How To Decorate A Family Room For Beauty And Functionality
Essential tips for how to design and decorate a beautiful family room that works for family time, entertainment, and more, all while keeping it stylish and functional.
Ann Lowengart Interiors via Houzz
No matter your design style, if you’re unsure where to start, this guide of family room ideas offers straightforward steps to help you make the most of your space.
You’ll find practical tips for everything from furniture placement to choosing decor that meets your family’s needs.
This post is here to give you clear solutions so that you can start enjoying instead of just using your family room!
An Amazon affiliate link has been used in this post. See my full disclosure policy here.
Develop a space plan
Creating a space plan is probably the number one most important thing to do when designing any space.
It’s more than just figuring out how the furniture should be arranged. Equally important is knowing how you need the room to function.
Families that I know want a space to watch television in, a place to play family games, a place to eat meals or snacks, possibly even a place to work.
Ask yourself these questions:
- How do you use the room most often?
- How many people need to sit comfortably at once?
- Do you need space for activities like watching TV, reading, or playing games?
- What’s the main focal point of the room (TV, fireplace, window)?
- What’s the flow of traffic, and how do people need to move through the room?
- What storage needs do you have?
Once those questions have been answered, it’s time to come up with a furniture arrangement plan.
It can be something as simple as a to-scale pencil sketch of your room on a piece of paper with the furniture pieces drawn in.
My favorite method is to use graph paper. It comes in handy, as you can assume that one square on the paper is equal to one foot.
For just a few dollars, you can purchase a room and furniture layout kit from Amazon that includes 215 punchout furniture shapes and graph paper.
TIP: No matter which space planning method you use, make sure to include window, door openings, and traffic patterns in your drawing.
Create zones
Today’s family rooms usually need to perform multiple functions such as TV watching, reading, and playing games.
To make the entire room flow well, create zones within it. Arrange furniture in such a way as to create natural separations between these areas.
A sofa might divide the seating area from a play zone. Or a game table with chairs might fit into an empty corner.
The use of multiple area rugs in a room is also a great way to define different zones within the same space.
Tips for selecting a sofa and chairs
With one exception (below), if you’re operating on a tight budget, upholstered furniture is generally not the place to skimp on price. It’s important to invest in the best quality your budget allows.
Inexpensive pieces of upholstery, that get daily use, will quickly sag and begin to look tired.
As tempting as that inexpensive Restoration Hardware look-a-like sofa is, you’ll be replacing before you know it.
It was hard to spend over $2000 on my sofa over twenty years ago, but I’m forever glad that I did.
Each time that I’ve had it recovered, my upholsterer tells me that the frame is still as good as the day I bought it and I’ve never had to have any of the innards replaced.
I have one exception to that piece of advice though and that’s if you have small children.
Kids can be rough on even the best quality furniture, so you’ll likely be replacing furniture in a few years.
In that case, consider opting for more affordable pieces, knowing that you can upgrade to higher-quality options once your kids are older and less likely to cause damage.
Choosing a color scheme
When choosing a color scheme for your room, select the colors that are a reflection of the vibe you want to create.
- For a calming atmosphere, use neutrals such as beiges or soft whites for a backdrop. Add personality with soft accent colors through pillows, rugs, and accessories.
- If you prefer an energetic vibe, use bolder colors like deep blues, vibrant yellows, or rich reds. To not overpower the space, use these colors sparingly in accent pieces like throw pillows, artwork, and other decor.
No matter which aesthetic you want to bring into your room, keep a cohesive look by choosing one main color and a couple of accent colors to use throughout.
Stick with a consistent palette for larger elements like furniture and walls, while using accent colors in smaller decor pieces.
Repeating the same colors in different ways, through fabrics, artwork, and accessories, will help tie the space together and create a unified look.
Good lighting is essential
Plan your lighting layout to ensure the room is well-lit and functional in every area.
Adams + Beasley Associates via Houzz
Not only does good lighting set the tone and make the space more functional, your choices tie right back to your space planning. Knowing how the room will be used helps you determine the type of light you need and where it needs to be placed.
