Family in room

From small spaces to modern and traditional setups.

By Monique Valeris and Caroline Picard

Updated: Jul 1, 2021

David Tsay; Styling by Janna Lufkin

Out of every room in your home, the family room is where comfort is key. Plush sofas, kid-friendly coffee tables and accessories like throw pillows are just a few must-haves to create a relaxing atmosphere. And, there's room to express your style, whether that means arranging a gallery wall to showcase your art collection or displaying unique travel mementos on a bookshelf.

Here, we've gathered our favorite family room ideas, which are all designed for lounging in style. Steal these practical decorating tricks (there's a clever way to hide a TV!) to make your family room, or any other space your loved ones tend to use for unwinding, the best it can possibly be.

Good Housekeeping

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Touch of Vintage

Don't let the vintage trunk you snagged at a flea market collect dust in a corner. Give this double-duty piece a prime spot in your family room. Store throw blankets and pillows inside of it, then use its surface to display books, flowers and small decor accents.

Ken Hayden

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Bold Ceiling

Interior designers often talk about the "fifth wall" and for good reason. The ceiling is the perfect spot to experiment with painted stripes, graphic wallpaper, you name it.

Randy O'Rourke

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Built-in Shelves

Bring the library right to your living room with built-in shelving organized to perfection. Add a wooden ladder to make even more of a design statement.

Jessica Glynn

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Striped Accent Wall

If your space is on the neutral side, pack in some personality with a striped accent wall. Maintain a cohesive look by sticking to the same color scheme for area rugs and seating.

David Tsay

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Mix & Match Seating

To create contrast, pair a rattan armchair with upholstered seating in neutral colors. Amp up the look with an assortment of throw pillows.

David A. Land

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Gallery Wall

Create a focal point above your sofa with a gallery wall filled with your favorite photos and paintings. Plus, if you have the space, you can keep adding to your collection over time.

Dana Gallagher

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Pattern Play

Combining vibrant patterns is an easy way to bring a dose of playfulness into your family room.

Michael Partnio

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Well-Decorated Mantel

Make your mantel a major point of interest with a brass wall clock, lush plants, and decorative objects.

Helen Norman

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Textured Walls

Wall coverings, like grasscloth, can instantly bring a sense of warmth to your space. Choose an earthy hue to make even more of an impact.

David Tsay; Styling by Janna Lufkin

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All White

Go for an all-white palette with pops of greenery and natural textures, such as a woven coffee table or sofa with a wooden frame, to play up your family room's relaxed vibe.

Quentin Bacon

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Two-Tone Walls

If you're up for a fun weekend project, consider two-tone walls for your family room. A beige-and-green combination is guaranteed to make your interior more visually appealing.

Jason Hartog

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Strategic Furniture

Create a den out of nowhere by delineating an open floor plan keep the space feeling intimate instead of cold.

Mike Garten

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Styled Shelves

Lisa Romerein

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Bright Hues

Stop worrying about Cheeto fingers and spilled coffee. Sturdy surfaces like plastic, leather and lacquer mean you can indulge in white furniture anxiety-free.

Justice Darragh

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Hidden TV

Tucked into built-ins, the flat screen doesn't seem like so much of an eyesore. This Toronto homeowner enhanced the effect by using symmetrical decor to draw the eye towards the dining room.

Art Streiber

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Plush Sofa

Don't let the formal lines fool you. A comfy sofa — topped with plenty of cushions, of course — goes a long way come family movie night.

Kate Osborne

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Vertical Storage

Every family needs a stash spot for blankets and board games. Tall bookshelves outfitted with cute fabric boxes keep supplies tidy, without looking cluttered.

Casey Dunn

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Fun Extras

Keep things fresh with a batch of new accessories. A potted plant, patterned pouf or cute throw pillow will do the trick.

Mike Garten

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Quick DIY

Running out of room for that stack of magazines? Lay salvaged planks across the base of a coffee table to double up on storage space.

