Table of Contents: All in the Family

Here at Remodelista, we like rooms that are designed to be lived in (see Rule No. 8 of the Remodelista Manifesto: Beauty needn’t come at the cost of comfort or utility). Add kids to the equation and it can be tricky to strike the right balance. And so this week, in anticipation of gatherings ahead, we’re presenting sensible and stylish solutions to multigenerational living. (Warning: You may be inspired to install a trapeze bar in your living room.

• Later today we’re running the first in our series of Gift Guides–they’ll be appearing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday up to the holidays. This week’s gift guides are filled with our best kids’ finds.
• This week’s Object Lesson: Enamel cookware made by the same company for decades in dollhouse colors.
• In 10 Easy Pieces, Erin, the newest mother on our team, shares the result of a lot of research: the 10 best cribs out there, including the surprisingly affordable one, shown here, that she and her husband selected.
• An American mother and daughter are living the dream life in Beaune, France: Together they run a combination cooking school and specialty kitchenwares, food, and wine shop (complete with pied-í -terre for rent). Julie drops in on them in Wednesday’s Design Travel post.
• Myles Tipley is a deejay by night and a designer blogger and DIYer by day. On Thursday, in his debut Remodelista post, the father of one shows us the display-worthy stereo equipment he’s considering for own his family’s listening corner. Watch for 10 Favorites.
• Fish gotta swim and kids gotta climb and slide–and fly. In our Children’s Rooms post, we look at bedrooms (and beyond) that incorporate playground equipment.
• In Friday’s Expert Advice post, a trio of expats in San Francisco show us how to stage a laid-back Thanksgiving, Northern California–style (festive table required, turkey optional).