Looking for family room ideas? I’m sharing ten ideas to steal from our One Room Challenge family room makeover!
It’s One Room Challenge reveal day and you guys, I’m seriously limping across the 6-week finish line of my room makeover. I have more paint brushes and rollers in my refrigerator than food, most of my house is approaching Hoarders status, and my whole family is suffering from a serious shortage of clean clothes. But my family room is D. O. N. E. and I’m dying to tour you guys around! (post includes sponsored and affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here}).
1. Paint Your Walls For a Fresh New Look!
Paint can completely transform a room – it was a huge part of my family room makeover! This is what our we-hadn’t-touched-it-since-moving-in-three-years-ago space looked like before:
And here’s that same space today after painting all the walls white:
Room Sources: Chandelier (satin bronze) | Sectional | Patterned gray pillow covers | Black & white dot pillow covers | Rug | Acrylic coffee table (similar) | Coffee table tray | Rattan chair | Tasseled pillow on chair
Our family room seriously looks and feels twice as big as it did when it was red! Remember when I was trying out these three white paint colors?
My original plan was to paint it with Benjamin Moore Simply White but after throwing that color up on the wall in some sample spots, it was a little too bright white for my space and even had a bit of a green cast to it due to reflecting the greenery outside. Then I figured I’d go with my old stand-by of Benjamin Moore White Dove but it had more of a yellow undertone than I wanted in this space.
So I hit the paint store to find something in between the two and landed on Benjamin Moore Cloud White. It ended up being the Goldilocks of warm whites – not too bright of a white and not too yellowy. Painting both the walls and ceiling the same white paint color helped disguise this room’s funky ceiling angles and draw your eye up. Check out my post on the best white paint colors for more details on all three of these whites and several other favorites.
Want to paint your room a color other than white? Check out my posts on the best greige paint colors and best blue paint colors for some tried-and-true favorites. You also might find my post on how to choose paint colors to be helpful!
2. Add Interest With a Large Area Rug
Our family room has low-pile carpet in a dull beige color that made it feel drab. Layering {this honeycomb area rug}) on top of it was a game-changer!
It lighted up the room and added some interesting pattern too! Be sure you don’t skimp on the size of your family room area rug. At minimum, the front feet of your sofa/chairs should sit on the rug. I went with a 10 x 14 size for my space.
3. Bring In Pattern & Color With Pillows
Another major player in my room is our new L-shaped Lee Industries slipcovered sectional (I went with {this model}). I couldn’t be happier with it (it’s so, so plush and comfy!). I chose a neutral fabric for our sectional which allows me to use any colors and patterns I want for pillow covers, changing them up seasonally.
On each end of our sectional, I have a white linen pillow paired with {this dragon patterned pillow}:
And in the corner of the sectional, I added a trio of pillows, including {this 23″ square dragon patterned pillow}, {this beautiful cream & black dotted pillow}, and a gray linen lumbar pillow:
Check out my post on the best sectional sofas for more details on my sectional and other favorite sectional choices.
I also added {this rattan accent chair } with {this textured Montecito pillow} on the back. If you’ve ever thought that rattan can’t be comfy, you have to sit in this chair because it even convinced my skeptic husband otherwise! I love the textural beauty that it adds to the room!
4. Add Life with Greenery
In the corner of our family room I added a large fiddle leaf fig tree that added so much life to the space! Unfortunately I don’t have much of a green thumb and it only lasted a few months. I ended up replacing it with {this faux fiddle leaf fig tree} and felt that it still added some life to the space even though it was faux:
As a bonus, this one actually stayed green 🙂
If you have an empty corner in your family room, see my post on living room corner ideas for other tips for decorating them.
5. Corral Coffee Table Items With a Tray
Since there are a lot of large furniture pieces in this room, I wanted a coffee table that didn’t have much visual weight. I’d been obsessing over this beautiful acrylic coffee for months and was thrilled to find that it’s even more beautiful in person than I expected (my exact coffee table is no longer available but you can find similar options in my post on acrylic coffee tables).
Instead of placing my coffee table decor pieces directly on my acrylic coffee table, I corralled them with a large 28″ wood tray similar to {this tray}. Using a tray keeps your coffee table looking neat and organized and also makes it easy to clear your coffee table off if you want to use it for a puzzle or game.
The decor on my coffee table includes several books, {this black & white striped storage box that holds remotes, and a pair of {these brass cranes}. See my post on coffee table decor ideas if you need inspiration for decorating your own coffee table.
6. Layer Your Lighting
All of the lighting in our family room used to be utilitarian lighting with can lights in our bookcases and track lighting on beams overhead:
I wanted to upgrade the ceiling lighting in this space so we removed the falling apart ceiling beams and track lighting and had our electrician wire the room for an overhead fixture. I chose {this gorgeous two-tiered chandelier} that added so much style to this space:
I also added a lamp to our new desk (more on that in a minute!) too so that we have different layers of lighting throughout the space. Family rooms are a great spot to also add a floor lamp for reading if you have the space.
