Interior Design Dilemma: A Space Planning Challenge For A Long, Narrow Family Room

Patti Z. recently asked me to help her decorate the family room of her new home in Toledo, Ohio. She hasn’t moved in, but sent me every interior designer’s dream of information – starting with these photos of the room. Wow! This is a challenge. The room is long and narrow (22′ x 10′), has lots of windows and doors, and boasts a “lovely” heater, which Patti hopes to lose when she paints. What should Patti do?

This is the first time she’s been able to decorate a home “from scratch.” That’s always an extra challenge because everything is on the menu. Patti wants to start with this family room and use the style and colors to set the tone for the rest of her home. That’s a good idea. The family room will be a warm, cozy retreat for herself and husband. They’ll watch TV, enjoy the view, and snuggle. A desk would be nice. And maybe they’d like to have some friends over to enjoy the flat screen.

As I said, Patti sent me lots of info. I particularly liked the image of the bathroom. The friendly feeling and great use of color is inspirational. I added the image of one of the sofas she likes. Keep the scale in mind. I’ll be talking about it later.

Okay, so I know what my parameters are. Now for the design. Because of the room’s size and all the doors, I started with space planning. There are some basic rules to help. Because the room is so narrow, and there is a major traffic path from the kitchen, garage and entry, I know we’ll need three feet of space. That leaves seven feet for furniture. Next, I divided the room into groupings. We need two – one for living and one for the home office. I also want to make use of the view through the large window and sliding door. That means the scale of the furniture should be smaller. Here’s what I came up with.

It’s easiest to start with the sofa. Patti’s large, upholstered choice has a 45″ depth – too large for this room, which is a common mistake. A large sofa needs larger sized pieces to create a uniform look. That will interfere with our traffic lane, make the room look small and cramped and the furniture will look ginormous. We need to see the view!  So….

I chose a sofa that has the upholstered comfort Patti wants without the bulk. The cushions provide all the comfort they need. The rustic end table looks antique, and provides storage and a serving tray. Don’t feel that you have to match all the woods. Using different finishes creates depth and texture. Two seagrass ottomans make a great coffee table – they pull double duty as extra seating. The seagrass is great because this room leads to the backyard and creates a more relaxed mood. The table lamp has a warm crackle finish.

• Belmont Sofa, from Pottery Barn ($1,399) is covered in brushed canvas. Color: honey
• Seagrass Sectional Ottoman, from Pottery Barn ($299). Color: honey weave
• Hunter Side Trunk, from Crate & Barrel ($329)
• Kora Table Lamp, from Crate & Barrel ($199).

I kept the second part of the grouping away from the wall to make the best use of the view. Those awful blinds have got to go, but we’ll be to that later. The curvy loveseat is fully upholstered, but in scale with the larger bench-style sofa. We have space for a console table (with much-needed storage) behind it and two lovely seagrass lamps that rest on top. They not only provide extra lighting, but match the casual look of the ottomans.

• French settee, from Wisteria ($699). They offer slipcover options, too.
• Brady Console from Ballard Designs ($399). On sale!
• Cote D’Ivoire Lamps, from Ballard Designs ($79 each).
• Olivia Settee, from Pottery Barn, ($1,649). I chose this as another option. I like the red fabric on their model.

We finish the seating area with a media storage piece from Crate & Barrel. The warm wood tones and antique feel add to the room’s warm, cozy atmosphere. I included some planter options for the icus trees (or similar) I’ve incorporated into the room. Again, I want to create a transition from the home to the garden.

• Kavari Media Stand, from Crate & Barrel ($799)
• Garden Planter Baskets, from Pottery Barn ($49)

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Now we move to the home office. I wasn’t sure how important this was to Patti. Most of us use laptops these days. But it seems we have the room – barely. If I saw the room in person I might have a different opinion. The measurements say yes, but things look different in real life – the feel of the room comes across much better. I also want to take the heater into account. It may be needed.

That’s why I’m sticking to the simplest forms. A desk, chair and table lamp. Notice I am not using a desk chair or work lamp. Our purposes need to be unified. We’re at home, right? The wicker chair and rustic table lamp blend with the rest of the room beautifully. Once again, I’m mixing finishes – going for the eclectic look that make a room look less decorated.

• Andover Desk, from Ballard Designs ($299)
• Key West Wicker Chair, from Ballard Designs ($349 for a set of 2)
• Sienna Table Lamp, from Pottery Barn ($110)

It’s a very personal thing with me, but I can’t stand those vertical blinds. Yik. Lose them. Instead, opt for panels that either cover the window when closed, or  create that illusion. I don’t know how much privacy Patti needs here. I recommend a panel for the window and leave the sliding doors alone. The sunlight from the window may interfere with the TV. But the doors won’t. Then, go for matching blinds on the window above the heater. I chose treatments from Pottery Barn, but any fabric in this colorway will do. I like the feminine touch of the toile pattern.

• Matine Toile Drape, from Pottery Barn, ($89 – $119)

As I’ve said before, it’s the accessories that really make a room look finished. Don’t forget the toss pillows and some art work. Here is a collection of pillows from Pottery Barn. They add color and texture and pizzazz to the room. Don’t freak about matching colors precisely.

• Find a great selection of toss pillows, from Pottery Barn here. There are also some great ones from Wisteria that would suit the look of this room. Find then here.

If you read Design Hole regularly, you know that I always say choose the paint last. You can always start with a color in mind, but don’t buy the paint until you’ve chosen everything else. There are zillions of paint colors, but only so many pairs of curtains. I look Patti’s inspiration and used the blue and cream tones. These are just ideas. She’ll have to match things when she decides on curtains and pillows.

I like the idea of painting her ceiling a warm color. Because of the porch-like nature of the room, it will seem warmer in the winter. I recommend Jamestown Blue for the walls (use a special roller to lessen the orange peel effect). I like Arizona Tan for the ceiling and Acadia White for anything on the windows that needs painting. Paint the wall trim the same color as the walls.

What do you think? Is this a room only Patti could love? I hope not! Do you have any advice for her? I’m don’t have a huge ego – weigh in with your ideas. Remember that when you’re starting from scratch, map out your routes. three fett for major traffic, two feet – eighteen inches for spaces like the area behind the console table. Typically, you need fifteen inches between the sofa and the coffee table.

Let me know what you think! I love feedback.

Jennifer’s Design Tips

• When designing an entire house, you can start with one room, but keep other rooms in mind. How will you use the colors throughout the home? How will the style be translated in other rooms?
• Scale is really important in a narrow room with more than one use requirement. A giant sofa will take up the entire room. Use smaller pieces and keep clutter to an absolute minimum.
• Blend different types and color of wood finishes to create a textured, eclectic look.
• Painted finishes add to a less decorated look. Rooms shouldn’t look so “matchy matchy”.
• Segue between rooms. Use color, coordinating fabrics, plants etc…
• Don’t mix your messages. You’re either in an office or a family room. You can do both, but use furnishings that create a unified look. A file cabinets, work lamp and lots of wires in the family room? I don’t know about you, but when I’m at home I don’t want to be thinking about the office.