Getty Images

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Reading Nook

Overhead light? Check. Snug seat? Check. Just add a side table for resting that mug of tea while you flip the pages of a new suspense novel.

Mike Garten

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Hidden Bar

Getty Images

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Soft Throws

Getty Images

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Saturated Hues

Oceany blues are trending right now, so don't shy away from a color with depth. A statement-making shade could be the key to creating that cozy cocoon feeling.

David Tsay

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Curated Collection

Forget the ubiquitous gallery wall. Baskets can take the place of paintings or prints – and they're a whole lot cheaper.

Lisa Romerein

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Muted Patterns

Prints calm instead of clash when they're in same color family. This beach house indulges in a sea of soothing blues and beiges.

Hulya Kolabas

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Garage Sale Finds

Two repurposed columns separate the kitchen from the family room in a Connecticut cottage. Another genius transformation? A dining-turned-coffee table stands at the right height thanks to sawn-off legs.

26 Bright & Cheery Sunroom Decor Ideas

Monique Valeris Senior Home Editor Monique Valeris is the senior home editor for Good Housekeeping, where she oversees the brand's home decorating coverage across print and digital.

Caroline Picard Contributing Writer Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience.

3 important tips from an expert

How to furnish a small apartment? We share tips from an expert on how to keep peace and tranquility in the family, even in a tiny area.

How to equip a small apartment

A large family is not only great happiness, but also constant changes. Someone grows, someone comes and goes, and someone completely unexpectedly arranges a mini-revolution. All this is somehow connected with the modifications of your interior, but what if your whole family is forced to live in one room? In our article today, we will try to figure out how to make living comfortable for all generations, especially if they have opposing views on things. This will help us p psychiatrist-narcologist, member of the European Association of Psychotherapists, writer Rusana Gordienko.

“It is very important for every person to have a personal space - a place where he can relax, be alone with himself. If this is not possible in space, then you can play with time: there are times when other family members work outside the home or walk. There is no need to ignore this state of self and voice your needs without fear: in families where love and understanding reign, there is always an acceptance of the needs of others. nine0013

Zoning

This word should be repeated like a mantra, even if your family consists of only two people. “Zoning, zoning, zoning,” sing to yourself as you pick out a spot for a bed, closet, or table. Even if your family is amazingly united, at least separate areas for work and sleep - you will be surprised how even your mood will change in them.

The best option, in our opinion, is the delimitation with a podium or color accents - this way you save maximum space. nine0003

In the case of small children, bright screens or curtains can also be used as room dividers, as they can carry additional functional load at the same time: for example, the screen can be easily converted into a blackboard, and the curtain into a mini cabinet with hooks.

Nooks and crannies

They are really important, especially if you have both introverts and extroverts in your family. For the first, a secluded space is simply necessary - without it, they will not be able to fully relax. This is especially important for toddlers and teenagers who find it difficult to get along with each other. nine0003

“If there are small children in the family, then, of course, zoning and good relations between parents will help. Family cohesion is important here. Clear boundaries are the key to a healthy psyche of children and the mother's nervous system.

For a small child, an interesting solution would be to organize a "room in a room" - a similar technique was used in the noble houses of the 19th century. Of course, you have to tinker a bit, but the result is worth it.

For teenagers, an open space under the ceiling is better; however, this option will be appropriate only for high ceilings. You can place a bed, a workplace or just a relaxation area on the upper tier - in any case, it will be quite difficult to get there, so the teenager will feel safe there. nine0003

Transformation

All items in your room should be multifunctional and not take up much space. Give up bulky cabinets in favor of drawers, and if you can’t imagine your life without a cabinet at all, at least make it a partition at the same time.

Think in the spirit of “trousers turn…”: for example, why buy an ordinary sofa if a modular version can be a sofa, an ottoman, and even a train for a group of children at different times? nine0003

It is better to purchase a folding table, especially if guests rarely gather at it. Look also at bright furniture made of lightweight plastic: a room for several generations will almost certainly be made in a slightly eclectic style, which means that original and practical elements are quite appropriate there.

