Very nice! Looks like a cool room to be in. So happy to hear you are using the room.

I just love it! And the travel theme is so fun!

That's fantastic!

We started using our dining room for our evening meals a few months ago. It DOES make a difference. It's a more leisurely meal with better conversation.

Such pretty rooms should be used often!

Another GW success story :)

What a great idea. To include the kids in the planning helps to create a family eating area rather than 'mom and dad are making us do this' kinda room. I love the idea of the suitcase being used as shelving.

Wow! It looks really great! I am so glad you are using the room. And I love the travel theme. You are very creative!

Wonderful!

I love reading a success story! Thanks so much for posting a follow-up to your original thread.

Love it!!

What a wonderful place to gather. Lots of great memories will be made there.

Wonderful!

So glad it's worked out for you. Well done!

I wanted to let you know that your earlier thread inspired me to start using our dining room. We only use it once or twice a week, but we love it. It's a more cozy, intimate room than our open, eat-in kitchen table. We light candles, dim the lights and open a bottle of wine. And when I've taken the time to prepare a meal from scratch, I appreciate that we linger a little longer. I feel like eating in the dining room elevates the meal a bit and reminds us to slow down and enjoy the food and each other.

Tonight is a dining room night :)

So exciting! That is a brilliant idea with the map and places you want to go. That really makes the dining room more interactive and useful. It looks great!

I'd be interested in hearing if being in the dining room has impacted the family's relationships and level of conversation at all. So many times people point to things like decor as frivolous and unnecessary, but I think surroundings are very important and it can affect how people feel in a space and with each other....how being more formal about dining adds importance to that family time.

A friend of mine wisely said that children spell love, T-I-M-E. And in my mind, making the effort to elevate dining together is a nonverbal way of giving time and attention to those we love most.

Wonderful in so many ways. Great story of how you built it around and for your needs and made it a successful room. I'll bet you and your family will enjoy planning more trips.

It is so lovely!

I'm so glad that you decided to go that route! As I mentioned in my post on that thread, my now-adult kids tell us often how many happy memories they have at our dining room table meals over all those years. I LOVE your ideas for decorating your dining room, too! Your idea of cutting a suitcase in half and using them as shelves is brilliant and so good looking! BIG congrats!
Lynn

I wish there was a like button for Annie's post. Family dinner has gone by the wayside for so many young families. Kudos to you lovetorenovate for creating what can also be an academically enriching family space.

When my now 5 adult children were little, Sunday was designated as eat-dinner-in-the-dining room-night-and-use-your-manners-too. Not that they didn't, but in a DR, w/candles, they knew that there was absolutely no slacking! They actually loved it, and looked forward to Sunday.

Fantastic, and there will always be a conversation starter in the room, from how it started, to GW, travels, history, family, crafting, GW, and oh! did I mention GW?

It's wonderful and inspiring!

How did you cut and mount the suitcases?

Love the idea and the execution of it!

Love how you've personalized the dining room. It's lovely.. more importantly, the time you spend together in it is lovely.

I grew up in a family where we were expected to eat dinner together IN the dining room. It became harder and harder as we got older and had work/sports schedules but it was important enough to my parents that we often ate late to accommodate schedules. There was no tv and topics HAD to be enjoyable and respectful. So many of my friends' families ate in front of the tv .. and you can be sure I grumbled about it many times.. but as an adult, I cherish those family dinners each night. it sounds like your family does too!

Fantastic! Love the suitcase and map.

Love it! The idea, the details, the execution and the teamwork.

Funkyart, we also have the no TV rule. We put in on a music station during dinner.

I don't like the tv on when we have guests over, either. We get together for conversation. not sitting in front of the tv!