Your family room is likely the place you and your family hang out, lounge, binge watch your favorite TV show, host movie night and generally gather. You may or may not allow eating in that space, but most of us crave a spot to put our feet up and get comfy. Visiting a museum is a meaningful cultural experience but the “Do Not Touch” warning signs and the yellow ropes that block our proximity to the art, do not lend themselves to the function and coziness we seek in our living rooms. Your next
Family Room project
will combine practicality, and functionality with comfort when you focus on these family room trends.
Family Room Trends
1. Comfy and Functional
You and your people want your family room to embrace you like a cozy blanket on a crisp Fall day so your furniture will be built for lounging. Consider sofas with plush cushions in textures that are warm, inviting and durable. Coffee tables made of natural materials like wood, stone, and marble are functional, and provide you with the storage for your magazines, your Kindle and your beverage of choice. Your four-legged animal friends can rest easy by your feet on the rug that has enough texture or pattern to disguise any mishaps.
2. Personalized and Intimate
There is no one recipe to please everyone's palette and this applies to your home design as well so consider your family room a reflection of you and your life well-lived. No one wants to come into their own home and be surrounded by meaningless and random stuff. Choose your stuff and feel free to unchoose it when it no longer elicits a memory or tells the story you want to share with your people. A warm, neutral base and textured upholstery provide a perfect canvas for pops of vibrant color in art, pillows, rugs, and personal accessories. Check out www.leftbankart.com, and www.paragonpg.com for some ideas. Wall units and shelving can be store-bought or customized for your personalized collections and do not hesitate to enlist my help in designing customized units or in selecting, or displaying your favorite objects. Intimate spaces speak to our need for connection and community and this is easily accomplished when you select photos fro m the hundreds of saved pics in your cloud storage to print and frame on your walls.
3. Eclectic
The word ‘eclectic’ means deriving ideas, style or taste fro m a broad and diverse range of sources, so I am offering you the buffet and not the plated dinner special of home design. You do not have to adhere to a strict menu of “no traditional pieces” or “all modern design elements” to create a living room that looks and feels intentional. Space planning and furniture placement is a key element in bringing a room together so look for pieces similar in scale and symmetry even if the pieces vary in texture or are fro m different periods. Refinish your Mom’s secretary desk, add unique hardware and it will look special with the contemporary TV console. Though an eclectic style involves combining styles and periods, you can choose a focal point with an eye-catching element like a fireplace or bold art. Carry this eclectic personality throughout your home to create flow and harmony.