Photo: happymodern.ru, myhome.ru

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How to fit in with three children in one room and give birth to a fourth • Bee

When a large family does not have enough square meters, one should not be surprised. But the story of Eduard and Marina Tereshchenko is really non-standard. Edik and Marina already have three children of the same age. They are waiting for the fourth and live with Edik's parents, his two brothers and two sisters. Only 11 people in a three-room apartment of about 60 square meters. m. Now Marina is expecting her fourth child, she was only recently dissuaded from having an abortion. nine0065

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Eduard is 23 years old, his wife Marina is 22. They live in the Stavropol Territory, in the city of Nevinnomyssk, which is one of the ten best single-industry towns in Russia and has several large city-forming enterprises. Edik got married when Marina already had two children from her first marriage. He adopted three-year-old Dima and two-year-old Artem, followed by the couple's daughter Arina. Problems with buying a home forced the family to live with their parents. We talked to Edik, his wife Marina and a close friend of the family, Elena Masalova, who takes a special part in their lives. nine0003

Nine square meters per family

Marina : Actually, we fit pretty well. Parents live in the same room. In the other, Edik's brothers and sisters, they are still teenagers, the younger brother is 12 years old. We are in the third room. Our family still consists of five people. But soon there will be six of us, and we occupy one room of 9 square meters in an apartment. I spend all day with my children. Edik works at the factory as a loader and returns around eight in the evening. Together with the children, we all have dinner in the kitchen, and then we go to our room and are already getting ready for bed. nine0079

We communicate with Marina and Edik via video link. It is already evening, during the conversation in the cell, the shorn heads of Dima and Artyom appear every now and then. Soon they will have to go to bed. First, mother will rock little Arisha, she is only five months old. Closer to 11 pm Dima and Artyom will go to bed slowly so as not to wake up their sister. The boys sleep with their parents on a fold-out couch. The younger sister is separately in a small bed.

Marina : If I ask the boys not to wake their sister, they try to be quiet. Dima, at the age of three, already knows how to command. So I tell him: "Tell Tyoma what needs to be done." Dima explains something to his younger brother in his own language, and Tyoma somehow understands him, obeys. They do almost everything together, repeating after each other. They somehow accepted Arisha right away. They call her Lyalya, kiss, hug, lift the nipple if it falls. You can't separate them at all. They immediately miss each other, cry. Edik helps me a lot with everything. Including dealing with children. For example, boys do not like to clean toys. I call dad, he makes a stern face, and this is quite enough for the guys to obey. nine0079

Quite a peaceful life flows in a small apartment. Grandmother sometimes pampers the kids with sweets, stays with them if Marina needs to leave. Sometimes opinions about the upbringing of children differ, as without it. For example, when Dima eats and watches cartoons at the same time. It is not always possible for young people to remain silent. But what is mutual support and the ability to live together is very well understood in this family.

Edik : I am from a large family. My mother has seven of us: five sons and two daughters. I'm second in line, so I'm used to everything. I can do everything, I can do everything. If something is interesting to me, then I achieve it. In childhood, we lived very friendly, although we fought and dabbled. I still love to mess around with kids. They still break educational toys and quickly lose interest in them, but they climb on me with pleasure - I'm like a horse for them. I roll all over the room. nine0079

Elena Masalova: I know this family very well, we work together with Edik's mother. Children have always been friendly and helpful. As teenagers, they all somehow tried to earn money. I remember walking around the city in the summer, and Edik and his brother were selling young corn. And what is remarkable: they sold corn, earned money and bought glasses for my younger sister. She just before that broke her previous ones. Surely they also wanted to buy something for themselves. But these are such responsive boys. nine0079

Vicious circle

After the birth of their third child, Edik and Marina had to urgently decide on a place to live. We decided to use maternity capital, get a subsidy under the Young Family program and buy a house. It seems that all the actions are clear, but we ran into a problem that cannot be solved so far.

