After the kitchen, the most popular room in most homes is the family room. It can function as a media room, a game room, a music room, a reading room—and often a homework area too. Because this room is so lived in, there are lots of family rooms that could use a serious makeover. But where do you start?
Start by utilizing a design that reflects the interests of the family members. Use photos, children’s artwork, mementos, maps, antiques and art collections to tell your family’s story in this room. Consider having frames that can open to switch out kids’ artwork or to showcase the latest photos from a family trip. Keep it personal, yet practical. Here are tips on how to create a family room that is both functional and attractive:
1. Comfortable seating is essential.
Sofas, sectionals and chairs for a family room should be chosen for reading and viewing comfort. Do you like to nap on the sofa? Be sure it’s wide and deep enough. Chairs and sofas with an outside depth of 38 – 39 inches or more are ideal for both sitting and reclining.
2. Select furniture that’s the right scale for the room.
If your room is oversized or has a cathedral ceiling, you probably need large-scale upholstered furniture that can stand up to the size of the room. Traditional sofas 72 to 78-inches wide will look diminutive in a big room. Look for large-scale sofas at least 88-92 inches wide with depth and height of about 38-39 inches for furniture with presence in a spacious room.
3. Consider sectional seating for design flexibility.
Sectional sofas with a variety of components are a good way to create more spacious seating that can be tailored to the size and shape of the room. If you want to pack more people into a tight space, your best choice is a sectional sofa. The L-shape creates a very strong line and utilizes every square inch, even the corner.
4. Vary the scale and visual weight of the furniture in the room.
For example, have large chairs, medium-size chairs and smaller slipper chairs. Incorporate ottomans and benches. Have firmer chair seats and cushier chair seats. Have a great reading chair or chaise. Be able to reconfigure the furniture and pull in extra seating for big family gatherings and parties. Furniture with a little variety creates a more interesting room than a matching suite that all appears to have come from the same source.
5. Ottomans are critical to reading and viewing comfort.
Ottomans should pull up easily to chairs or sectional components to support your legs. Will they be large enough for a long-legged spouse? Or will two people want to share one ottoman? Shop accordingly. If an ottoman will serve as both footrest and coffee table, consider a large 36" to 48" rectangular or square ottoman to serve all needs.
6. Find a fabric you love to pull out colors for pillows, window treatments, skirted tables and accessories.
If you have little ones, consider a more colorful combo for a family room as brighter colors really speak to kids. Start with the fabric, because there a million shades of paint and you can always find that later.
7. Lots of pillows are great for lounging, movie watching or support while reading.
Have pillows made in a variety of sizes and shapes–lumbar pillows to cradle your back while reading, smaller pillows to tuck under an elbow, larger pillows for napping–and even floor pillows for kids who love to lounge on the carpet.
8. Use window treatments to control glare on a television screen.
Light falling from a window onto a television screen creates sun glare. Window treatments that can be drawn, or shutters or shades that can be closed, will help to control glare and add privacy.
Source: CalicoCorners.com
