https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 15 May 2026 20:22:04 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648519 Sat, 05 Nov 2016 17:41:27 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2648519@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We got a less formal table (bench on one side) and we use it when we have friends or family over for dinner or when we are doing crafts. And definitely holidays. But we also have a loft playroom. That's used more than the table but I definitely like having to the dining room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648515 Sat, 05 Nov 2016 17:30:57 +0000 lemondrop 2648515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Complete waste of space for us, so we turned it into an office. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648397 Sat, 05 Nov 2016 07:47:28 +0000 misolee 2648397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use ours for holidays and when guests are over. So every once in awhile. But we turned the extra bedroom downstairs into a playroom so it worked out. </p> <p>i like to sit there and do work. My 4 year old has joined me and she "works" too. I can see it also being a homework area in the future. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648365 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 23:09:11 +0000 Truvy 2648365@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, we eat all our meals in our dining room, but if we had an island in the kitchen or a bigger breakfast nook, I would rather eat at least breakfast and lunch there with the kids. Right now our dining room table and rug are looking a little worn from the kids messes when eating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648348 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 22:02:29 +0000 Ms. RV 2648348@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I use it when we have family over for a sitdown meal (which has happened twice in four years). The house also has a formal living room, which will eventually be a playroom. If we didn't have that, then the dining room would probably be repurposed as a playroom or family room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648319 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 20:15:48 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2648319@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: we use our dining room daily because we don't have another table. </p> <p>My friend has a formal dining room but it's a play room for now until her kids are older. We have a play room and I love love love having one. Sooo nice throwing all the toys in one room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648313 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 20:01:58 +0000 ValentineMommy 2648313@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a dining room, play room, and an eat in kitchen. We probably use the dining room 5-10 times a year. </p> <p>I would rather open up our kitchen/dining room into one big room. </p> <p>But yea, a playroom is a must. A dining room really isn't if you have an eat in kitchen, unless you plan on hosting a lot of holidays. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room/page/2#post-2648278 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 18:41:12 +0000 pastemoo 2648278@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: I am very into dining rooms. Even when I lived in a studio, I tried to decorate my dining wall into a nice place to eat. I have never bought stools for the breakfast bar in any of my dwelling places. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2648277 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 18:35:22 +0000 Caly 2648277@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use it every day for dinner. Then of course it's used for holidays, etc. A dining room will be a deal breaker when we move in the future. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2648271 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:37:11 +0000 PawPrints 2648271@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think formal dining rooms are slowly going the way of the dodo. Makes sense; I feel like when you buy a house you're paying for every square foot of it so it's a real shame to buy an entire room you're barely ever going to set foot in. Like most people these days, we have an open plan living/dining area, and we chose a pretty table that we can dress up or down to suit casual everyday or special occasion use. </p> <p>In other words, if I were in your situation, I absolutely would convert the dining room to a playroom. Get some use out of it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2648269 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:28:50 +0000 LAZB 2648269@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope, we made ours into a playroom </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2648262 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:00:16 +0000 snowjewelz 2648262@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know what is formal or not, but we only have 1 area as dining room and we do eat all our meals there. Aside from that, we have two stools at our kitchen counter. We used that more when we didn't have kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2648112 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 12:27:52 +0000 kiddosc 2648112@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are not formal dining room people. We have an eat-in kitchen, use the den as a playroom and the formal dining space is kind of dead space. There's an elliptical in there now, so I'm hoping to turn into a sewing/exercise space. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2648007 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 09:40:03 +0000 Cherrybee 2648007@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I use it every day..... as a dumping ground. :bummed: The dining table always has piles of clean laundry on it and the pushchair and car seat get stored in there out of the way. It makes me sad because I love that room and would love to use it properly.... But it's the only place to put this stuff for the time being. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647998 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 09:33:51 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2647998@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do every day.<br /> We can't fit three high chairs at our kitchen table. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647996 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 09:31:50 +0000 megjay18 2647996@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we have a table in our kitchen that we use for everyday eating. but it only seats 4 adults (plus two kids chairs squeezed in). So we use our 8-seater in the dining room if we have more than that number over for dinner. we also use it for playing board games, etc. since it's a large surface. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647969 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:57:07 +0000 looch 2647969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My house is old (1963) so it's built in the way of the times, with a separate dining room right next to the kitchen. I would say we kept it very casual, though, the furniture could be at home in a large eat in kitchen.</p> <p>We have a separate playroom, but if we had a larger kitchen, I wouldn't need the dining area at all! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647968 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:54:11 +0000 KayKay 2647968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: i would definitely just set up the dining room as a playroom for now. i think it will get a lot more use, and you can always set-up the kids table or whatever in there when you have guests over for bigger family meals. the bonus room will eventually make a great playroom/family room/game room, but i'd wait to do that until your kids are older and will play upstairs by themselves (slash you are comfortable with them doing so...). Nothing's ever permanent! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647965 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:47:24 +0000 cat620 2647965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: @Foodnerd81: The problem with having his office be in the bonus room is the walls in the bonus room have a slope, so he doesn't have the vertical wall space for his bookcases. He wants to keep all his books in the office where they are easily accessible. Our bonus room looks similar to this </p> [attach=5723/16/og4eb0.444x333.BR-2806_bonus_room.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647963 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:43:02 +0000 MrsF 2647963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use ours as a playroom and have our table in the kitchen nook. The play space / toy space is more valuable to me at this age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647959 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:37:46 +0000 Foodnerd81 2647959@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: good idea-then the office upstairs would be quieter if the kids are down, too. Dhs office is near our kitchen and itcan be an issue if the3 yo is loud. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647958 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:35:34 +0000 Foodnerd81 2647958@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: I would make it a playroom for the next couple of years, then when they are older and can play upstairs more you can invest in dining room furniture that you love, too. I'd rather have it work for me 360 days a year than have a nice formal dining room for the five days I would want it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647957 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:33:57 +0000 catgirl 2647957@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: could you use the downstairs office as a playroom and the bonus room upstairs as an office? At least for now while your kids are little. Eventually you could flip them back when your kids are old enough to spend time up there alone. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647953 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:31:50 +0000 Mamaof2 2647953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: if needed you could also make space in the formal dining room for a table at holidays then when its over its back to being a playroom! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647951 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:30:46 +0000 Mamaof2 2647951@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: then I would use the dining room as a playroom - it wont be forever but it will be used a lot during the next 5 or so years!</p> <p>We turned our formal living room into a playroom and have had zero regrets! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647948 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:28:58 +0000 cat620 2647948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: We own a table that seats 6 that we put in our current breakfast nook. The new house has a large space between the kitchen and living room, which would easily fit the table. I like the idea of having a larger table for when we host holidays (which is really only once a year) or have more people over, but we could just set up a folded table next to our current table. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647944 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:25:31 +0000 Mamaof2 2647944@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: do you already own dining room furniture? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647943 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:24:26 +0000 cat620 2647943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm feeling torn on what to do. Our downstairs also has an office space that I could make the playroom and keep the dining room, but DH really wants that office for himself, so he would not be too happy about losing it to the kids. Upstairs we have a bonus room, but my kids are only 1 and 3, so I don't want them playing up there by themselves if I'm downstairs cooking dinner or doing other stuff, and I don't want to have to sit up there with them all day long. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647903 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 07:04:28 +0000 Pancakes 2647903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do use it when we have company. Our kitchen table can squeeze 6, but we can fit 6-8 a lot more comfortably in the dining room. Ours is right at the front of the house, adjacent to the front door so it's not an ideal location for a playroom. I wouldn't want to look at all the toys as soon as I walked in the door. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-a-formal-dining-room#post-2647902 Fri, 04 Nov 2016 07:04:01 +0000 fancyfunction 2647902@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Yes, I can't wait to remodel but I think it's at least 2 years out. </p>