7. Add Softness with Shades or Curtains
Other additions to the room are new Roman shade window treatments from The Shade Store – I chose a soft stripe linen fabric and absolutely love the finished, tailored look that the shades add to our room. And since this is sleepover central, my teenage daughters and their friends will love that they can block the morning sun from streaming in! There are more details about my Roman shades in {this post}.
8. Decorate Your TV Wall
Ready to move on and check out the wall with the TV (did you catch the sneak peek of it two pics back?)? This is what that wall looked like before:
and this is the same wall now:
Sources: TV console (similar) | Chandelier (satin bronze)
First off, I changed out our media console for this beauty that’s a much better size for our space (update: unfortunately my exact media console no longer available but {this console} is super similar). Pictures simply don’t do this console justice – the finish on it is just gorgeous and I love that it has both drawers and open cubbies:
Surrounding the TV is framed & matted artwork from Minted arranged in a grid pattern. How did I go about doing it? First there was a lot of measuring and calculating to figure out what size frames would work best for giving me a gap in the bottom row large enough for the TV along with equal spacing between each print. I ended up choosing 18″ x 24″ prints that were matted and framed by Minted to a final finished size of 18.5″ x 24.5″.
For the artwork I decided to stick with black and white prints (a mix of abstracts, photographs, and sketches) and identical frames and mats so they felt cohesive and didn’t distract from the TV too much.
After my framed art arrived, I used a laser level to tape out the location for each print and then got them all hung (you can see this process in a little more detail {here}). And… that’s it! I am so impressed with the quality of the matting and framing of my Minted pieces – the matte brass frames are gorgeous!
Art Sources (from top left): Son (abstract) by Lori Wemple | Sand Spirit (horse print) by Leslie Le Coq | Mesmerize by Melanie Severin | Marble Two by Melissa Selmin | Brainchild (abstract) by Misty Hughes | Morning Walk on the Seine by Sharon Rowan | Stormy Sunrise by Melanie Severin | Reflection (boat print) by Neeta Sawhney (no longer available) | Flora in B+W by Very Marta (no longer available) | Llama Love by Jocelyn Eden (no longer available)
Want to see other options for how to arrange art around your TV? Check out my post on gallery wall layouts!
9. Add a Workspace
On the wall opposite the TV, we were lucky enough to have two large built-in bookcases. However, there was this awkward space in between them that we didn’t have time to fix so we just stuck a mismatched desk there:
We wanted to keep a desk there since my husband works from home some days but wanted it to look like part of the bookcase so I had my contractor cut and install a simple desktop that fits the space exactly. I think my husband and I will both love having this beautiful wooded view while working here!
On the desk are two of my favorite accessories in the space including a pencil cup hand painted by Jill Rosenwald – she has so many beautiful pieces and is such a talent – thank you Jill! It’s sitting beside my cute gold turtle dish which is one of my fun Chairish finds.
10. Wallpaper The Back of Your Bookcases
The bookcases underwent a little transformation too:
I replaced the knobs with brass finger pulls, painted the gold shelf brackets on the inside of the bookcases so they’d blend in, and wallpapered the back of the shelves with {this charcoal/natural combination grasscloth}:
Thank you so much to Denise at Ring’s End Wilton for helping me get it ordered last minute! This round of wallpapering was more successful than when I attempted to put up grasscloth in my daughter’s room, but I was surprised by how long it took me to do.
My shelves are filled with a combination of finds from thrift shops, HomeGoods, my favorite online accessory shops, and my own stash. You can find the links to most things in the source list below!
That wraps up my reveal! I know there’s nothing crazy fancy about it, but I also know that it’s a comfy, warm, relaxing space that our family will enjoy for years and I’m thrilled to have it. I so appreciate you all following along over the course of this 6-week challenge! If you’d like to continue to follow future projects on Driven by Decor, you can subscribe by email {here}.
XOXO,
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Jamie says
This room is beautiful! Is the fiddle leaf real or silk? Where did you find it?
Jamie says
I see someone else asked, got my answer! Thnx
Kris Jarrett says
The tree in these pics was real but unfortunately it died several months later so I ended up going with a faux. You can see pics of my faux fiddle leaf fig in my room in this recent post: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/best-phone-apps-home-decorating-design/
Katie says
I LOVE how this room turned out!! I am hoping to buy the chandelier, but what is the height of your ceilings in that room? I cant decide if my 10ft ceilings would make it too low 🙁 Thank you!!!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Katie,
My ceiling is only about 10 feet at it’s highest point in the middle – I know it looks much higher than that in the pics 🙂
Ivory says
I love your home. Fabulous, neat and super clean. I love everything about it.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much!
Kathy Likens says
Hi Kris, your room in beautiful. When I first started looking at the posts there were optional finds (like for your living room sofa and the media console) in your family room. I can no longer view that option. Has that been removed?
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Kathy, I never had that info in this post but maybe you’re thinking of this one? https://www.drivenbydecor.com/best-inexpensive-sofas-couches-media-consoles-coffee-tables/
Abbi says
LOVE this room! Now that you’ve been living in it for about a year, hoping you can share how the acrylic table has been holding up. I have a 3yr old and 6 month old and would love a coffee table like this but concerned about scratching. Thanks!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Abbi,
It’s held up beautifully – the top of the table is actually glass so it wears really well. I will say that my kids are older though so I don’t have any toddlers who are banging the legs of it with toys, etc. so can’t speak to whether you would get scratches on those or not!
