Dining Room Dilemma: From Boring to Brilliant Playroom/Office!

When we first bought our house, I had big dreams of decorating every room to perfection. But let’s be real—life happens! I started with the most important spaces first: the kids’ bedrooms. They had to have fun, playful rooms they could call their own. Once those were done, though, it was time to take on another project: our plain, boring dining room.

But here’s the thing—how often do you really use a formal dining room? For us, it wasn’t much. Sure, we had our neighbors over for dinner a few times, but with a big eating area in our kitchen, the dining room felt unnecessary. Especially after our little guy was born and toys started overflowing everywhere! We needed more play spaces, both upstairs and downstairs, and that’s when the lightbulb moment hit: why not turn the dining room into a playroom/office? Two birds, one stone, right?

Let me show you what we were working with: here’s the dining room before. Yawn. No style, no personality—just blah.

And now, drumroll, please… here’s the transformed playroom/office!

We love how much more use we get out of the space now. It’s functional, fun, and totally suits our family’s needs. I have to confess, though, I might be a little obsessed with Pottery Barn (okay, a lot obsessed). Pretty much everything in the room is from Pottery Barn or Pottery Barn Kids—from the light fixture to the rug. I know, it wasn’t exactly cheap, but hey, quality over quantity, right? Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself!

One thing I was adamant about: this playroom had to look nice. It’s a visible space downstairs, and I did not want it turning into a cluttered, junk-filled eyesore. So I kept things clean, organized, and chic (with as much chic as you can have with toys around!). I thought about adding curtains, but let’s be honest—kids hanging off curtains like little Tarzans wasn’t exactly part of my vision, so I nixed that idea for now.

Now that this room is done, I’m feeling the itch to redo every other room in the house to match this vibe. One room down… many more to go!

Moral of the story: dining rooms are overrated, and every home can use a little more play!