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Furniture Remodeling Design Dilemma

Family room is out-of-date

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I need your amazing design help! And yes, that is indeed a floor to ceiling wall of river rock! This is the lower level entrance to a vacation home. It has a full bathroom and there is access to the garage. The main entrance and all other rooms are upstairs.

How do I make this a cozy, nordic-inspired space on a budget ($1,000 not including furniture)?

GOALS:

1. Mudroom for ski clothes/boots (very important)

2. TV hangout room for kids

3. Sleeping area for overflow guests (pull-out sofa?)

Stove stays as-is. There is a separate budget for new furniture, ceiling fan and TV.

Thank you!

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Comments (5)

waverly6
5 years ago
I like the river rock!

How about space under the stairs for ski racks and boot holders or a boot warmer. or that little hallway seen in the second photo. you need a small bench thre too. Different color paint and furniture will work wonders. Make sure when you get a sleep sofa that is a comfortable one; one that doesn't have a bar across the middle and a mattress sloping like a ski mountain. I researched mine very carefully and went with American Leather which is much pricier but not going to cripple my visitors. I'd do a nice brown leather.

Perhaps put the TV on an extension swivel arm near the corner so that it can be put up and out the way but pulled lower down when you want to watch and you don't need to drill into rock

As it is in a ski resort, do a kilim ottoman table with storage in it for linens, warm kilim throw pillows. a faux fur throw on the sofa, a warm rug to match, (maybe an animal hide rug ) a small scale arm chair or a bench with coordinating cushion fabric in the corner where the tv stand (which I'm sure is going) is now. i'd change out the ceiling fan for something without those victorian shades.

I had a ski house and i loved decorating it with warm colors, woven fabrics , antique accessories, western inspired influences.
auntthelma
5 years ago
Under the stairs is a perfect place for a custom mud room set up. A pull out couch works for both hanging out and sleeping. The river rock is awesome!
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barebay57
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The walls would be nice in a color chosen from the river rock. Would also paint out door and trim to match or complement the wall color. I find the floor bothers me the most, maybe just a large rug without any big patterns. Wood or wood like tile would be nice but maybe not in the budget. Have fun decorating!
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Norwood Architects
5 years ago
I agree with the other posters - the understair area makes the most sense for a small mud area. It's a bit hard to analyse the situation without a floor plan. It appears to me that your current furniture layout makes sense for a hangout area. Yes, to the sleeper sofa idea. Painting will freshen the space up. If you can replace the flooring I would suggest that but doesn't sound like your budget will allow. If you can't replace flooring I would suggest a bigger rug. The river rock is interesting. Am hesitant to suggest you paint it but if you want to lessen it's impact painting would do it. Good luck and please post photos after the renovation.
evelynwoo
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you for the suggestions. We ended up painting the walls white, mounting the tv on a Costco swivel, replacing the wire shelves with World Market wood shelves, putting a Scandinavian Design couch and Pottery Barn Teen bean bags, a Target easy-to-clean gray indoor/outdoor rug, and my boys made a bench from a piece of maple at a lumber mill. We couldn’t utilize the area under the stairs since we tried and everyone would hit their heads. So it has shoe trays. Next will be to replace the chandelier. Very pleased with the outcome. Thank you everyone!

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