Inspiration For Our Future Family Room (In Our Soon-To-Be Addition)
Mentally, I am in full on holiday/vacation mode. I generally try to keep my momentum going until Christmas, and then take off the last week of December, but I’m having such a hard time this year. I just want to plant myself in my recliner under a cozy blanket, hot chocolate in hand, while watching ridiculous Christmas rom-coms and scrolling Instagram.
I’m not going to let myself completely check out just yet. I still have just over one full week to complete those four goals I had for the studio before the end of the year. I’m going to do my best to finish those. But over these last few days, I have spent more time than usual scrolling Instagram, Pinterest and Houzz for inspiration for our future family room, which I hope I’ll be able to decorate at some point next year.
If you’re new around here, we don’t currently have a family room. The room that I’m referring to is part of an addition that we hope to build onto our house next year. We’re currently working with the architect to get the plans drawn up for the contractor to submit to the city for approval and permits. Once our addition is built, our house floor plan will look like this. The areas in pink are the areas that will be added.
So the family room will be accessed via the back doors of the current music room. That room looks like this…
When those doors (which open like pocket doors) are opened, there will be bookcases on the left wall, a fireplace with lots of seating on the right, and the doors out to the back yard straight ahead.
I’ve been dreaming about what I want this room to look like. My two biggest priorities are (1) to saturate the room with color, and (2) to make the room cozy. So I started scrolling Houzz and Instagram to see what caught my eye, and what I could use as a jumping off point for our future family room. I’ve gathered a few of the pictures that I love the most.
This first one certainly fits the colorful requirement, but I don’t necessarily get a cozy vibe from it. That could possibly change with some sofas that look a little squishier and comfier, and with a darker teal instead of turquoise. But I do love the combo of the turquoise, green, pink, and orange. Swap the turquoise for teal, and those are my colors!
When it comes to cozy, this definitely meets that requirement. Just look at that gorgeous teal on the walls! I do think it’s too dark for our family room, and I personally prefer white ceilings. But there has to be a happy medium between this and the previous too-bright-for-me turquoise.
This one is a tiny bit lighter. Or maybe it’s just a shinier sheen that’s reflecting more light and letting more color come through. What a gorgeous color! If I had a room that was covered in this color and felt that cozy, I don’t know that I would ever want to leave.
This one is also too dark. I’m aware of that. 🙂 But again, there has to be a happy medium that will give me this cozy feeling with an equally gorgeous teal-ish color that won’t darken the room so much. And again, I’ll always opt for white ceilings, and my windows stay uncovered at all times to let as much light in as possible.
This is a great example of a darker teal color being offset with lots of color to brighten it up.
Here’s another dark teal room that feels lighter because of the brighter ceiling. But I’d still only have white ceilings. Look how gorgeous that matching teal sofa is with the walls, though! I love that look.
Here’s another dark teal room. It’s gorgeous, but I’d never do a dark ceiling. I think a white ceiling would go a long way towards brightening up the room, while the teal on the walls would still keep it cozy.
The full view of this next room actually shows that the room is white, but the bookcase is turquoise/teal. I much prefer this close up view just focusing on the bookcase. I’ve tried white on my walls before, and I just can’t do it.
But here’s an example of teal bookcases with teal being carried onto the walls as well. It’s so gorgeous!!
But now to my top two favorites. These are great examples of using loads of color without making the room too dark. Just look how beautiful this is.
And now for my #1 favorite inspiration picture. I LOVE the sofa color!!!
So these are just my starting points, but if I could make our family room look like some sort of perfect combo between those last two rooms, I’d be perfectly happy.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Oh no…..I don’t have Instagram to see them. 😪😪
Wait. You can’t see those pictures if you don’t have an Instagram account?! I had no idea! I thought it would embed the pictures so that everyone can see them, even if you don’t have an account. Well, bummer. I’m not sure what to do.
See if you can click the direct link and see the pictures without an account. Here’s the first one:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Csi96apOA36/
And the second one:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwptK4WrXP1/?img_index=1
I got them to come up…..gorgeous.
Yep! I know you are happy with what you have, but still enjoy planning for the future. Your Wednesday night folks will certainly enjoy that family room!!!!! Blessings on your Advent and Christmas!
How much natural light will you get? All are beautiful!
