Do you have a living room that you want to be super stylish, but also family friendly?
Or do you have a loving spouse with completely different taste in interior design schemes?
Welcome to the dilemma of about 100 million households across America, said Alicia Smith, a spokeswoman for F&S Building Innovations. And you certainly aren’t alone, she added.
Aside from the kitchen, the living or family room is the place where your family most likely congregates for some quality time -- whether that means doing homework, working on your favorite hobby or just sitting down as a family to enjoy a good TV show.
The key to a good living room design is to embrace your style but amplify the functionality at every turn, Smith said.
You want to build on open-plan living, so you can find creative ways to utilize space without filling it up with large pieces of furniture.
It’s normal for budget-conscious families to try to use all the furniture they have amassed over the years, but this can frequently result in the space feeling disjointed with no real rhyme or reason to the design, Smith said.
Chaotic color choices may bring more confusion to the space that you never intended.
Luckily, there are some solutions. They can range from innovative storage to just plain ‘ole decluttering.
Always determine your focal point, which may be a really great fireplace, a large picture window overlooking your lake view or just a really great piece of furniture. Make sure all the items in the room complement that focal point -- even if they are not an exact match.
Choose a paint color that goes with your personality, Smith suggested. If you have warring sentiments for color choices with part of your family gravitating toward bright reds and yellows while others favor soft grays, choose a darker neutral. You can always add brightly colored accessories, but it is much harder to change a paint color once it’s on the wall.
Make room for everyone.
The larger your family, the more challenging it can be to infuse the space with touches that speak to everyone. Obviously, you want to encourage a layout that promotes quality family time, so make sure there is enough seating to accommodate everyone in your family.
This can be accomplished by sofas and chairs, but you could also incorporate comfy but cute ottomans or cozy bean bag chairs for kids and teens.
Find a coffee table that also has storage beneath it, that can keep games on hand for a little family fun.
And you’ll want to light up the room with various types of lighting: Pendants for decorative flair, floor lamps for muted ambiance and standard ceiling lights for when you need to light up the room. Having different types of lighting is an easy way to adjust the feel of the room based on your mood.
Finally, let’s talk furniture. If you are trying to make the most of your money, you may be recycling your current sofa or sectional. You can add bright pillows or a nice throw to dress up any old couch.
You may be able to invest in some fun accent chairs, too, which are functional, but they also add a little pizazz. End tables and coffee tables that have drawers or storage are great for adding hidden storage.
If your home does not have the open floor plan that makes the family living flow, you may want to consider taking out some of the dividing walls. The key to that is making sure you engage a licensed and insured general contractor that can evaluate the structural aspects as well as provide interior design guidance to insure your investment creates the perfect space.
If you’ve ever thought about doing renovations to your home to make a better living space, check out F&S Building Innovations for all your construction needs.