Family-room makeover

Ask most teenagers about the function of the living room and you're apt to see a bewildered shrug. Ask them about the duty of a family room on the other hand and watch how quickly confusion turns to confidence. "It's for hanging out and watching TV", they reply. True enough. Since the 1960's the television has perhaps replaced the hearth as a focal point around which most family rooms revolve. However, the chief role of the family room remains unchanged. Whether the occasion is an impromptu movie night, a restful moment with a good book, or a card game with the boys, this is a room that facilitates lingering and happy gatherings.

The all-important family room

A recent makeover project on behalf of clients (a vibrant married couple with two teenage daughters) reminded me of the essential nature of the family room. Not only is this room more frequently used than most living and dining rooms, it's also a space that everyone feels a sense of ownership about. In fact, in this case, it turned out that every family member had an opinion about what the finished room should look like. Mom's task (and therefore, mine) was to create a multi-purpose destination for the whole family.

Getting started

As with most projects we didn't have the luxury of starting from scratch. In addition to an important collection of artwork, we opted to keep several key pieces of furniture, including the entertainment center and a pair of large armchairs. Consideration also had to be given to adjacent rooms such as the kitchen and mudroom which had been previously decorated. In determining the look of the new family room, the clients requested a seamless flow between the "old" décor and the "new".

Family room

An emphasis on colour, energy, and comfort (three words that all family members agreed upon) the family room makeover project came to life with the discovery of a document print called from Brunschwig & Fils. Varied tones of red, blue, purple and green are set into stripes against a buttery cream background. Once we determined the stripes were ideal for the draperies, the rest of the decorating decisions fell rather easily into place. Sometimes a decorating project begins with a carpet, a piece of artwork, or a family heirloom such as a grandfather clock but in this case, it was the fabric. The variety of colours satisfied the couple's desire for an atmosphere that was inviting and fresh, and the girls' request for something "lively".

Dusty rose leather sofas were relegated to a basement room. In their place, traditional rolled arm sofas sit across from one another and envelope the room with prime seating. The sofa's cushions are filled with Dacron and wrapped with down for extra comfort. A flaxen herringbone called Modern Chevron from Kravet Fabrics is used to upholster the sofa. Of course, the advantage of a neutral sofa is its ability to play host to "an abundance of pattern", something else the couple insisted on. Several fabrics including Sycamore Floral, Hamilton Dimity, and Blanzac Texture from Brunschwig & Fils are used to create the 18" x 18" throw pillows; five per sofa. Keep in mind that larger pillows can dwarf a standard sized sofa. Because the draperies have a strong visual weight, the play of patterns is dynamic without being distracting. The walls are painted in warm Straw Hat by Benjamin Moore.

Sliding glass doors on one wall and a large picture window adjacent provide tons of natural light which enlivens the room by day. In the evening, the drapes can be drawn for total privacy. Rooms with pattern tend to be more "forgiving" when it comes to wear and staining. Plus, the homeowners insisted everything in the room be user friendly and durable. There was one request I hadn't heard before, "we'd like to be able to sit on the coffee table." Sure, if it's an upholstered ottoman but the client's preference was for a wood coffee table. The husband and daughters love to play video games in front of the TV and the coffee table, it turns out, is the best vantage point. I shopped several locations looking for a sturdy table and found a perfect candidate, an "antique" pine from Ralph Lauren, at Elte.

The two large armchairs were reupholstered in Ethan Woven Texture, a red tone-on-tone trellis pattern. The entertainment unit required nothing more than some editing and restyling of objects. End tables such as the drum table from Kantelberg Antiques and nesting tables from Horsefeathers sit beside barley twist floor lamps from Pottery Barn.

Ideally, visitors to the home will hardly notice that two different design firms had a hand in its decorating. One firm, hired in the 1980's, decorated the living and dining rooms and they are still beautiful more than two decades later. We did choose a new wool carpet for the stairs and upper hallway. The pretty pattern, Bernice Bouquet in natural and yellow, carries the colours from the living and dining rooms through the entrance. A coordinating border, 5 1/2" wide, gracefully finishes the runner and emphasizes the pleasing curve at the bottom of the stairs.