It’s finally time to tackle a few indoor projects. First up, a design plan for my family room.
It’s hard to believe it’s officially fall. It’s even harder to believe I’ve already been in my new home for more than three months. While I’ve made a lot of progress, I had wanted to be further along by now. Even though things haven’t panned out exactly as planned, I’m allowing myself a little latitude and moving forward with excitement.
With the holiday season sneaking up on us, there are two big spaces I would like to tackle: my family room and my den.
Family Room Design Plan:
These spaces function fine with the furnishings I had in my apartment, but they just aren’t what I envision in this house. We’ll save the living room for another day. Today I want to talk about my family room design plan.
As I mentioned before, this is my favorite room in the house. It’s probably where I spend most of my time. And while I’m dreaming of big fires on cool fall days and frigid winter nights, the space isn’t very cozy yet.
Here are my current issues with the room…
- Without any windows on the back wall, it’s a dark room. I don’t really mind it, but I would like to brighten things up with furnishings.
- I’ve discovered I don’t like the leather couch. It’s either cold or sticky. I’d rather have fabric against my skin than cold, sticky leather. Also, this couch seems a bit too large for the space.
- The TV cable runs from the closet (to the right of the fireplace) across the floor to the TV. (The cable has been edited out of these photos so you can’t see it.)
- There isn’t enough seating. I went back and forth on the layout of this room. It’s challenging. However, I think I’ve come up with a good solution.
With all of that in mind, here’s my plan for the space:
#Bayberrry House Family Room Design Plan:
To give you an idea of what I’m thinking, I have a couple inspiration images. (Coincidentally, both of these inspiration photos are Christmas related, but that works since the holiday will be here soon, and I’m already thinking about where to put the Christmas tree.)
The first image is from Brian Patrick Flynn. (He’s awesome btw; you should give him a follow on Instagram.)
Image Credit: Brian Patrick Flynn
The skeleton of the room is obviously different, but this image gave me the idea to do two matching sofas.
I love this idea because it creates comfort for everyone. I noticed that when my Mom visited or a friend was over for a movie, I gave my guest the sofa while I took the chair. Even though I was perfectly comfortable in a chair, it’s nice to nestle on a sofa when watching a movie. (Sometimes you just want to be horizontal, right?) Having, two sofas allows for more coziness.
While we’re looking at this picture, I also should note that the Christmas tree will go to the left of the fireplace behind the sofa (where the cactus is).
Then I stumbled upon this image from the latest Pottery Barn catalog, and it reinforced my decision to do double sofas.
Image Credit: Pottery Barn
So pretty, right?
On the wall opposite the fireplace will be a large console for storage and TV components. I’m also working with my electrician to mount the TV above the console and add a sconce on each side.
For the coffee table, I selected this leather ottoman. The goal for this room is comfort so I thought this could offer additional seating, including a place to sit if you want to be even closer to the fire. It’s also a comfortable place to put your feet up should there be more than one person on the couch. I will add a large tray to the ottoman so there is a surface to place drinks and snacks.
In the design plan above, I did include pieces I’ve already selected for the space. The larger pieces (sofa, ottoman, console) have been ordered and are on their way. I’m still on the hunt for sconces, pillows, and accessories.
(I haven’t linked to anything but will provide sources once everything is in place.)
Other things to note with my Family Room Design Plan:
- For now, I will keep the wall color as is. One wall in this room will get repainted during the kitchen remodel so I may opt for a different color then.
- I’m also considering swapping out the natural wood mantel for a thick white painted slab. I have no intention of painting the brick. However, I think a chunky, white mantle could brighten things up a bit.
- Once the sofas are in place, I will make decisions about side tables and lamps. This could mean a narrow sofa table behind the sofa to the left of the fireplace or a couple small side tables. Neither of the inspiration images has lamps but I do need lamps, so I’ll have to figure out what will work.
- I also need a larger area rug. Although I love this one, it’s just a couple feet too small.
- I’m on the fence about curtains for this room. Right now, I’m digging the no-curtains look.
As I mentioned previously, my design scheme for the entire house is Modern Country Colonial, so I think this plan suits it well. While the larger pieces are neutral, I will incorporate color through the rug, pillows, art, and accessories.
I hope this gives you an idea of what I’m planning. I’ll pop back in when I have updates and more information about the space.
Now, I’m off to find throw pillows!