In 2019, shortly before the wedding, Edik retired from military service. He served under a contract and was registered at the place of residence in the regiment. Having turned in his military ID and deregistered at the military unit, Edik was unable to get his passport back. The document just got lost. I had to make a new one. Edik wanted to re-register in his parents' apartment. However, he was refused, because there was not enough footage in the apartment, because in addition to his parents, younger brothers and sisters are registered there. Now Edik has only temporary registration in Nevinnomyssk. Marina with all the children is registered in the village of Otradnaya, Krasnodar Territory. And in order to receive a subsidy under the Young Family program, everyone must be registered in the Stavropol Territory. nine0003

Edik: No subsidies are given without registration. Without a subsidy, we will not be able to buy housing, except perhaps a room in a hostel. And if there is no housing, then registration cannot be done. It turns out a vicious circle. We also need registration in order to enroll children in a kindergarten, draw up documents at the local social security office, transfer Marina to work at the local Pyaterochka supermarket from the same store in the village of Otradnaya, where she worked as a cashier.

Fourth pregnancy: to be or not to be

The news that Marina is expecting her fourth child came as a surprise to the whole family. The youngest daughter Arisha was then only two months old.

Marina : I asked Edik to buy a pregnancy test. He brought. I showed him the results right away. I remember that Edik smiled, probably at that moment he was glad. I was glad too.

Almost simultaneously with this news came another. Doctors discovered that Edik had a hernia of the spine. Most likely, she appeared as a result of an injury received during the service while parachuting. It turned out that a rather serious operation had to be done. nine0003

Edik : I am used to helping Marina, I know that she needs my support. And here is the diagnosis. I'm on tablets now. After the operation, it won’t be possible to walk right away, I won’t even be able to lift any of the children in my arms! I myself will need help, but how will Marina cope with four weathers?

These experiences made the couple think about abortion. Marina was waiting for her husband's decision, determined to do as he said. The issue was discussed at the family council. Edik's mother persuaded him to leave the child, promising her help and support in everything. nine0003

The ultrasound doctor during the first examination very kindly said that Marina has everything to endure and give birth to a good healthy child. It turned out that it was a girl. And Edik just really wanted a daughter.

Once again, the conversation about the difficult choice facing young parents came up during the celebration of the birthday of Dasha, Edik's younger sister. Dasha's godmother Elena Masalova came to visit.

Elena: We sat at the festive table, the guys openly talked about their experiences. And I very honestly told them about myself: “You know, I have one child, I had abortions. I thought I didn't want kids. If your mother, Edik, was like me, then none of you, except for your older brother, would have given birth. Including you, she could kill or someone from the younger ones. But your mother gave birth to seven. We no longer have families at work with so many children. I know that colleagues among themselves condemned your mother for every pregnancy, for every child born. But it didn't matter to her! She gave birth to you, and you have each other. nine0079

Elena's words made an impression on the confused Edik and Marina.

Marina : Aunt Lena said she was happy looking at our large family. She and her husband are having a hard time. The only daughter grew up and went to live far away, and in our family it is never boring. She said bluntly: "You can't kill." We must leave the child. Very supportive, most of the help took over.

Elena: I am a church person, and if I turn on the TV, it is Spas TV channel. Since I myself had abortions, I always watch the Life Line program. With the consent of the guys, I called during the broadcast of this program and told their story. People immediately responded, began to write very good reviews. Edik and Marina read all the comments. I think that put them in the right mood. nine0079

There are still a lot of difficulties: now the family has been sued because of a debt for an apartment. To save it, it is necessary to urgently pay off the debt of 49390 rubles. Thanks to the informational support of the Women for Life Charitable Foundation and Natalia Moskvitina, caring people decided to raise money to rent separate housing for the family of Edik and Marina.

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