I’m just going to say it, dining rooms are dead. With the downsizing trend formal spaces are naturally the first to go from the floor plan. And why not? I can’t justify purchasing furniture and cleaning a space that is used MAYBE twice a year. There are those who entertain large crowds often and love having a dining room, and that’s all good. But what are the rest of us to do? To that I say reimagine your floor plan.
Before
When we moved into our house 8 years ago I was pregnant with twins. The formal dining room (complete with nature inspire wall paper, decorative trim work, and a brass chandelier) was used as a storage space for the baby gear taking over our lives. Since then, it has gone through several changes. There was wall paper removal, two different attempts at blue wall color, LOTS of toys, and a temporary sitting room/library until we could design (and pay for) a full remodel.
I’m so happy to report we now have a FINISHED room. It is used daily and will suit our family for many years to come.
After
Along one wall we built in a bench seat flanked by storage cabinets and shelving. This will hold all of the books and kids art supplies.
In the china hutch nook I built a custom desk (seriously the easiest build I’ve done AND so inexpensive) for my kids to do their homework and store their electronics. We don’t want tablets (and phones and laptops) in their rooms, so creating a space for them on the main floor was a great solution. And while they are still young we have a smaller craft table in the middle where they can gather together or spread out supplies.
What do you wish you had more room to do? I challenge you to look around for underutilized space in your home. You might just find you have more space than you think!
Want more creative home ideas? Check out this fun and fresh pantry project.
