How Do You Make this Family Room Functional and Inviting??
Moved into home a year ago. Contemplated and kicked around various ideas for family room.
Am looking to furnish and design comfy and rustic (think reclaimed wood) family room.
Have 2 teenagers and a dog. We love to veg out and watch movies here.
I'd like to create a cozy reading corner by one of the windows but don't know how.
We'd like to entertain more but the family room is so uninviting and not welcoming yet. See photos.
All the oak in this room matches color (oak built in cabinet, oak fireplace mantle, oak storage under hearth) and is too dated for my taste. They're beautiful but the color is dated.
Room dimensions: 14'2" x 15'11"
Focal point: hearth-to-ceiling stone fireplace. Large windows on both sides; lots of natural light in afternoon but gets extremely warm. Oak mantle that I'm not crazy about. Would like a distressed wood look.
Ceiling: 10' pitched ceiling; tongue & groove wood planks, dark brown beams
TV: right corner
Floor: beige tile
Left side: french door flanked by 2 picture windows. All trim is white.
Right side: massive (approx 12' long) honey-colored oak built in cabinets. We don't need all this storage. Might have it removed in few years but for now, it will serve its purpose as computer station and storage. Would like to paint in lighter color to make the room seems less heavy and dense but the professional cost estimate was quite expensive. I'm a DIYer. This would take me considerable time (need to muster up the interest and motivation. I could paint it, especially if I knew what color would help the room). Cabinet is my biggest design dilemma I feel like I have to work around and have no creative way how.
All furniture here is temporary.
- inexpensive and small Ikea coffee table given by friend when she moved to Australia
- the leather sofa is an old, but free item I got in the interim. Plan to get rid of it and buy a new 85" dark leather sofa (prefer tan or almond color but the darker color I think would conceal dirt better. Found a great price for the new leather sofa, fits my budget, but only comes in dark brown).
- the matching cream leather chair-and-half are crazy comfortable and are wonderful pieces but they are just too large (58"x40") to incorporate into the space. They are recliners, and I'd like to keep them if I could make them work. Just don't know how to best arrangement them. One for seating next to couch, the other for the reading corner? Don't know!
- fabric chair in left corner is also temporary. Is a napping place for dog but I don't want to keep this temporary chair (dog has other napping locations). This corner space is hardly used and I wonder if this can be the cozy reading corner
-behind family room (opposite fireplace) is a functional bar (also with dark oak which I'd like to lighten or change; separate project).
Lighting: only major source is dated ceiling fan. Need a fan in room, but the lighting is inadequate and yellowish.
Need help, suggestions, inspiration for this room.
Comments (7)
housegal200
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoSome thoughts. Layout, not paint colors and materials, should be the focus of your first changes.
--Get rid of the sofa entirely since you're going to do so anyway. But don't get another one just yet.
--If the oak pieces are moveable, take out the central, computer section and put it against the wall where the lamps are. Group your chairs in a conversational circle around a nice brown leather or colorful ottoman.
This idea:
Musical Chairs · More Info
Mill Valley Estate · More Info--Move your lamps behind one of the big chairs flanking the fireplace. This will light up that end of the room and 'invite" people to take a seat, bring a book, put down a drink.
--Anchor your space with a large light patterned rug that picks up some of the golden oak and other colors in the room.
Well Woven Mystic Alvin Modern Geometric Gold 7'10"x9'10" Area Rug · More Info
Oriental Weavers Kaleidoscope 8020G Yellow RUG · More Info--Put some pillows in golds and whatever accent color you have in a rug.
--Fill the bookcase with books!
--Take down the dark "Home" sign. If the room is homey--and it will be with rug, coffee table, and comfy chairs, and reading lamp arranged in a homey way, you don't need a sign to tell you. Replace it with a large light-colored skyscape or woodlands landscape on the mantel that suggests the sky or the outdoors and opens up the room.
Cooler Minds Prevail, Original By Tatiana Iliina, Art · More Info--If you don't want to use the office chair as part of your group, just get another comfortable chair so you have four of them. Put small accent tables next to them so people can put down a mug, plate or book. You need to give your room airiness, comfort, and usefulness to make it a great family room.
