I mention GW?

It's wonderful and inspiring!

How did you cut and mount the suitcases?
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decordummy_gw
11 years ago
Love the idea and the execution of it!
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funkyart
11 years ago
Love how you've personalized the dining room. It's lovely.. more importantly, the time you spend together in it is lovely.

I grew up in a family where we were expected to eat dinner together IN the dining room. It became harder and harder as we got older and had work/sports schedules but it was important enough to my parents that we often ate late to accommodate schedules. There was no tv and topics HAD to be enjoyable and respectful. So many of my friends' families ate in front of the tv .. and you can be sure I grumbled about it many times.. but as an adult, I cherish those family dinners each night. it sounds like your family does too!
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ppbenn
11 years ago
Fantastic! Love the suitcase and map.
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nutsaboutplants
11 years ago
Love it! The idea, the details, the execution and the teamwork.
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alex9179
11 years ago
Funkyart, we also have the no TV rule. We put in on a music station during dinner.

I don't like the tv on when we have guests over, either. We get together for conversation. not sitting in front of the tv!
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Update on using the formal dining room...

Comments (25)

debrak2008

sis2two

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alex9179

ellendi

blfenton

theclose

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Fun2BHere

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outsideplaying_gw

roarah

lynninnewmexico

sparklebread

patty_cakes

bpath

decordummy_gw

funkyart

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