Tips for your Family Room!

The family room is a very commonly used space in a home. Often owners might take cues from how the previous owners had furniture arranged, or look at sample homes for ideas. I personally have not changed my family room furniture  since moving in. There are times when rearranging might be just what the space needs. Read on for some  ideas to help maximize the space, or other suggestions for how you plan to use the room.

Focal Point - Gathering your furniture around a focal point will create a nice environment and communal feeling. This could be the TV, or fireplace for example. My living room has no fireplace therefore the TV is the focal point. I've created symmetry by placing the TV on a TV stand and placed two end cabinets on either side. I have this on a power wall, which also helps to draw the attention to this area. 

Conversation-  If you arrange your furniture in a circular fashion this is ideal for garnering conversation. Try this if you're having a get together, it will make everyone feel included in the conversation. Chairs can be arranged around a table, or rug with a few side tables between the chairs. Be sure to have the walkways around the circle and not going through it as to break up conversation. 

Partitions- Divide the room into areas when it needs to accommodate a few different things. Designate a play area if that's where it's located in your home. Use a table, couch or half book shelf to create a partition from this area. Something lower like those options will still allow the room to look larger and more spacious. The shelves would be great to organize toys for the kids and then works twofold. My family room is long so I used the couch to section off the area for watching TV and the area where I have my work desk, and yoga mat, for example.

Balance visually- Have similar styles of furniture and decorations to tie the room together and keep it flowing. Pairs of furniture or matching coffee tables are a few examples. Have a good mix of larger solid pieces and things that appear lighter and airy. You can choose symmetry for a more formal look, or if you're more casual then asymmetrical works best. 

Nature- Similar to the above suggestion, balance this room with plants to help keep the air clean and environment relaxed. The natural look and bring green colors look good in every home, and will make you feel better too! Place a small plant on a table or buy a plant stand if you have a spacious room. 

Whether you have a baby crawling or a German Shepard running around these will help make your living room more livable! Consider what works best and how you want to use the space. 

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