Family Room Makeover

I recently completed a project for a client who had been renovating her main floor for some time.  After months of major renovations, this couple had run out of steam and didn't know how to pull together a cohesive decorating scheme that would make the most of their new open floor plan kitchen, dining room and living room. 

We had a long, narrow space with limited furniture, insufficient lighting and new light hardwood throughout, but it was run over by two young children's toys leaving little room for entertaining, which was long overdue now that the house was no longer under construction.



The inspiration for the room was a piece of art that the client loved.  The soft tones of this painting were the starting point for the colour scheme for the whole space. 

I worked on a floor plan that would allow for maximum seating when entertaining, additional needed storage and kid-friendly design and fabrics.  The initial presentation to the client looked like this:

We wanted to stay with a casual and earthy colour palette, but the client said "let's bring in some funky fabric somehow".  I love it when a client will take some chances!  We left the fabric showroom with the client shedding happy tears over the coordinated fabric scheme that was coming together.

For lighting, I wanted to bring in a light fixture for the dining room that would fit in with the casual mood of the home but still had some "bling" since it would be visible from the front door and throughout the space.  We brought in a modern 21 inch wide crystal and satin nickle chandelier that was hung over the dining table, centered on the main floor.  It's now the "star of the show" with matching pendants over the adjacent kitchen island.

We chose a custom, modern sofa in a tone-on-tone herringbone striped fabric and had an additional set of seat cushion covers made that can easily be replaced when one set needs cleaning (a great idea when you have small children and light fabric).

The slipper chairs are great in a small space.  We chose them in a neutral, linen fabric and made them child friendly for everyday use with slipcovers in a fun pattern that hides little messy fingerprints.  They sit on the edge of the family room rug and help delineate the two spaces without the bulk of a loveseat, and they can be easily moved into the dining room for larger dinner parties, as needed.

The window bench was constructed by the talented homeowner and I added another coordinating fabric for the custom made seat cushion. We then brought in some rectangular pillows with more pattern to make the seating extra comfy.  Large baskets under the bench and an oversized ottoman/coffee table add much needed storage.  A new larger rug pulls the scheme together while making the whole space feel bigger yet still cozy.

Here's the AFTER:

We are still looking for a dark framed picture to hang on the left of the sofa to balance off the tall shelf on the right and sconces for task lighting when reading will be added on either end of the sofa wall later on.

The room was completed just before the holidays and the clients have had four parties since then, stating "the room works just the way we envisioned it and easily accommodates 10-12 people which it didn't before". 

I love a happy client!