Room Layout

The first step to tackling our family room is coming up with a plan.  And my plan begins with the room layout.  There are many ways to attack room layout.  You can go the old school route with a pencil, a good eraser and graph paper.  You can up the sophistication slightly by making paper cutouts of your furniture and moving them around on the graph paper (no eraser needed).  You can recruit your studly husband and all his glorious muscles to move things around while you point and say "No, not there.  How about over there." Or you can jump into the Internet era and use my favorite tool http://www.floorplanner.com/.  And that is what I did.  

This is what our room looks like right now...

Simple, organized, BORING AND SAD!  To orient you a little bit, the kitchen is right here.  Yes, right where this text is.  The Grand Piano Room is off to the right and the left is the back of the house.  Not sure where the fireplace went, but it is between the two windows on the left.  In all it lacks in creativity and style, I will say that this setup is functional.  But I know we can do better! 

One thing I would like to do in designing the new layout is draw more attention to the fireplace.  We all know fireplaces should be the focal point of the room so that is what I need to do.  I also want to open up the flow from the kitchen.  The current placement of the couch cuts off any flow and is unwelcoming.  I also want to add more seating.  Although our couch is perfect for our family of 5 (2 adults, 1 baby & 2 dogs), it is not great for guests to all have to sit side-by-side on one couch.  It cuts off any chance of adult conversation, not that much of that really goes on here.  So...keeping all this in mind I put together this layout...

In this layout the fireplace is definitely the focal point and the flow is very open, making it possible to carry on a conversation from the kitchen to the family room.  But there is one major problem...on a daily basis this is our TV watching space.  And although any designer would cringe at the thought of the TV determining the layout of a room, lets get real, this does matter.  We will not be comfortable sitting on the couch looking over our shoulder at the TV.  It just doesn't work.  So what instead?  Well, how about this...

Pretty good, right?  I think a larger L-shaped couch will provide the seating, comfort and TV watching space we need.  It also allows people to face each other for better conversation and it still highlights the fireplace.  The chair in the corner would be a great reading spot as well as additional guest seating.

Also, notice the addition of book shelves in the right hand corner.  What I envision is beautiful custom built-in bookcases.  But in reality I am thinking of finding two stand alone bookcases and making them look built-in and custom.  (This is when I really wish I was better with power tools.)  I am also considering painting the TV wall the same grey we select for the dining room, if that ever happens.  And then integrating some type of architectural element to the remaining space on the wall.  Perhaps old window pains or empty frames or even a reclaimed support beam.  Something to bring more character and interest.

This is not a room that will be completed quickly, but thanks to FloorPlanner I feel like I have finally dug my heels in.  And just in case you are wondering FloorPlanner did not compensate me in any way for this post...but shoot they should.  I am giving them a glorious recommendation!      

Simple Inspiration

Some of my favorite projects start with a simple inspiration.  For example, during my latest excursion to IKEA I knew I wanted some type of playful storage for my daughter's new art area.  I didn't know exactly what I was looking for but I was hoping to find something out of the ordinary to hold all her art supplies.  (She is 16 months, so right now her art supplies consist of washable crayons that are mostly used for eating and drawing on walls, but we are working on the paper concept.  And I just ordered some finger paints but that is definitely a backyard activity!) 

As I walked around IKEA with my project in mind I thought about expanding the use of metal in the room.  I used it here for these planters and it really worked well in this indoor / outdoor space.  This meant the usual plastic kids storage was not going to work.  So I wandered into the kitchen section and jackpot, I found exactly what I was looking for!

Perfect, right!  After a little bit of difficulty (I am power tool challenged) I mounted this bar on the side on the fireplace at Bean height, hung the baskets and now we are ready to create!

She can easily grab her crayons and there is plenty of room for paint brushes, pens and other supplies once she is old enough to use them.

IKEA was out of the hooks that went with this set.  But my Stepmom found them and they are in the mail. So the silver ones that don't really fit are only temporary.  They don't look that bad, but they aren't as secure as the ones that are meant to go with the set.  This set also comes with baskets and other fun things you can hang from it.  There are a few different finishes and looks if you like the idea but want a different look.  And because it is IKEA it was cheap.  I don't remember the exact price but it was under $30 for all the pieces. 

So the morale of the story is take your inspiration outside the box and you may come up with something great!