Family Room Design
I posted about this last week and we’ve since tried to empty some clutter out of the room! Basically my family is looking to really revamp and lighten up this room, but want to decide what exactly can be done with it before we begin buying new stuff. The room is a very strange shape and with being able to enter from both ends, along with the patio door, it starts to feel like we’re shoving things into random corners and begin to acquire a lot of clutter. Looking for any recommendation on how an interior design might go at this room starting from scratch! (Besides the obvious glass tables, lighter couches)
Comments (12)
lizziesma
4 years agoMaddie Ohrn
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Family Room Design
Comments (5)Hi, Lisa, a few ideas, picture by picture .... please don’t hesitate to say no way or you don’t like something I suggest. Just want to get a better feel for what direction you want to go. :) 1. I agree with you about panels. If you’d like to leave the secretary there, just pull it forward enough that panels will hang loosely behind it. Drapes instead of valances will really transform the room! What about moving the two chairs to either side of the secretary? Placed at angles, as you have them now, in front of each window (but pulled forward just a bit beyond secretary). It’d give that area definition, free up the fireplace area, and chair sitters could see the TV. 2. How do you feel about replacing the rug? I think something more colorful (but still subtle) would be pretty. Then you could take one of the colors to do your panels (if you do solids), colorful throw pillows, etc. It looks perfectly fine if you’re wanting to keep it, though, and you could just add color with throw pillows. I like your wall color, but think finding some textiles with both warm/cool tones, grays/golds would really connect and integrate everything better as a whole. Have a more cohesive look. Can you bring the loveseat away from the wall a bit? It would look better to have the front feet on your rug. A nice low basket or tray on coffee table for remote, etc. 3. Ditto about possibly pulling sofa a bit forward. Are you wanting to keep the metal wall art? If not, a couple of framed pictures would look nice there. 4. As mentioned, move chairs. Put your wicker trunk beside fireplace for toys, or anything else. Colorful throw pillows. With chairs being gone, I think you could move both sofas/coffee table up and things would be more anchored. After the big things, you could play around with accessories ... if you’re wanting a new look for your mantel, for instance. If you like plants, you have plenty of spots for one or more. Another thing is lighting. I think a table with lamp beside the furniture, as well as a floor lamp beside of behind one of the chairs would bring a pretty look and cozy feel. Pretty room and just getting drapes and maybe moving furniture (if possible) will make a big difference!...See MoreBlue rug, yellow walls, taupe couch family room design help
Comments (12)First thought is to move the whole seating area down toward the fireplace so the the end table is centered on the far window. My moving the seating area down, you may be able to have a sofa table behind for some lamps. I would look at plantation shutters although if I could convince you I’d go with drapes too. It will help to balance that wall out and add some softness as well as add some visual ‘pop’ if you chose a pattern. With that said, with drapes you wouldn’t need any artwork because the wall space would be taken up by the drapes. I’d remove the mirrored piece to the right by the entry as it looks like it’s floating out in space. I would also consider doing something else other than artwork. There is so much out there like wall planters, metal art, something 3-dimensional. Just an FYI, there are apps like BeCasso that will take an existing photo and turn it into a watercolor, oil paining, pop art. Then you can order it as print, canvas or whatever. I did some mediocre mock-ups so you can get a feel for what some of this would look like. I also included a pic of a house like yours so that you may want to put something in the entry. I wouldn’t two two items just one....See Morefamily room design dilemma
Comments (1)Bead boards fine. You can do some molding work on the top half to make it more elegant if you want. And maybe do wider slats....See MoreFireplace conundrum and overall family room design challenge
Comments (8)You should be able to get a corner media cabinet to put under the TV to hold peripherals and ground that zone -- no built-ins needed. As for the rest, I'd take down the valences and try just living with the blinds for a while. It could be that accordian blinds would be all you need, or you could get some that are bottom-up/top-down to give you some privacy while keeping the light. You need a larger piece of art over the fireplace -- surely there's another place for the current beloved one. Look at the firebox for scale, think horizontal. Your area rug is too close to the carpet -- either do without or get something (a) large enough for the front feet of all the furniture to rest on it, and (b) with some contrast to the carpet. Ideally this would also introduce some accent color to the room: right now, if you get rid of the red chairs, the only unifying color is beige. (Maybe the art over the couch is bringing something you could work from.) Coffee table? lamps? Mix some books into that bookcase?...See MoreMaddie Ohrn
4 years agoTheresa Janssen
4 years ago
PRODesign Interior South
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoMaddie Ohrn
4 years agoWe use the loveseat, sofa, and leather recliner. The older patterned piece we always just kept because it seemed like a good accent to the fireplace. We’re looking to get different furniture, perhaps maybe chairs instead of sofa, but aren’t sure what would fit best in this space. We do use the desk frequently, what we could maybe do is make it a smaller workstation though. The door is the side door that we most frequently enter through, the table is there to put things like mail on it but often just becomes a place for clutter, used to be used as a TV stand and then we had no where to put it when we mounted the TV. I posted a picture of the walkway and also our living room, which shows more of the color scheme we are trying to go for in this room.
