Family style dining doesn't have to be all family and no style. Just because your kids have temporarily hijacked adult dinnertime rituals like finished sentences, finished meals and finished dishes, doesn't mean that having kids has to mean eating in a dining room void of style. The families in these homes have terrific, vibrant, fun, stylish AND practical dining rooms.
Notice that most of these dining rooms don't reek of "child-friendly" design. But they do make some strategic concessions to family life:
• Bare floors (no rugs) under the table.
• Washable durable chairs.
• Many have dining tables that are not made of wood easily ruined by water or smashed peas.
• Splashes of color.
• A lack of clutter; no expensive centerpieces!
These dining rooms are from house tours and contests on Apartment Therapy so click through if you'd like to see more of these stylish homes.
(Images credited in original posts)
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I noticed the Stokke Tripp Trapp in a lot of these. It's proof to how easy they're to clean and aesthetic pleasing too : )
And how wealthy AT readers/homeowners are. Sponsors, be aware!
I second Coryann on the Tripp Trapp. It was a great investment for our family. We are saving some $ for another soon. As for the no rug thing, we put a large sisal rug under our dining area and it is incredibly easy to keep clean with tiny messy ones around. Our dining room seems too cold without a rug.
I ALSO second the Tripp Trapp chair. It is worth every penny. Easy to clean, easy on the eyes, small footprint, and lasts a lifetime!
We love our tripp trapp as well. Plus they retain value well. But any sort of rug under our table would be trashed within a day.
The pic with the orange Tripp Trapp is our kitchen. The chair was a gift from my sisters when I had my first son (he's four now). Now, my other son (a year and a half) is uses it every day, and we plan for my daughter (who will be here in December) to get use out of it is well. I would say it is a stinkin' good investment. We've already taken the harness off and both of my sons (and their friends) use it all of the time. It's so easy to get on and off by themselves...which is so great for this preggo.
This inspired me and I just rearranged my Diningroom after I saw this!