Hello fellow Lazy Gals {and guys}! It was time for another post in this series, and we’re glad to be back with a space that’s near and dear to our hearts: purging the dining room.
Because dining rooms are pretty straight forward with all things dishes and such, we’re breaking ranks a little today to share our dining room purge-a-palooza story.
Once upon a time, we had a purdy little dining room. But it wasn’t always that way, and it’s not that way, now.
Because we purged our dining room so much, it no longer exists.
But let’s rewind a bit, if you’re not familiar with our little history. {And if you are, we promise not to bore you to the point where you want to walk into your own dining room and throw all the dishes. Wheeee!}
Because when we first moved in, the walls were totally this.
And that was fine, for a while. There was even this stage where I tried to emulate what I thought I wanted, and purchased some gold curtains with a weird fringe in a grandmotherly way that we’ll pretend didn’t really happen. {The mean grandma twice removed you never see who wonders aloud why you’re not as small-boned as your sister and why your children aren’t reading yet at 4… not the awesome hipster grandma who rocks a pair of Bermudas like nobody’s business and still sends you twenty smackers for your birthday every year. From Italy.}
We don’t have either one of those grandmothers, so just roll with it.
PS. White plugs much? Clearly, it was all in the details, yo.
So over time, it became this. And it was always a bit of an awkward space. Do I put the china cabinet on one wall? Do I leave the table in the center? Do I turn it the other way? Do I have a buffet? Do I lose the china cabinet and have only a buffet? Why do I have to suck in to get past the table when people are sitting here?
And why are there so many old wedding gifts shoved in these cabinets?
Deep thoughts by Ashley: A Haiku.
So we found this old barn that was being torn down through a friend, bribed same {amazing} friend to weld a little design for us, and we had this. Which was great for a while. It felt like we were finally simplified, and were using the space efficiently.
And then life threw us a curve ball. We decided to take on they grand adventure that is homeschooling. And while our house would have totally served us just fine, I started to reevaluate all of our spaces, because I knew us, and I knew that we would need a space dedicated to the task.
We needed a room that reflected them. One that got the kids excited about in being a part of this. A place to corral all those tools and curriculum. And let’s be really honest: Mama also accomplishes more when the space inspires her to keep it together.
That dining room was fantastic, but it was only used when we had big parties {insert nose snort here for those of you with kids and ya know we’d rather meet at the local inflatables place/ball park for large gatherings} and the kitchen served us just fine.
And then we made it work. We were able to make a quick switch in the course of a weekend, because we’d systematically purged over the past year. While I would love a huge space for entertaining my hundreds of pretend awesome friends in the future, we realized some things:
• Just because a space has something labeled on it when you move in by an architect who designed the home, doesn’t mean that you have to use it for that purpose. Our needs had changed.
It’s like those serving portions on the food labels.
You don’t know me, architect.
• Things can sit in a space, and we don’t even realize they’re there anymore. Our dining room became a space that needed to be dusted occasionally, holding furniture we barely used and plates that looked pretty all because… we were supposed to have one? It was a fun challenge in reevaluating what we really use our home for, as well as a big lesson learned on maximizing what your home really does for you. For the first time, this space was working for us.
• Don’t think I’m a dining room hater. By all means if you love yours, rock on with your bad self. I still dream of natural wood trestle tables in spaces decked with wall to wall library card catalogs with vintage brass holders and fantastically stacked, colorful plates. With a ridiculously swanky chandy. Maybe even that singing candle guy Lumiere from Beauty and The Beast. Yes, that was specific.
Because dining rooms are amazingly charming. Just make sure you actually use them. Our dining room felt like saving an outfit for that special occasion, and then never actually wearing it. Or when you finally do, it kind of fits weird and doesn’t feel like you, and you wish you had saved that moolah for something else…
So if you have a dining room or not, if you have a big fancy entry way or you’ve lost your everlovingmind and now it serves as part of an expanded school room (with a giant map), let your home serve you.
If it’s a dining room, let it work for you in parties. Let it work for your family during the week. Let it be your happy place, and prettily store your great Aunt Beatrice’s plates you probably should get rid of but you’re feeling guilted into keeping because, family. Tiny homes in Switzerland are amazing. But most of the time, real life wins out… and that’s more than okay.
Let it be your creative space. Let it be the space you gather and love and host a full on hospitality-central in a wonderful home that is loved and lived in as a part of your life story. Let it serve others. Don’t be afraid to use that furniture, those linens and and those plates… This isn’t 1950 anymore.
And while we’re on the subject, plates don’t all have to be propped all so perfectly, face-forward like your mom with her matching suite in the 80’s. Heck, you don’t even have to have fine china anymore. And your furniture doesn’t have to hold you back. Change it up. Switch it around. Sell it and buy parts of a giant barn to make your own shelving.
If it’s a burden, change it.
Life is too short to miss out on wearing that outfit.
Nothing should cause us extra work in our home. Or stress.
Dive in with what you love. Dive in with what you need. Dive in and make it work, where you are. Now.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering… those rando wedding gifts we had? We donated a lot, and simply learned to store things {only keeping what we actually use} in clever ways. See plates in pantry, below.
…And that table? {the matching dining room suit we just HAD to have when we were married that we never really used}
Found a much happier home in a new hue, in the kitchen where it works really hard for it’s life’s calling. And feels very loved.
So how can you make your dining room/living room/playroom/fill-in-the-blank room work harder for you? How can it express who you are, and tell your story? How can it be functional and loved… all at the same time?
What can you toss, all in the name of saving your sanity?
Psst… since we broke the ranks today and covered a bit of a different topic, we still have those printables if you’re ready to simplify and make those dining rooms oh so pretty!
Because lists always make us feel better: {organization-diningroom{blank}, organization-diningroom, donation sheet} They work great with our 2015 planner!
And as always, share that progress on insta with #lazygalsguide You guys are inspiring, and we want to see that progress!
Have an inspired day!
Jenna says
Love this. Great advice- we use ours as a playroom because we needed the space but I’ve always felt bad about it! This post helps a lot- thank you!
Pam says
PERFECT! We are about to get rid of our dining room – I feel the same way. Though it will not be this way forever – I do love your sentiments about how to work with your home so that it eventually works more for you!
Just says
yes ma’am, been there done that! We had a dining room in once house that we used like once for a holiday meal. Then it became a playroom cause that ‘s what we needed at that stage. Different house, less space, older kids, wha-la dining room becomes an office. And that office gets used every day by husband or by kiddos doing homework, art projects etc. To me it’s just another room with walls, and that just happens to have a fancier light hanging from the ceiling.
Kelly says
This was a great post about making the space into something you’ll actually use. We still have a dining room but I only have a buffet and not the china cabinet on top. My mom could not for the life of her figure out why I didn’t want to display all our fine china in the cabinet anymore. It felt like we were trying to be people that we really aren’t. So now I have a huge mirror above the buffet flanked by pretty botanical prints. So much fresher and so much more “us.”
Aubrey says
How is this the first time I have noticed your collection of globes?! Adorbs! I live in a tiny house with a eat in kitchen…and I dream of a “real” dining room…somewhere I can show off my Mom’s yellow china!
*Sigh* all the dreams of a bigger house…