Well to begin with, let me say how much I dislike working with a "decorator from a furniture store". His or her focus will be using items sold by her store, and unless you want it to look like a furniture store display room, you need to branch out.
My family room is a big box...it's 24 by 22 with a 1950's "picture window" on one wall, 3 double hung windows on another wall and a 3rd wall covered with built in cabinets with shelves above and 2 smaller windows in the middle of the built in's. The 4th wall is pretty well solid wall but for a doorway into the den.
I have chosen to decorate with an eclectic, collected, early farmhouse, for want of a better word, style.
What I have learned is that with a room that big you can' just line up furniture along the walls. At one point we divided it into 2 spaces with 2 back to back sofas, then at one point we discarded one sofa in favor of 2 over stuffed chairs and 2 wooden rockers.
The space has always been the TV room....and home work and craft table room....so it always has included a good sized table and chairs and a TV and all it's add ons.
Because it's also the "rehearsal space" for some sort of production that one or another members of the family have been involved in, it also has a piano.
Currently it has a leather sofa, love seat, matching ottoman and a different color leather arm chair and 2 antique wooden rockers, an antique round oak table and 4 signed Hitchock chairs. The piano....an old Baldwin spinnet, an old walnut very primitive dry sink, an oak commode, and the coffee table is an old square oak table cut down to coffee table height. There is a blanket chest behind the love seat which serves to bring it more into the middle of the room and as a place for a few plants and a spot for the dog's perching pillow.
The shelves on the one wall house books on plants and gardening, my cook books and various books on other subjects that are of interest. In between the books are my "stuff"...mugs, pitchers, bowls, plates, Indian baskets and pottery, sculptures....things I have collected over the years.
I can't imagine putting together a room all at once, for me a space has to evolve.
By the way this room contains 7 lamps LOL! One which I am currently trying to replace...it's always something!
Linda C

How do you want the room to function? That is really the most important part of selecting what furniture should go into the room. The idea is to take a large room and split it up into different functional pieces. Maybe have a watching TV / lounging area, then maybe a craft / homework / card playing area, maybe even a bill paying / office area, and or a reading / chatting area. No need to push furniture to the walls. Instead think of splitting the room into functional areas or conversation areas.

I have a long family room. At one end is a sofa and a loveseat. The sofa faces a TV on a console table, while the loveseat faces a gas fireplace. In front of the seating I have a low glass coffee table. I hope to someday replace the sofa and loveseat with a comfortable sectional. We like to use this space for lounging, watching TV, reading, talking, etc. We've talked about doing a sectional with an L and and a chaise on the other end or an L sectional with a free standing chair (maybe with an ottoman/footstool).

The other side of the room is currently unfurnished, but I intend to move my fold up secretary desk here. I hope to also have a comfy lounge chair and ottoman/footstool and some bookshelves to make a comfortable office / reading nook.

Many people use their family rooms for cards, crafts, etc and so they instead of a table with chairs.

I am remodeling and repurposing our large rectangular LR (27'x 13')into a multi-function room with dining taking up most of the space. The room has large windows at both ends. The main wall has no windows or doors but has a fireplace exactly in the middle of the room; however the wall is flat because the fire box is on the outside of the house. The fireplace surround is currently about 68" across the front. I have already purchased the Hooker sanctuary table 88 x 46 - 30H with two 22" extentions (extended 132 x 46 - 30H), six matching chairs (22 x 26 - 46H), and a huge credenza (77 x 21 - 50H). The credenza must go on the wall to the right of the fireplace. I feel that I need to reface the fireplace and bring it out at least 21 inches to match the depth of the credenza. There would still be 128" of blank wall to the left of the fireplace if I leave the front of the fireplace at 68". I am having a problem with envisioning what to put in that space to the left of the fireplace. My decorating style is eclectic. Help!

I am going through the same process. We are renovating our 24 x 24 (square) family room -- added built-ins, a window seat, new fireplace, french doors ,etc We also worked with a decorator from a furniture store -- we took some of his advice, ordered some of the pieces and are shopping elsewhere for other pieces.I agree that it's in their best interest to sell as much as possible.

We have decided to try to break the room up a bit (in the past we had two sofas in the center of the room with TV on one end and fireplace on the opposite wall -- with a chair anchoring it. It never looked right. A large room is tough -- for us adding the built-ins and window seat have helped.

We are doing an area around the TV (2 sofas in an L, a rectangular coffee table, round end table and a square end table) and another couple of chairs and ottoman/table in front of the fireplace. Then, we'll have the window seat as a 3rd area. My question is do I go with one large rug (13 x 18) or two separate area rugs?