It should be quite a bit with the wall of windows and French doors on the back. The back of our house faces 240 degrees SW, according to my iPhone compass. 😀 So it gets all of the sun from midday to sunset.
Make sure you plan for AC venting to accommodate that afternoon Texas sun. I had issues keeping rooms cool no matter what I did.
Might be worth incorporating a mini-split into the design. No point cooling the whole house down just so the MBR and FR are the desired temp…
Looking forward to this edition! I immediately thought of Sarah’s basement media room!
https://roomfortuesday.com/basement-media-room-updates-movie-night/
That’s gorgeous!!! Wow! Swap out all of that dark blue for teal, and I’ll take it! 😀
Great inspiration pictures! I can’t remember if you plan to build your own built ins or use IKEA items and personalize them w color and details. Also if these bookshelves will be right at the entrance of the room you’ll want to be sure the color plays nicely with the music room colors bc I doubt you will often close the doors between the two. Good luck finishing the items on your list- I have run out of steam and just want to bake and watch cute Christmas movies.
I haven’t really thought that far about the built-ins. I’m open to either option.
The one thing I’m noticing that is a common thread besides color is millwork 🙂 so excited for you to get this addition complete!
Gorgeous options! I love the deep moody teal. If you are going to have large windows into the back yard, would you consider going with wood ceilings & a few accents instead of white to complement the view?
I could maybe do a light, natural wood color. I couldn’t do a dark wood color like I have on the hallway bathroom ceiling. That would be too dark for me in such a large space. But I do like the idea of light, natural wood!
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Go make jewelry!
I’m so sorry x cited to follow you through this so addition and see the end product. My favorite was the second to last picture.
Just a thought–since you love the matching sofas, perhaps you should shop for your sofa first and then color match the paint?
Also, have you thought about whether you want a traditional wood-burning fireplace or an electric one?
I actually want a gas fireplace. As much as I love traditional wood burning fireplaces, and would love to have one, I don’t want to be stuck cleaning it out, starting the fires, bringing in wood, etc.
Speaking of the Music Room doors, would you consider having actual pocket doors installed when the FR is built?
I don’t think so. I’m fine with the doors as they are now. And since that’s the original exterior wall of the house, and it’s bearing the direct weight of the roof, reconstructing that wall to accommodate pocket doors would add quite a bit of construction cost. I don’t think it’s worth it.
Something to like about each of them, especially the ones on Instagram.👍🏻
When I first saw the room that was basically *all* teal, including the ceiling, I quickly thought about a lighter ceiling, too… but not white.
Believe it or not, me, the “I hate Pink!” gal, immediately thought of a pale foamy Pink ceiling!
After I hollered aloud, “Who are you?!” I next thought of Haint, and then Sea Glass Aqua.🙂 My Pink schizoid was obviously a Grey Matter Neuron short circuit. I’m normal again.😁
Ohhh…pink! I could do pink! 😀
Yes, I know you could.😁 I was chanelling you, I think.😉
Looking at your floor plan, I’m wondering if you should consider enlarging your kitchen into the music room? That middle area looks choppy, including the positioning of the walk in pantry. It seems to be far away from your actual cooking area. I think you could improve your functionality and storage space. I presently have my dining room positioned like your floor plan, and find it awkward especially when entertaining. It seems too far away from my kitchen, and I feel it’s awkward when people come to the front door. Just a thought, love your family room inspirations
I love all of the inspiration photos you showed us, especially the ones with the Teal colors. I am so pleased to be able to watch you along this leg of you creating a warm and cozy colorful family room. This is going to be fun.
I love the round fireplace opening of the second one. I have never seen anything like that in a home!
That last pretty sofa looks the the Rooms to Go Cindy Crawford Calvin Heights sectional in chambray – https://www.roomstogo.com/furniture/product/cindy-crawford-home-calvin-heights-chambray-textured-2-pc-sectional/1249776P
If it is that sectional, it’s very pretty but I am not thrilled with the quality. At all.
If you want it, you will have it. Of that I am sure!😉
I love the teal colors!! So gorgeous. Any direction with that will be amazing! On to the sectional. I’ve had one before, shaped like two sides of a square. Got rid of it and went to a three seat sofa and two chairs. I would never do a sectional again. No one sits in the corner spot as it’s very awkward, so you have the same amount of sitting space as two sofas, with no arranging other than as a big sectional.
Beautiful examples!! I know whatever you do it will be so pretty !!