Paizhe Pressley says
One word: Stunning. Thank you for sharing this beautiful space!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much!!
Brooke] says
Hi,
This is so pretty! Well done. What a lovely spot to work at home from.
I know I am late but perhaps someone else will want to know the sheen you used for the walls and trim? And, which line of benjamin moore did you use? I brought home cloud white tonight and it isn’t too stark or too yellow and I am wondering if I want satin or semi-gloss for the trim.
Thank you!
Kris Jarrett says
My walls are BM Regal Select in Matte finish and trim is their Advance Line in Satin finish. I like the less shiny appearance of the Satin for trim but that’s totally personal preference – semi-gloss would work too!
Jackie says
Great job. Looks beautiful, light and airy.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Jackie!!!
Claudia says
Where can I buy just the frames and matte?
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Claudia! Unfortunately, I don’t believe that Minted sells the frames and mats separately from their artwork.
Carli says
Wow! I just subscribed to your blog. I love the elements of brass that you sprinkled in! The elephant bookends are to die for!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Carli! Sounds like you share my love for brass animals – I have no idea why but I love them 🙂 Enjoy your weekend!
Amy says
Hi! Beautiful room! Would you mind sharing where you got the down cushion for the seat of your rattan chair?
Thanks!!
Amy
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Amy! I had my cushion made by someone local but Serena & Lily now has one that fits that chair (they didn’t at the time that I bought it).
Sarah says
Hi Kris, I just love following your blog! Your photography skills are amazing! And your home is so beautiful yet I love how approachable it is! Most of my clients (and myself) do not have a ton of money to devote to their spaces and your blog helps me so much!
My question is about your 2 sofas: the Ektorp and the Lee Industries sectional. I am toying with going with the Ikea Farlov sectional (it’s new so not much info out there about it). BUT I don’t want to make a mistake either. Originally I wanted to buy the PB Pearce which is to die for but it’s got a $3,000-$4,000 price tag. My question is Do you find the Lee Industries sofa to be way more comfy than your Ikea Ektorp as a comparison??? I’m debating Ikea vs PB, or Ikea vs. Lee Industries etc.
Thank you SO much!!!!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Sarah! I really like my EKTORP – it’s a great bang for the buck – but my Lee sofa is a bit more comfy. I think one of the main differences is going to be that I expect the Lee sectional to stand the test of time better than the EKTORP. So I guess it depends on how “hard” you’ll be using it and for how long. I think our EKTORP is perfect for the living room where it gets light use and our Lee sectional is perfect for our family room where it gets used and abused. As far as the PB Pearce, I looked at that too and read a lot of mixed reviews – some people loved it and others said the cushions didn’t hold up over time. I was too nervous dropping that much money on something I wasn’t sure I’d love! Hope that helps!
Nicole says
Hi – I absolutely love this room! You actually inspired me to buy the tv console from Wisteria. it arrived this week and I’m in LOVE! Not to totally copy your space, but I wanted to ask about the rug. Does it shed? Has it held up well? Also, it appears very neutral on your floor, but I wanted to see how much you notice the pattern in person.
Thanks in advance!
Nicole
Kris Jarrett says
I’m so glad to hear that you love your new console – I still love mine today just as much as they day it arrived! The rug in our space doesn’t shed at all (or at least not that I’ve noticed) and in the gray color the pattern is subtle enough that it doesn’t stand out as busy and just kinda blends into the space. My only gripe about it is that it does tend to bunch up because it has no backing (the plus side of that is that it’s reversible ). Mine is on carpet so I’m not sure if it would do that on hardwoods or not. Probably some carpet tape would fix the problem but I just haven’t gotten around to trying it. Hope that helps!
Katie says
Hi!! What size are the prints and frames surrounding the TV? SO pretty and perfect scale.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Katie! The art prints are 18″ x 24″ prints that were matted and framed by Minted to a final finished size of 18.5″ x 24.5″. Hope that helps!
Kris
Jenny says
Hi there Kris! What a beautiful room! I was curious if you might be up for sharing the size of the art and frames (from Minted) that you used around the TV? Stunning space! Thanks so much!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Jenny! The art prints are 18″ x 24″ prints that were matted and framed by Minted to a final finished size of 18.5″ x 24.5″. Hope that helps!
Kris
Maggie says
Hands down, absolutely, positively, without hesitation my favorite room ever! Every detail, fabric choice, color, b/w print, piece of furniture, even that fiddle fig – everything is ravishing. Love how warm and inviting it looks despite it being so neutral. The laundry will eventually get done and I’m sure no one starved so it was more than worth it. LOL! Excellent job.
Kris Jarrett says
Wow! Well that’s hands down the best comment ever! 🙂 And yes, I was an exhausted mess (and my house was bordering on hoarder status) but it was worth it in the end!