In our dining room...

Do you know what this is???

Maybe a slightly different perspective would help:


When we passed along our dining table earlier this summer to Katy and Alex (my sister and new bro-in-law), our dining room apparently became an excellent indoor camping site, hence the creative "campfire" and tent. We had two permanent sleeping bags under the stars too.

I remember being six and having an empty formal dining area while my parents hunted for their table and chairs. We loved it. I used the room as my gymnastics and ballet studio, my brothers practiced being the Karate Kid, and we all loved to use the empty room as a playspace. When my parents found their table (the same table we just passed along to Katy and Alex, actually!), I'm sure I was a little disappointed that I no longer had room to turn cartwheels.

And so, I love seeing how my children use this space. :) But the grown up in me (and the person who'd like to have a seat for extra dinner guests) is anxious to find a table of our own.

These are the ones I love right now:

The one above I found at Layla Grace...but it's made by Redford House. I love it in the white, but we're looking for a dark finish for our dining room--thankfully it comes in many finishes! (The one above is my favorite, but Brent says the pedastals don't allow for enough stretch room. Hmmmmm.)

We both like this one from Pottery Barn. And it's transitional enough to work in a dining room or eat-in kitchen, if in the future we only have one dining space. And we like the chairs below (also from Pottery Barn) with both tables...in the dark stained finish. (Though I love the blue and red finishes too!)

And while it will mean the end of an empty room, I also remember countless afternoons spent under blankets covering the table...a fort full of play food and stuffed animals. I have no doubt that my children will also find plenty to use a new table for. I just LOVE seeing their imaginations at work!