To all the moms out there - Are you losing, or have already lost, the adult rooms in your house to the annexation of your kid’s rooms? I know this is a tough battle to wage. I two young children and go through this myself. You don't have to give up every room though! It is important and actually healthy to maintain a solid balance of adult living space and children living space in your home. Here is a quick story on how we helped one of our client's take back their living room.



The client's home has a nice living room space right off their foyer. As you can see in this before picture you could hardly tell it was a living room though. I can imagine what the SuperNanny would say about this scenario!








There were other spaces in the house for a kid's play room but over time the living room became yet another play area for children leaving the adults without a room of their own. The mom had enough though and called us in to help take it back.





One of her requests was to use these two pictures as inspiration for the colors of the room. They are family paintings of the area where she is from and she loves the colors.


Having something of value to you to share with an interior designer is a very important step to take early in the design process. This will ensure the designer brings ideas that mean the most to you and fit your styles.







With the inspiration of the pictures, an understanding of the desired feel for the room that we got from conversations with the clients, and some parameters of existing furniture, we created a variety of space plans to start looking at the options for the room before anything was purchased. Here are three examples.





The client liked the layout of the third design so with that we had a basis for what new pieces to add and how to use the existing pieces to achieve their desired goals.








Here are the after pictures of the room. The sofa and paint colors brought out the desired colors of the picture.










Notice the kid’s area is now on the raised part of their family room which is where the client wanted it, out of the way of the initial impression of visitors entering their home.



We also had a custom rot iron railing installed to replace the old wood one giving an updated and unique feel to the separation of the rooms.

Labels: Interior Design, living room

Why is the living room one of the main rooms to look at when you are assessing your comfort in your home? It is, along with the kitchen, the primary space for entertaining and gathering. It is a hard working room.

In many home layouts the living room is also the front line impression of your home. It creates the atmosphere of welcome that can define the attitudes of the occupants. That is why the interior design of this space is key to a home’s overall impact.

What is the proper title of this space for gathering? There must be more names for this room than any other in the home. The truth is Living Room, Family Room, TV Room, Great Room, or Den are each appropriate titles for this shared living space. Today’s interiors have changed. With the decrease of formality, closed spaces with separate functions have disappeared giving way to less formal, open, multifunctional spaces.

Modern homes in Colorado often have what we call a Great Room, as these spaces tend to open to other rooms, such as the kitchen, and serve as a multifunctional space. Living Room in the traditional sense is often kept as the name for a separate more formal shared space, usually without a TV.

Designing the living space takes careful planning so there is a balance between function and aesthetics. Function is the primary task to be tackled.

The experience and skill of an interior designer can be crucial to help you navigate these tasks and analyze how the parts relate to the whole. We see so many situations where clients have gone out and bought a piece of furniture that looked great in the store but turned out to not fit the space at all. Even if you are on a tight budget or simply a bona-fide “DIYer,” consulting an interior designer before you purchase any furniture or furnishings can help you avoid headaches, make sure you are set going in the right direction for your needs and desires, and actually save you money down the road.

· All the intended uses of the space need to be analyzed.
· How often do you entertain?
· How many people?
· What are the activities that will take place in this room, reading, watching TV, music, computer work, and game playing? What if all of these end up happening at the same time?
· Will there be children and or pets using this space?
· Do you have collections and books that need storage or display space?

The answers to these questions help to determine the furniture, lighting, and materials needed in this space. In addition, space planning and the scale of the items needed is critical.

Aesthetics are also important to the design but are usually considered after the function.

· What is the mood or feeling desired in this space?
· What colors are pleasing?
· How does this room fit with the rest of the home?
· What style themes appeal to you?

There are many choices of materials that come into play. These include fabrics, window coverings, floor coverings, lighting, accessories, and media components. A skilled designer can combine hard and soft materials to provide a balance of surfaces that is most pleasing to the eye.

If you have not changed anything in your living space in the last 8 to 15 years it is time to consider an update. This can be as simple as adding some accent pieces or an accent color.

Consider creating a theme to drive design choices. Time tested themes include Modern, Urban-Contemporary, Asian-Zen, Italian-Tuscan, Mountain Lodge, Arts & Crafts, Victorian, and French. Each of these design styles dictate certain color palettes, materials, and fabrics.

Green design, using eco-friendly materials can easily be incorporated to your living space as well. Natural materials such as sustainable woods, cotton, silk, wool, recycled materials, and bamboo are available in furniture, flooring, window coverings, fabrics, and accessories. These materials are becoming more affordable as they move into the mainstream. LED lighting is another addition to green design that has increasing options to incorporate into your interiors.

As we move more frequently today than in the past, consider the short term and long term commitment to your home. If you are planning on a potential of a move within the next 5 to 6 years, it is advisable to consider a style and materials that will appeal to the majority of people. Use a base of neutrals and layer with accent colors in your accessories. This does not mean go bland or boring. It does mean coordinate and balance your space in calming tones and your work will be done when you put your house on the market.

Labels: Interior Design, living room