The family room offers a chance to relax and converse with family and friends. It may also be used as a multipurpose room at different times of the day. Note where people usually walk into the room, and leave those spaces open when rearranging furniture.
Step 1
Envision how you would like your family room used, and how to encourage the entire family to want to spend time in the room. Talk to your family about the different reasons they use the room and how they would like to use it so you can arrange the furniture based on desired function.
Step 2
Remove furniture from the room to better evaluate the space. If you cannot physically remove the furniture, draw the shape of the room on a piece of paper, including the doors, windows, electrical outlets, attached lighting, cable outlet and any built-in shelves. Make four to five copies of the blank layout.
Step 3
Draw the furniture on one of the room layouts. Use simple squares and circles. Include side tables, coffee tables, bookshelves, chairs, television, lamps and any other accessories. Label the drawing based on the room’s function: gaming or entertaining, for example.
Step 4
Create a focal point in the room around the item that is most important to the room’s function. If the room will be used to socialize and television is secondary, do not make the television the focal point. Arrange furniture in front of a window or mantle. Face chairs and couches toward each other, not in a semicircle around a television.
Step 5
Make room for family members of all ages by incorporating storage ottomans to hold small toys or books. Add a small table and two chairs, where kids can play a game or sit and do puzzles together.
Step 6
Put all of the furniture back in the room, starting with the large or focal point pieces. Bring back only the furnishings and accessories you need.
Warnings
- Do not feel married to a piece of furniture because it’s always been in the room. If it doesn’t fit, use it in another room.
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