Karen's Family Room

I was at Karen's house today.  She wanted to decorate her family room and didn't know where to begin.   I am not a big fan of the little niche above the fireplace. (and hate the accent paint color)  I find most of those awkward and busy.  I suggested that she find a piece of artwork that would completely cover it, making it look as if it is not even there.  Her "hole" was 46 x 38.  With that said, that is a good place to start.  Whenever you have a lot of restrictions on an item, in this case, a very specific size, that is a good place to start.  If you had to add that, a minimum size, PLUS, it has to match things..., then it would get much harder to find something without paying to customize it in some way. 

And so, I started with the artwork over the fireplace. I found this piece, 48 w x 40 H.  Now we also have a color pallet to start working with.

When it came to her furniture placement, I thought, I recently saw a family room almost exactly like this one.  So- let's re-use the furniture advice from Hanna's family room.

First select a sectional.  Here is one from Macy's.

Then we need to find a couple of chairs as well.

In Hanna's Family Room I suggested a coffee table with two pouffs.  This same arrangement can be done in a lot of different combinations.  For Karen's family room, I am adding an ottoman instead of the coffee table, and two rattan footstools in place of the pouffs.  There is no right or wrong.  The idea is to have a variety of textures.  Avoid the matching set.  Karen has a matching end table and coffee table.  Keep the end table, and use it with these items. 

I loved the vibrant colors in this ottoman from Anthropologie.  Whereas the sectional and chairs were pretty conservative, this piece adds a big splash of fun and personality.  Something to make the room look unique.  Something memorable.

The Hana ottoman from Palaceck is full of textural variety.

Karen needs to replace her carpet.  One of my favorite sources, (the brand I have used in each of my personal three homes and loved) is Masland.  I really am a Masland commercial.  They should be paying me.  For Karen I selected Pariament, color River Thames.  Here is where I would find the paint color.  She definitely needs to paint.  For anyone considering painting a small portion of their room red, like this entertainment area, look at this and don't do it!  I think it looks horrible.  (Karen didn't do it by the way- it was the previous owner.  ;-)  I would suggest something light and neutral.  The room is going to look great with our great selections.  It doesn't need some bright paint color.  Consider something like Urban Putty by Sherwin Williams, 7532.  (You need sample quarts, I can't really select paint without the carpet and fabrics in my hot little hands.) Removing that accent wall, and having it all one color, will make the most wonderful difference!  What a great example of a disaster of an accent wall.

Add nice white moldings in Swiss Coffee.

Now look over at her table/eating area.  Her furniture is good.  The drapes are too short, and they break the cardinal rule by not hitting the floor.  I call them highwaters.

(not the cool- gay guy highwaters- the geeky kind)

Get some new drapery panels that are the 108" length, and hang them to land exactly on the floor, not half an inch above, but also not puddled. (drapes below from Pottery Barn)

Now look at her light fixture.  It is hung too high, it is too small, it is a bad color, and it is the wrong shape.  Other than that it is great.  ;-)

In an area like that, go with a rectangular shape, mimicking the shape of the table and the room, and hang it lower, about 36" over the table.  I found the fixture below from Shades of Light.

Then you just need to add a coordinating table runner, and a rectangular shaped centerpiece would be great.  You could find a long bowl for fruit, or a rectangular shaped green centerpiece of some kind.  Maybe take up growing wheat grass. 

Can you see how that repetition of shape looks so much nicer, and makes the room feel good?  OK- now picture the rectangular table with the round light, now the rectangle.  Can you see the difference in your mind?

 

Re-read the advice to Hanna on lighting the room, and don't forget a live plant in a corner.  Add throw pillows to bring in more personality and color. 

Thanks!

- Christine

 P.S.  Check out my Facebook page today- I have some terrific pictures of the Hand Chair by Pedro Freidberg. 

Susan's Family Room

Hi Christine,

I have a question about how to determine the focal point in a room. I think the focal point in my family room is the window at the rear of the room.  However, with the furniture positioned for TV viewing, does the TV then become the focal point?  With the size of the sectional and the shape of the room, I’m not sure how to arrange the furnishings so the window becomes the focal point instead of the TV.  Is it bad design to have the TV as the focal point? Also, I know the room is in need of more color, texture and pattern but I’m not sure where to begin!  Currently, the only thing with color and pattern is the new rug which I bought to introduce a new color palette into the room.  I thought the rug would give me inspiration but it has only made me feel overwhelmed with choices.  Should I pick up on the blue in the rug  by adding throw pillows in shades of blue?  The floral chair needs to be reupholstered, the walls need a color that will coordinate with the colors of the rug and should I add window treatments or would they detract from the architectural element of the window? What colors and patterns would work? Also, I want to get rid of the piano (a freebie which no one plays and the color is not the best) and make a picture gallery display on that wall. I would also like to move one of the chairs to that wall along with a lamp and side table.   Am I headed in the right direction? Please help me “Christine-ize” my room!!

