The family room design dilemmas:

• Long skinny room- 28′ x 14’6″
• Furniture placement never seemed right.
• Two major focal points vied for attention- the fireplace along the long wall, and the entertainment center/ TV at the end of the room.
• Daylight reflections on the TV screen from windows along the long wall.
• Two openings in the room created a cross traffic pattern that made the space almost feel like a pass-through and had a huge impact on the flexibility of furniture arrangement.
• An area around the oversized bay window facing the back yard seemed disconnected and a bit of a no-mans land.
• Dated and contrived traditional moldings and design treatment around the fireplace.

It seemed the layout of the room had been had been designed for typical family room furniture: the 3-seater couch and loveseat with coffee and end tables. The existing L-shaped sectional sofa never seemed at home not matter what configuration was attempted. The room also never had the warm and cozy feeling that was desired, and the fireplace was not visible from many of the seating locations.

The SOLUTIONS:

In Smart Designs, part 2, I delve into the major impact space planning, traffic flow, door locations and door swings have on interior design options and room arrangements. The usual desire is to open up spaces to one another by adding a door or larger cased opening. Surprisingly, for this particular project the perfect solution was to close off a door opening and fill it in with drywall construction. Walla!

There was some hesitation to implement this brilliant idea. It truly seemed counter-intuitive. But once the construction began it was evident that it was indeed the best option. The new furniture layout instantly created the desired intimate ambiance.

Another major problem was the dual focal points of the entertainment center/TV competing visually and energetically with the fireplace. The TV location is a big challenge in many family rooms.  Although somewhat tricky to execute well, the flat screen TV was relocated to a position above the fireplace. This clustered the two major focal points onto one wall and drastically improved the functionality of the room.

The overall space plan solution allowed for a more intimate and warm gathering space and seating arrangement. The fireplace was  now visible for all seating locations in the room, and after it’s own makeover, became the center piece of the new room.