Help me redecorate The Forgotten Room (aka my family rec room!)

7 years ago

This is our family room. It's been The Forgotten Place. We redid our kitchen, dining area, living room and main floor bath. This is more of our casual/comfortable rec room. The rest of my house is whites/blues/greys with a Cape-Cod nautical feel to it. This room is still stuck in Y2K with its red couches, etc. It's mostly where my tween kids hang out, but it's a central part of my main floor with no door on it (which I prefer since said tweens hang out in here) so I'd like it to flow off the style of the rest of the house.

Please excuse the laundry basket and dog gate:

Again, please excuse basketball hoop on doors..it's removable. Life got in the way of staging.

I've thought of re-orienting the room by adding mantle & relocating TV to this wall on teh exposed brick, which I love (it's the back of the fireplace in the last photo):

Here are my conditions:

All furniture can go (couches are going to their final resting place in the basement)
Rug must stay (though I'm open to layering another rug in the sofa area.)It's a speckled grey and the only rung in the house. I wanted the room comfortable to throw pillows on the floor for kids movie night, etc. Rest of house is all hardwoods.
I'm NOT paining. The walls were just painted about 2 years ago. Color is Benjamin Moore Marina Grey.
House is a Cape Cod and I'm partial to farmhouse/New England/nautical styles and colors (blues, whites, greys)
I know it's missing a coffee table. We never replaced it because it was glass and 2 years ago my 4 year old at the time jumped through it, a shard of glass went through his foot and he severed tendons to his toes...hence, no coffee table anymore. I'm open to adding a coffee table back. Just no glass. Ever again.

Here are my questions:

How would you arrange furniture in here?(I'd love white twill slipcover style, is that crazy with kids?)
Curtains or blinds?

Would you put anything on this ledge above our closet, on the ceiling? I'd love to put a model sailboat..is that too hokey?

Here is the adjoining room, to give you a taste of how the flow is from the rest of my house - and a more accurate reflection of my decor/taste... The entrance to this room is to the right of the fireplace built ins...just out of shot. I can try and get a better picture tonight..

Featured Answer

decoenthusiaste

7 years ago

I agree about the TV on the brick but wouldn't put a mantel without a FP. Just add a credenza below to hold all the gear. Love the beams - match the credenza to them. Also agree you need a blue denim slip covered sofa - easier with the kids!

Comments (7)

Diane Land
7 years ago
LOVE your taste! So I would suggest going the navy, gray and white route for this fun room. Perhaps a navy sofa or navy and white stripe or navy with white piping ( as in example). A layered rug , some fun heavy wicker base comfy chairs with fun print ( see example) and a safe coffee table ...

navy sofa:

at overstock.com

this type of chair with a blue and white/and or gray print fabric:

http://www.wickerhomepatiofurniture.com/freeport-arm-chair.html

a safe , weathered coffee table like this;

You could also consider hanging some rope hammock chairs from your beams:

http://www.wayfair.com/Algoma-Net-Company-Hanging-Caribbean-Rope-Chair-4913-AG1212.html

And absolutely mount that TV on the FP wall.

One more thought is this washable denim sofa cover from LL Bean:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/36194?productId=560956&attrValue_0=Classic%20Denim&pla1=0&mr:trackingCode=06C91F97-B0F0-E211-A497-90E2BA285E75&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=plaonline&mr:ad=57704167640&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:tid=pla-181161701840&mr:ploc=9007392&mr:iloc=&mr:store=&mr:filter=181161701840&mkwid=mgCO2IVJ_dc&pcrid=57704167640&qs=3091366_google&product=0XW5721000&cvosrc=cse.google.0XW5721000&cvo_crid=57704167640&lsft=mkwid:mgCO2IVJ_dc,pcrid:57704167640,qs:3091366_google,product:0XW5721000,cvosrc:cse.google.0XW5721000,cvo_crid:57704167640
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havingfun
7 years ago
first it is a family room it is allowed to be hokey.

I do not have a problem with what look like taupe couches. I would ease them out the door as they become unusable, teens and preteens and their sitting positions can be rough on furniture. I am sure that you want to be the house of preference for the gang. the less furniture problems the more likely that will be. I am all for using denim slip covers as needed, and if you keeping the recliner in there i would put one on that.

I love the little red table, but maybe he should move. i think you need spots to keep things and keep them organized. I would put shelving or cabinets on the brick wall and where you have the credenza.
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they can use them on the couches or on the floor.

unbreakable table slash ottomans
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top and bottom have extra storage. let me know if you want me to remove.
KD
7 years ago
I like ottomans or similar instead if an actual coffee table for kids in a kid room - an ottoman or the like can be used as an additional seat without damaging it (not true of some tables) and it gives extra and easily mobile seating for watching movies or playing games.

One thing to consider if you are replacing the sofas - are your kids the type to have a sleepover? When I was younger sleepovers were always much cooler if you weren't in a proper bedroom, and a sofa bed would give you some options in that regard. (For a bit of privacy for a sleepover, you can rack a curtain up over the door - not perfect so you can keep an ear on things, but it makes the space more private.)

Just asking because that was definitely one of the reasons for a sofa bed in the den here, since my housemate's kid is right in that tween age group.

I do like the idea of the tv and a tv stand on the brick - we have ours there (under an old mantle) over a covered over fireplace, and we were careful to put the tv at fireplace 'height' - so it is lower than you sometimes seem but very comfortable for viewing, especially if you are the type to sprawl to watch things, and visually it gives enough of a fireplace impression that it balances the existing structure there - I think it might be similar in your space, since you do have the fireplace/chimney shape.
er612
7 years ago
I'd get more streamlined sofas and add a bunch of throw pillows. The loose back ones often look messy or worn. Here are some from Room & Board (the one in the top right would be arranged as a sectional):
What are the room's dimensions?

I think the sailboat would look great as long as it's the only thing above the closets. Otherwise, it will just look cluttered.
havingfun
7 years ago
so what you think rebecca?
Irene Morresey
7 years ago
Some inspiration, like the blue, grey and white colour scheme. Sailing ship would look good