I’ve been coming out of my Millennial-neutral safety net and exploring more color and texture in my home decor, creating a uniquely “Me” colorful, eclectic family room to relax, unwind, and learn.
When we began our renovation project, we thought we already had a nice family room with a TV and a built in book-case. I hated the grey linoleum that the selling realtor put in before we bought, but it was functional. The family room was our favourite room in the house and we didn’t think we’d have to change much. Looking back on it now, wow did we ever improve the space.
As homeschoolers, we spend a lot of time in our home, and we have a lot of books! Improving the family room, while at times I thought it would never get done, was one of the best things to come out of this long and arduous home renovation.
However, in undertaking rebuilding our staircase to bring it to code, the landing for the stairs had to push back and so the wall of the family room looked like this:
Thankfully I had the best idea I’ve ever had and my husband was able to roughly model our vision in Sketch Up so that we could describe it to Carlos Resendiz, of Resendiz Custom Woodworks.
I wanted to have a book shelf that worked into the walls and posts that we had – shallower shelves on top, and deeper shelves below. We had space constraints of a wall jutting out and then a big post holding up the stairs and still somehow needed the fit a TV in the space. We opted to use a big mounting arm to suspend the TV in front of the bookcase, which works great because 1) we can store ugly electronic stuff behind it and 2) the TV can change size over the coming years without having to do a whole rebuild.
Carlos Resendiz’ team did a fantastic job taking the vision through to perfect execution, and adding in aesthetic details to tie it into other trim finishes in the house. Then, Kevin Bariteau‘s painting team painted the built-in bookcase in all white (Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee) and it turned out great. We are so happy to have a functional and beautiful storage unit for books, board games, video game electronics, large bulky items like yoga mats (which fit in the large drawer under the TV).
Patterned Carpet? Yes Please!
Guys, I can’t even describe how happy I am that I went with a patterned carpet in this room. Initially I wanted hardwood floor with a cozy rug, but hardwood is $$$. We have hardwood elsewhere in the house so it would look weird to go with a laminate, and my husband hates covering over brand new expensive floor with area rugs. He’s got a point.
It felt like a big risk to do wall to wall carpet in this room in a pattern. It was hard to visualize what it would look like ahead of time and I don’t know a single person with a patterned carpet in their homes these days. Should I be the first?
I took the leap and I’m so happy I did. We have a black lab and I love how the pattern hides her fur between vacuums. I love how cozy it makes the space. It feels like we have an inviting area rug in the room, but we don’t.
If you’re wondering, the carpet is called Magnificent Taste – Ethereal by Karastan.
Another favourite purchase is the Tiffany-style bird lamp. I really wanted to go with navy blue, creams and whites as the base colors – but then bring in rich jewel tones in the decorative accents from the book spines, throw pillows, quilts, and art. Finding this Robert Louis Tiffany Woodland Birds Tiffany-style table lamp at Lamps Plus was an accident – and I almost didn’t buy it but my husband said, “Happy Birthday”. I love it. It is the perfect lamp for this room. It brings in the colorful whimsy that I was after in this space and the warm light makes it so cozy.
A few more pictures of the completed space
I love how these bookshelves came together with the shallow shelves on top and the deeper shelves below, you can’t even tell once the books are on them that the wall was once a bizarre mess of angles!
In the baskets on the shelf I have hidden some of the kids’ toys – blocks, tiny doll figurines, musical instruments, and puzzles are secreted away in a visually appealing way.
I hope you find inspiration on this page to add some pops of colour, some eclectic design elements, and perhaps some patterned carpet into your living space. Goodbye sad Millennial greige – hello colour, warmth, and joy!
Warmly,
-Heather
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Enjoyed this post? Check out some of my other posts
- Colorful Eclectic Family Room
- Books for Boys Resistant to Reading
- Hosting a Mother-Daughter Craft Club
- Building Community by Watching Sports Together
- Making Homeschooling Work During Home Remodeling
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