Room of the Day: Family Room With a Lively, Eclectic Style
Childproof furnishings, classic features and a mix of materials highlight a room designed for both kids and adults
Marianne Lipanovich
August 23, 2016
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects are garden-based, you might also find me writing about home projects and classical music. Away from the computer, I'm found in the garden (naturally), on my bike, or ice-skating outdoors (yes, that is possible in California). I'm also willing to taste-test anything that's chocolate.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects... More
Jodi Cook knew when she and her family moved into their Denver-area home that the dedicated TV room off the kitchen would become a family living area. She also knew it would need to be as kid-friendly as possible while still functioning as an inviting adult space. She relied on her years of design experience and her knowledge of parenting to create the basics. The classic backdrop, earthy tones and mix of vintage and contemporary pieces make for a space that feels both modern and comfortably traditional.
“After” photos by Emily Minton Redfield
Family Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Jodi Cook of Cook Design House, her husband and their two children and cat Zoe
Location: Centennial, Colorado
Size: 224 square feet (21 square meters)
BEFORE: The walls and fireplace bricks had been painted buttercream yellow.
Family Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Jodi Cook of Cook Design House, her husband and their two children and cat Zoe
Location: Centennial, Colorado
Size: 224 square feet (21 square meters)
BEFORE: The walls and fireplace bricks had been painted buttercream yellow.
AFTER: Cook wanted a more high-contrast look, so she chose white for the walls and painted the bricks the same shade of black she used on the front door and stair railings.
Because she wasn’t yet ready to replace the carpeting, Cook added color and texture by layering a wool rug on top of it and then adding a vintage Anatolian Turkish rug she found online. “Placing the rug at an angle adds visual interest and keeps it from being static,” she says. It also allowed her to place an edge under one leg of each of the facing sofas, helping to ground the pieces and disguise their size difference.
The leather sofa was another online find; the other sofa came from a local store. Cook likes that the fabric is durable, perfect for a family with young children.
Wall paint: Simply White by Benjamin Moore; fireplace paint: Black Panther (flat finish) by Benjamin Moore; artwork: Wendover Art Group; gray sofa: Precedent Furniture
Because she wasn’t yet ready to replace the carpeting, Cook added color and texture by layering a wool rug on top of it and then adding a vintage Anatolian Turkish rug she found online. “Placing the rug at an angle adds visual interest and keeps it from being static,” she says. It also allowed her to place an edge under one leg of each of the facing sofas, helping to ground the pieces and disguise their size difference.
The leather sofa was another online find; the other sofa came from a local store. Cook likes that the fabric is durable, perfect for a family with young children.
Wall paint: Simply White by Benjamin Moore; fireplace paint: Black Panther (flat finish) by Benjamin Moore; artwork: Wendover Art Group; gray sofa: Precedent Furniture
One of Cook’s key design philosophies is to mix a variety of materials, including metals and nature-inspired objects. Here, the coffee table pays tribute to Colorado’s geological heritage with a top made from pieces of petrified wood. Bright pillows play off the colors in the rug and soften the edges of the couch, whose gray fabric in turn echoes the colors in the coffee table.
Jovan Coffee Table: Made Goods
Jovan Coffee Table: Made Goods
“I love the mishmash of the baskets,” Cook says of her corner wall display. They’re from a variety of sources, including flea markets and Target. A pouf in colors that pick up the brown tones of the sofa, baskets and petrified wood provides a comfy spot.
Pouf: Target; lamp: Visual Comfort
Pouf: Target; lamp: Visual Comfort
The slightly misaligned shelf placement on either side of the fireplace keeps the wall from seeming too static and formal. When it comes to styling the shelves, Cook sticks to her philosophy of mixing materials and combines plants and plant materials with found objects, old photos and favorite books. The old clock seen here was a wedding gift.
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love it - i want to hang out in here. :)
Jodi Cook...this is not my style at all BUT I LOVE IT....I could curl up and cuddle in.....what state are you in ? am not ready for a decorator yet but after all the years on Houzz I felt the most comfy and in sink with you. And I have been on Houzz for years and years.