Family Room
rug color, texture
Clean lines and unifying color. Mixing styles to create staying power can be challenging for novices, but one strategy for avoiding a style collision is choosing contemporary furnishings with clean lines, as shown in this photo. Notice that the pieces in the seating area have simple shapes, whereas the chairs surrounding the dining table are curvy and appear to be older or more traditional. The color blue, sprinkled throughout both rooms in the abstract art, throw pillows and dining chair upholstery, helps unify the traditional dining room and the contemporary living room.
Mix furniture styles for a collected feel that defies a specific time period. Blending pieces that don’t all come from the same time period or design style can help a room look fresh for a longer time. By contrast, choosing furniture and accessories that come from a single era — whether it’s midcentury or early Colonial — definitely ties that room to a specific time period. While that’s ideal when you’re going for a retro or nostalgic vibe, it’s something to be aware of if you want your room to be harder to pin down in terms of when it was designed.
While I’m not an advocate of mounting TVs above the fireplace, it works for this room. The different forms of seating and the arrangement creates a cozy conversation area and leaves sight lines unobstructed to both the fireplace and TV. The screen is big, but the arrangement clearly communicates that the room is for socializing first and watching TV second.
Moving the TV next to another focal point, in this case the fireplace, takes the emphasis off the screen. The furniture arrangement is roughly the same as in the previous photo, but the TV doesn't dominate. There are easy views from all the available seating of both the TV and the fireplace, and there's a clear feeling that more goes on here than watching a screen.
If you’re lucky enough to have a room used solely for lounging and watching TV, a setup like this is perfect. A sectional facing a screen with ample space to put up your feet is the family-room equivalent of a screening room. The dark wall and ceiling create more contrast so images are crisp and clean, and the low-positioned TV means never having to crane the neck.
6. Create stretching-out equality. Our minds really do work differently depending on our posture. When we’re stretched out, we feel and act more powerful. To make everyone in a conversation feel equal, make sure they can all stretch out. Putting only one recliner in the family room leads to someone taking on the role of family emperor.
5. Plan for separate activities. Even during together time, everyone may not want to be doing the same thing. To keep everyone in the same room and happy, create several action zones. This room has a "together space" centered around the sofa, a separate chair where someone can sit and read, and a table where someone else can draw, craft or do a puzzle.
4. Protect people’s backs. People gathered together are always a little distracted if it seems like someone can walk closely behind them, even if they’re at home. Make sure everyone’s back is protected in the family room so everyone can relax. High-backed chairs, console tables and architectural details work great.
Art wall
Leggy, light side tables.
Floating shelves
rug
Place for books and equipment related to tv
Use of plants
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