Do you have a long family room that has you stumped? How do you lay out your furniture in a room that is significantly longer than it is wide, without leaving you feeling like you are cutting off traffic patterns, or shouting at people across the room? Well, let's dive right in and find some wonderful options for this generously-scaled family room. Our first option offers maximum seating for this family of five, and all of their extended family and friends. A sectional and generous coffee table pair together to anchor the far end of the room. So, why is this particularly helpful in this room?
Because this space has a tall, vaulted ceiling, their fireplace soars up two stories. The sectional and coffee table on the far end of the room "balance" the visual weight of the tall fireplace on the opposite end.
The next option offers a slightly smaller sectional, and allows for a traffic pattern to flow to the left side of the sectional. Facing the sectional are two comfortable swivel chairs that can face the sectional, the television or the fireplace. The tall fireplace will be tricked out with a stunning, vertical landscape painting to make the most of this dramatic, vertical element.
The next layout splits that large, television seating area into a sofa and separate lounge chair. There is a super cozy spot to curl up by the fireplace on the two loveseats and put your feet up right on the big, upholstered ottoman. The loveseats will be a really soft velvet, and I think that will make that nook the most coveted spot in the house. Behind the large sofa, there is a slim, console table where an additional, two ottomans are tucked. Those can easily be pulled around to offer additional seating for parties or holiday gatherings, or just another way to be able to put your feet up!
When you have a really large, long family room, the key is to break it into multiple seating areas, so everything stays at a comfortable scale. By defining different zones in the space, we can also make the space more functional. Anytime you are trying to talk with someone that is more than eight feet away, things get awkward and you want to impulsively pick up your chair and move it closer. (Or maybe that is just me, and the magic moment when my kids start to inevitably roll their eyes at me) But, truly, eight feet is about the magic distance - when you are beyond that, it starts to get to be too spread out to be cozy and comfortable.
This plan moves the television to the opposite wall and allows for a pair of sofas along the longest wall in the space. At every seat in this room, there is a table and a light close at hand, to make the room comfortable for everyone who uses it. That is when a space starts to feel truly luxurious - when everything is right where you need it to be. A table is right there to set down your cup of coffee, book or tablet. A lamp is within reach to create a warm pool of light for reading.
By "test driving" various layouts, we can get copious amounts of information from our clients about what option really resonates for them. This is the moment when clients really start to get excited about their new space - they can really see how much potential their room truly has to be absolutely AMAZING for them, and exceed their expectations for years and years to come!