Our built-in kitchen table was installed when the previous owners renovated. At first I hated it, but a few years later, I'm in love. Here's why.
Although we had to find a new home for our beloved round table, the granite built-in is durable, easy to clean and completely immovable. I never worry about anything damaging the surface, or about coordinating table linens, since we put our plates directly on the table. We take most of our meals in the kitchen and it's a great fit for my family of five (my twins are on the verge of transitioning out of their high chairs and into boosters at the table), and because it is a peninsula set on a center post there are no pesky table legs for us to negotiate.
So thank you, previous owners, for doing this thing that I would have never in a billion years considered.
PS — we ripped out your fug MIRRORED backsplash and replaced the janky old appliances right after closing, but we are sticking with all of the cabinetry and granite for now.
(Image: Roni Shapira Ben-Yoseph)
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hmm. I like the "no legs" part, but also like to have options - like moving the table for a kitchen dance party, or sliding it out to accommodate more diners, or using a pretty vintage tablecloth.
I'm glad it works for you though! Seems like it'd be a hard fix if it didn't.
I wish my life was so exciting that it included kitchen dance parties.
Of all of the compromises you have to make when buying a house, this is one I could live with. I would never have picked the granite or an immovable table but you make it work. We had to tear out a wall to accommodate a family of 5 in our house so we'd have happily inherited a space that actually worked. I would miss table linens though...if only for occasional meals.
Looks like a great floor option for toddlers, too!
what on earth is a kitchen dance party?? and how come i've never been invited to one? :(
And I'm glad I'm cool enough not to troll.
^ see what I did there? Funny, right?
Anyways, I like this idea.
LOL @ Bradical (and I don't lol for just any comment)
Yeah, I'm really glad this works for you're family. I wouldn't like it at all, total opposite of my style, but then again, I don't have twins to seat and clean up after. This is still a great idea for those who want to personalise it with a different table material, shape, etc.
*snickering* @ bradical
(respectfully of course)
well done
That peninsula table would irk me every time I walked by it. I would have ripped it out before the mirror back splash! I can see the practicality of it with little kids, but to me it looks like a giant tongue sticking out of the cabinetry. I have never liked rounded corners and edges on granite, either.
A variation of that where the table can rise to be stored against the wall, like an ironing board, also could be handy for a smaller space.
t'uh
Are you Discerning enough to recognize that B's comment was actually more hostile than F's?
The table's rounded corners minimize bruising from the usual minor collisions. Deleting F's offensive comment made this thread choppy, but inhibiting trollishness is worth a little discontinuity.
My parents have a similar granite build-in kitchen table . At first I was unsure about their choice, but now having a child of my own, I am jealous. The surface is easy to clean, don't have to worry about scratches like wood, you can put hot dishes on the table, no need for placements, and it can serve as an extra kitchen work surface.
I hasten to point out that there is no earthly reason you could NOT use a tablecloth on a granite peninsula table, you just don't NEED one to protect the surface like you might for wood. (If the tablecloth is meant to hang off four sides, you might have to fold one edge under for the attached side, but otherwise, totally doable.
Placemats would also work well.
My parents had the Formica version of this in their home (more of a counter since the attached side was one of the long ones) and we ate all our meals there, almost never at the actual table (which typically was buried in junk anyhow.) We referred to it as the "snack bar" and it worked perfectly well for a lot of years. Not a Martha Stewart lifestyle, but nobody I knew had that either, even the few who had more formal dining.
I wish I could post a pic of my 4yo breakdancing (yep!) at our last Kitchen Dance Party (TM).
#<3KDP