This Dining Room Cabinet Isn't Filled with Plates

When most people think of dining room storage, they picture stacked dinnerware, linen napkins, or serving platters tucked behind cabinet doors. But in our lake house dining room, we’re doing something a little unexpected: we filled our entire armoire with our favorite family board games.

Both Chris and I grew up playing games after dinner—cards, board games, the whole table staying put long after the plates were cleared. It’s one of those traditions that shaped so many of my favorite memories, and it’s something we’ve loved carrying on with our own kids. There’s nothing like the way a game keeps everyone at the table a little longer.

Modern traditional dining room styling showcasing a rich wood armoire with mirrors reflecting the room, styled with vintage-inspired tabletop decor, a textured black vase, and a gold-framed landscape painting and board games inside

Armoire | Dining Table | Dining Chairs | Area Rug

So when I was thinking through the dining room at the lake house, it just made sense. We reach for games most right there, at the table—so why keep them tucked away in another room? I brought in this armoire from our Pottery Barn Kids collection and stocked it with all the cards and board games our family loves, the ones we pull out on repeat and the ones we save for when guests are over.

Now everything’s right where we play it most. No hunting through closets, no “where did we put that one”—just open the doors and pick something.

It’s a small thing, but it’s the kind of detail I love most: a piece that’s beautiful and actually makes the room work harder for the way we live. And in this case, it keeps a tradition we both grew up with right at the heart of the home.