 

Thanks so much for your help!! 

- Susan

Hi Susan

#1-  Let's start with your focal point question.  Yes the window is the architectural focal point.  Sure- it could be a secondary focal point- but no- it is not the focal point.  So long as you have it as a TV room, and have your current sectional- it cannot be the focal point.  Ideally, yiou would have different furniture that could be arranged in such a way to open up that wall.   If I had a pretty window like that, I would not want to stick a big sectional in front of it.  So long as you have a TV, and the main purpose of the room is watching it, the TV wall is the focal point wall.  To learn how to make the TV wall a better designed wall, worthy of being the focal point, see this post.

#2.- This would be hard to say if you were my good friend, but since we don't know each other, I'll just throw it out there.  You made a poor choice on your rug.  Now, I hope you didn't spend thousands of dollars on it.  Maybe it can go in your bedroom.  Is it not a pretty rug?  Sure it is.  However, it is too formal a style for your furniture.  It is too formal for the carpet, and it is too small.  Find a new home for the rug in a different room, and start over.  Your rug should be large enough to encompass your furniture, laying under the furniture a bit.  You have a big room, you need a big rug.  You also need a more casual rug.  This rug from Homedecorators.com would go great with your oversized sectional. Can you see how the sectional is super casual, and the rug is super formal?

OK - now remove the chair rail.  Chair rails don't work well in rooms filled with furniture.  Keep them in dining rooms or hallways.  Instead, add some texture to your walls with a beautiful cream grasscloth wallpaper throughout.   

Replace your leather ottoman with a coffee table and two pouffes.  Put the table where the ottoman currently is, and add the pouffes on the other side of it.

The pouffes will add color and interest, additional seating or a foot rest.  They also fill the space, along with the coffee table, giving you a better scale relationship with the large sectional.

Your flowered chair is not one that I would reupholster. It would cost as much to reupholster as it would to replace, and the style is not that much of a keeper.   Select one with a pretty back, and a consistent level of formality as the sectional.  The chair below is from Palececk.

Speaking of scale, your wall decor needs to be much larger on the wall over your sectional.  I would add a large picture, like the New York one below from Uttermost,

and then also add a couple of sconces to either side.

Yes, your room can still can use drapes.  I would add two long panels,  hung on the outsides of the window.  Think of them as the wall decor for that wall.  I selected an off white, the same color as the grasscloth, so as to not have them stand out too much, but rather just add a soft texture.  I do that because of the sectional visually cutting them off.  A bold pattern could draw attention to that, making it feel awkward.  The drapes below are from Pottery Barn.

I put everything together for you below.  Can you see how selecting the wrong rug can be so frustrating, whereas, selecting the right rug can make everything come together easily?  Add some throw pillows to increase your pattern, as well as a patterned lumbar pillow on the chair.  If all of this is too contemporary for you, you could always keep the rug and lose the sectional.  ;-) 

The pink carpet has to go.

Hi Christine,

I hate the colors in this room (but husband loves it). The top is light taupe and the bottom is dark hunter green. His favorite is the pink carpet. This is the first room our guests see and it is embarrassing. It feels very dated. We're on the verge of compromise, which is I can change the wall colors but we get NEW pink carpet. Oh, he also loves the cherry wood chair rails and prefers the 2 different colors. What colors would you go with on the walls?  I would love to have 1 subtle color, but how would that look with cherry wood chair rails? What would you do here? Thanks for your help!
Tatia

Tatia,

I don't believe it.  I really don't believe that your husband LIKES that carpet.  I think perhaps, intead, he has issues with change.  Did his parents move too frequently when he was a child?  Was his dad in the military?

Here are some books with some ideas on how to better deal with change.  Now- I haven't read the books, but my gut says that they would tell you to update your carpet. ;-)

1. Your carpet color is horrible.  It needs to be neutral.  Go beige. (or better yet- go hardwood)
2. Your two tone look is not good.  You have a very contemporary vaulted ceiling.  I would lose the chair rail altogether.
3. The cherry makes it all look old and dated.  I'd go with a crisp white.  You have the lower window framed in, but not the upper window.  Curved windows can be framed- the upper windows should be framed also.  It looks awkward to not have it finished the same.  It's like having a two layer cake and only frosting the bottom layer.  It is unfinished.

You were right when you suggested one subtle color.  You were right when you said the pink carpet is dated.  (not only dated, but it was a bad choice even 30 years ago...)  What he is suggesting is a bad financial move- it is decreasing the value of your home.  Try that angle.  

For the record- I love decorating with pink.  It just doesn't belong in wall to wall carpet.  Want to stick with pink and green- great- just jump into this century:

(photo from Beach House Style)

BTW- Tatia, if you didn't read my post on negative space- you should... 

XOXO

Christine