PROSabrina Alfin Interiors
4 years ago- PRO
Design Interior South
4 years agoIf I were doing that room and my goal was to update the space and in doing so make it lighter and brighter. I would address it in the following way. I am not addressing the desk area yet this is for the family room itself.
1. I would pull everything out of the space. Art work off the walls, take everything off the fireplace area. Rugs gone.
2. The paint is bringing down the light value in the room. I would go neutral by doing either a warm white (SW Alabaster) or a light neutral like (SW Agreeable Gray). Don't let the name fool you. Agreeable gray is not really gray.
2. If the railing can be addressed at this time I would. at the very least I would do a bright white paint on it. Changing out the spindles to square would help to update the space tremendously.
Doing a built in wall like this would be even better
3. At the same time I would paint the mantle white. Gasp . Yes I would!
Indian Hills Living Room · More Info
3. I like the idea of a mirror on the wall where you have yours because you said out the patio doors you have a nice view so it will A. reflect something pretty and B. reflect more light into the space. I think you can make them an interesting feature by doing a series of mirrors or a mirror that looks like it is a series of mirrors.
4. I would bring in a nice large neutral rug.
5. I would do a sectional to optimize your seating, make an intentional seating area and bring the furniture off the walls. I would choose one that has either an English roll arm or slopes arms to keep the visual plain more open. These arm styles are less visually bulky. I would do it in a neutral natural linen color like Flax. The sofa on the mood board is an English roll arm and reflects the color I am talking about.
6. At the corner where your oversized chair is near the fireplace I would bring in a smaller scaled than you have swivel chair. I would do this in a light color OR if you have a color you would like to use as an accent this would be a nice place to do so. If they are small enough scale and have low backs you may be able to fit two in front of the fireplace. Im not sure since I don't know room measurements.
7. I would bring in some lighter wood tones to keep the room on the monochromatic side.A round coffee table and end table would be nice.
8. The cabinet on the fireplace wall could use a refresh. You may be able to accomplish this by simply painting it but bringing in a new one would of course work too. Again I would keep the wood color on the lighter side. Also the tower behind the big chairs simply needs to go. I would think about what needs to be kept and make sure the cabinet to left of fireplace can house it behind closed doors.
9. I would bring in some cube ottomans for additional seating when you have a larger group. I show three in my mood board just to give you an idea of different looks.
10. I would bring in a neutral drapery to the slider.
11. I would drop a sofa table in behind the sectional and you could even add lamps to it if you haver floor outlets.
Here is the basic floorpan and of course it isnt to scale as I don't know measurements
The rest is a matter of updating art work and lamps.I wouldnt go overboard with accessories. But overall you need to leave the mantel blank without any decor on it. It just looks cluttered with the TV and stone to have stuff up there. Something like some coffee table books and a decorative box to hold remotes etc on the coffee table and some greenery is enough. 
decoenthusiaste
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoMaddie Ohrn
3 years ago
deegw