Oslo Nesting End Tables · More InfoI frankly think a room with the chairs you love arranged conversationally doesn't need a brown leather sofa. I hope you don't get one, but if you eventually do, get one in gold/cambel tones or the whole room with brown floor, dark stones, and wood will be a sea of darkness. Get camel instead.
Eclectic Living Room · More InfoThe cozy layout where everyone has a big comfortable chair, centered on a colorful rug with a coffee table/ottoman within reach, a painting, some books to look at and read, and a colorful warm looking rug will create an inviting family room for not a whole lot of $$.
Annie Loue Sue R thanked housegal200Related Discussions
How Long Do You Keep Inviting Them?
Comments (30)If it's not I don't want to socialize with you thing, then it's just general laziness and lack of social graces. I have a similar thing with my family. I have a couple of cousins that I was close with growing up and that now live 2 hours away. I send them Christmas cards every year, graduation announcements, party invites and I never hear boo from them. 6 months ago, I get an invite to a baby shower for the daughter of my cousin. Didn't even know she was pregnant, hoped she hadn't gotten married and I didn't get an invite! Turns out she wasn't married but was having a baby. So, I decided to drive up the two hours that Sunday and attend - mostly just to see everyone and hear what's new. They were all thrilled to see me and we had a great visit. I took a number of pictures of the mother to be and my cousin and other family members at the shower. Plus some of her opening gifts etc. I sent copies of all the photos to my cousin. Never got a thank you for my gift, an acknowledgement of sending the photos. No baby announcement. Nada. I know they like me, they like me coming to their events on the rare occasions they have them, but have no interest in making the drive to attend any of my events or interact with my kids or hubby. So it is what it is. I accept them, as they are, but definitely don't invite them to events anymore other than those that I consider life milestones like graduation parties or weddings my kids will have in the future. They probably won't come, but at least I invited them!...See MoreHow to make inviting for wine room
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Comments (15)I would need to see a better close up of the rug that is staying, but to give you an idea of updates that would help. Paint in the lighter blue color, or the ivory, cabinets, walls and ceiling. You can leave the center ones darker, and if that blue matches the one in the rug, then that works. For the backs of the cabinets, put a nice ivory/light blue damask wallpaper that matches the cabinet paint color and ivory in the room and rugs. Replace the mirror with one like pictured below. Update all the pulls with crystal ones like pictured here. Update the lamp to a crystal one, and replace the fan with a crystal chandlier. I created Ideabook Dressing room feminine blue if you wanted to see any of these in more detail. Hope that helps and let me know if there are more questions....See MoreHow to make my corner banquette more inviting and functional?
Comments (74)@Jessica Geerling I'll admit that I personally LOVE banquette seating. It feels so cozy and functional to me. That being said, I really like the most recent picture where you pulled the table away from the wall and had it more centered in that space. It gave everything in that area some "breathing room". That tulip table is lovely and I'm also a fan of the wallpaper. So if you love it, keep it. Looks like there may even still be room to leave a straight bench (not L shaped) on that wall if you wanted too. Almost like a mini entry space. The hutch isn't bad though either. I actually think you've got a lot of great pieces to work with, but it could use some editing. Pick your favorite things and take the rest out. The bohemian pendant seems to be a bit much, but if you love it find away to incorporate bohemian elements in the rest of the space. Perhaps swapping the pendants over your island to repeat that design element. In order for rooms to look cohesive, the primary elements should be repeated 3 times and spread throughout the space, this helps tie everything together. If possible, I would also swap those chairs for something more upholstered and add a rug underneath to define the space, if you want to up the cozy factor which is what it seems like you were trying to accomplish with the banquette. All in all, you've got a great space, it just needs some tweaking and editing. Looking forward to seeing what you choose! :)...See More
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAnnie Loue Sue R thanked ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9hiccup4
5 years agohiccup4
5 years agohiccup4
5 years ago
Kerry Blossom
5 years ago
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