A 'lived-in' look for family room

Before

Last update: November 6, 2008 - 6:09 PM

The space: A family room in a west Bloomington house. The room is one of the first that a potential buyer sees from the front entry, and it is situated opposite a bright formal living room. What works: A big space, a stone fireplace, built-in bookshelves and an oversized picture window. What doesn't: Deep, neutral wall colors and leather furnishings that add to the heavy mood and present a contradiction to the lighter, brighter formal living space just across the front entry. "It's always important to create a sense of flow between rooms to make a house feel larger," said Lori Matzke of Centerstagehome.com. "We wanted buyers to get a sense that both rooms were completely livable and one room was simply an extension of the next." Here's what she did to visually connect the rooms:

Removed the heavy drapes (not shown), allowing more natural light into the space.

Removed family photos and clutter on shelves, minimizing distractions, making room feel more open.

While the larger family room was sparsely furnished, the living room was smaller and had too much furniture. Exchanging the leather sofa and chair (not shown) from the family room with two more formal white upholstered loveseats from the living room, which have better proportions for the space, brightened the room. They were arranged to draw attention to the fireplace.

A large glass and wood coffee table was moved from the lower-level family room to help anchor the setting and give the impression that the room is being fully utilized.

A floor lamp from the lower level adds much-needed light to the space.

In the opposite corner of the room (not shown), a table lamp, side table and chair help balance the light and sense of livability.

Lighter, neutral artwork behind the sofa brightens the wall without distracting from the fireplace.

Iridescent glass and brass accessories were borrowed from the dining room and arranged on the coffee table and bookshelves to reflect light.

A green potted plant on the hearth adds a nice shot of color to draw the eye toward the fireplace.

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