How to make Family Rooms versatile by Amanda Gates

Family rooms are the most versatile rooms in our house. Whatever your lifeSTYLE, they can be used for watching a movie, entertaining guests, doing homework, listening to music or quietly reading a book~assuming you have purchased the right sized lamps!

The most important thing when putting together a family room is a PLAN.  Whether the space is big or small, the right plan will give you more STYLE, personality, and function without any surprises.

In order to capture your STYLE your room needs to breathe the way you and your family live. For example, if the room will only be used for entertaining and music then there is no reason to spend thousands of dollars on an entertainment unit that holds a TV. Design should be tailored according to your plan and the function of the room you are designing.
Once you have determined HOW the room will be used, select fabrics that function appropriately for it’s use. Obviously if kids will be involved the fabrics need to be prepared for combat. Different fabrics express different levels of formality and they need to sync well with the rooms purpose.

Always dress your windows with draperies. Draperies play a major role in building your STYLE, and they too can determine the formality of the room. Windows without draperies look naked, and the room will look unfinished. However, make sure they are the correct SCALE. In other words, don’t throw some inexpensive draperies up for the sake of having your windows dressed because there is nothing worse than flat draperies. As a rule of thumb remember, GO BIG or GO HOME.

Tell a story with your furniture. Don’t select an entire suite from the furniture store. Choose pieces that speak to you and your personality. Stick to your plan, and choose items that read closely to your rooms function without sacrificing the
end goals. Mix and math your pieces and ground the room with a great rug.
Lori Dennis
Lastly, design with flexibility in mind. Always have lightweight options like stools, that can be easily be moved around. Or leave open space so that chairs or other seating from other rooms can be added. Small tables are lightweight and can easily be moved for different settings. Choose a rug that is larger than the furniture arrangement so your stools, tables and any other added item work with ease and don’t look forced.

Troy Beasly
Mix it up, have fun, and always have a loose plan so you don’t fall into unexpected surprises.

 

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