We all know that well designed rooms need multiple layers of lighting – ambient, task, and accent.
- Use ambient lighting, such as a chandelier or other type of overhead fixture to illuminate the entire room.
- Add task lighting, such as floor lamps or table lamps near seating areas for reading or working.
- Incorporate accent lighting, such as wall sconces to highlight artwork or other decorative elements in the room.
When it comes to lighting any room, using a mix of lighting sources helps create a warm and inviting atmosphere that’s both practical and stylish.
Include storage solutions
Storage is key to having a well organized family room. You’ll need it even if you don’t have small children in the house.
High Point Custom Homes LLC via Houzz
By using multifunctional pieces, you can keep your space tidy without sacrificing style or comfort.
Storage ottomans or coffee tables with built-in drawers are great for stashing toys or blankets.
Wall-mounted shelves or a bookshelf can provide extra space for books, decor, and media equipment.
Baskets and bins are perfect for quick cleanups and can be tucked into open shelving.
Even a small bowl, placed on a stack of coffee table books, can act as storage by holding remotes or other small items.
When you approach it step by step, decorating a family room doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
By following this guide, your space will become a welcoming, well-organized space that everyone can enjoy!
Good advice! Our rooms are all small in this old house, but I’m told that people were smaller.
Ha – you’re too funny, Kirby! I’ve heard the same thing though.
These are such great tips and have given me a lot of inspiration for working on our family room
That’s great, Alicia. I’m so glad that you found some inspiration!
I LOVE that white clock in the second picture! Great tips!
I am in love with the grey sectional in one of the above photos! The one with the green coffee table. We are in the market for a new sofa. I tried clicking the link that says HB below the pict to see if I might find where the sofa is from, but it took me to HGTV website, not HB I think you may have accidentally put in the wrong link. I would very much appreciate if you could check that and if you have the link to that picture, I would love to try and find a price and source for that sofa! I want it! Thanks!
Hi Nicki. You’re right – I did have the incorrect link, but I’ve corrected it now. The info tells a little about where the sofa came from. Thank you for letting me know and good luck on your sofa hunt!
Loving this! You are so talented. Thanks for sharing this at our party. Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm, so we get to party with you again! Lou Lou Girls
We have a very small family room, so these are some great tips. Thank you for linking up at #HomeMattersParty this week,and we hope to see you again next week too.
I have a small den that I can not finish. I was gifted an amazing very expensive couch the only problem is the color. It is a very deep forrest green the other 2 chairs in the room are cream colored wingbacks . What colors do I use to tie the room together? 1 wall is covered with huge windows & another has a fireplace HELP!!!!
Hi Judy. Whenever I’m struggling to pull the colors in a room together, I always turn to fabric. It’s truly amazing what a few throw pillows or curtains can do! I found this image on Pinterest that might inspire you: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/56787645277780148/
Great post! Thanks for the feature!
I have an open concept LR?Kitchen area with a corner fireplace. It’s odd shaped and very difficult to arrange. I’m going to incorporate some of these tips for it.
Great blog and tips!
Great post with so many great tips!
Great post with many good tips. Thank you 🙂
Great tips and I really found the diagrams helpful. I always find inspiration on your site.
Our living room is our family room. Thanks for all these great ideas. I’m having trouble finding an appropriate coffee table for this room….saw some great examples! 😉
Beautiful inspiration photos. The photo with the prints above the fireplace (source unknown) is from Ashli’s former blog Malliardville Manor. She no longer has a blog, but is on Instagram.
Don’t know how I missed this post, but it is jam packed with ideas! I especially liked the idea of the desk behind the floating sofa and the arm sleeves. We never have enough table space in our great room for people to set their munchies and glasses. These are a perfect solution.
I love the reflection of the back to back sofas. I may try it with my love seats to see if it has the same effect.
I want to do something different with my family room and these are great tips. Thank you!
Some very useful advice , thanks for sharing all your decorating tips!
Great timing for me! I am in the process of redoing my family room. Thanks for the great tips. I found just the advice I needed for picture hanging. I’ve been trying for over a week to figure it out. Now I know what I’m going to do. Thank you!