The family room plays an important role in any home. It’s where you go to relax and bond with friends and family in a casual, welcoming setting. But just because it’s casual doesn’t mean it can’t look as stylish and elevated as a living room. Keep ready for thirty family room ideas and designer examples that prove it.
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Set Up a Snack Nook
Consider making a spacious family room multi-purpose by adding a table with a banquet for snacking and casual dining. This will keep the crumbs from accumulating on the sofa, too. A build-in bench like this stylish one designed by Arent & Pyke will help save space.
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Layer Rugs And Throws
This family room feels extra inviting thanks to the layers on layers of rugs and throws. If you’re color-averse, take note from this space and bring in personality and intrigue with different texture-rich materials. With a ton of natural light and organic materials, it’s both calming and cozy.
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Choose Seating Wisely
A super soft and comfy sectional with plenty of space to spread out on movie night is a must in the family room. We’re digging the whimsical pendant light and colorful throw pillows in this Studio DB-designed room.
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Make It Intimate
Paint the walls a darker shade to make the family room feel intimate and cozy. Then opt for brighter furniture, like an orange sofa and green armchair, to introduce some cheer, as decorator Andrew Flesher did here.
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Go Completely Tonal
Up the cozy factor in your family room in a major way by layering materials and textures. Keep them a neutral color so they look elevated. If you want to dabble in the art of all-white decorating, take note from this space designed by Leanne Ford Interiors.
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Set The Scene
This fireplace in a GRT Architects-designed room is made for family gatherings. To make it even more inviting, lean some instruments against the wall and ensure there’s plenty of seating space. The floating shelves give it a more lived-in feel while also increasing storage.
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Have Fun With Color
Too outrageous? No such thing. With a gold statement ceiling, tangerine walls, floral motifs, and pops of color everywhere, this family room designed by Katie Ridder isn’t afraid to have fun.
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Maintain the Flow
If your home is super modern and monochrome, you don’t need to switch gears in the family room. In fact, maintaining a consistent flow will is a good call. As design and architecture firm Studio Razavi did in this apartment, have fun with shapes. It’s playful, but also modern and will age gracefully as the kids grow up.
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Go Neutral
Whoever said minimalism can’t be cozy will definitely rethink things when they see this living room by Space Exploration Design. Mix neutrals to add some character and use ultra plush materials, like floor cushions. Add a pop of color with your coffee table books and wall art.
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Serve Double Duty
If your family room is also your living room, choose furniture that’s super comfortable and cozy while also looking streamlined and formal. Then, when you have guests over, add florals to make it feel more special and party-ready. Let this space by Leanne Ford Interiors guide you.
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Let Your Throws Steal The Spotlight
The colorful furniture and throw pillows are the focal point of this room designed by Andrew Flesher. For a similar look and feel, paint your walls and ceilings bright white so all the fun décor can really pop. The white paint also helps brighten up the room.
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Build A Reading Nook
Built-in reading nooks are the definition of cozy. If your living room doubles as the family room, a reading nook will make it feel more homey without counteracting the formal feel. A stylish modern light fixture and abstract wall art are great ways to make the room look elevated and modern without taking up any useable space.
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Slide Up A Rocking Chair
When decorating a family room that feels functional and stylish, stick to the basics with investment pieces (like the sofa and coffee table). Then bring in personal style with accent seating. A rocking chair will be both eye-catching and on-theme for a family-friendly space.
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Float Your Furniture
Resist the urge to push all of your furniture up against the walls—if you create space behind the furniture, it makes the room look wider than it is. In this living room designed by 2LG Studio, the the floating sofa separates the lounge area from the kitchen and dining space.
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Upgrade Your Gallery Wall
Instead of a classic gallery wall of photos and artwork, put something quirky on display. This gallery of hats, for example, spruces up the walls while also making the room feel more personalized and unique.
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Add a Game Zone
If your space is large enough, think beyond the basic sofa plus coffee table plus television design formula for the family room. Take notes from this family room designed by Emily Henderson instead. Complete with a small home bar (we seed you, marble backsplash) and a ping pong table, there will never be a dull moment here.
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Hang Large-Scale Artwork
Make a simple wall a little more exciting with oversized artwork, as Leanne Ford did in this modest family room. This is also a good way to take advantage of wall space when your the room is tiny but the ceilings are high.
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Let the Light In
This contemporary family room designed by Arent & Pyke feels peaceful and cool thanks to abundant natural light and modern furniture. The crisp Light grey upholstery and blue rug are warmed up by the rattan hoop chair, brown cabinetry and indoor citrus plant.
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Try Alternative Seating
Nothing ramps up the fun like a playful touch—in this case, an actual swing. Now this is a family room idea we can get behind.
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Go Bold With Your Sofa
A blue velvet sofa stands out in the family room of a Manhattan apartment designed by the inimitable Miles Redd. The wallpaper is hung horizontally rather than vertically for a modern look. Try a luxe fabric for something a bit more upscale and formal in the living room, but still fun thanks to the bold color.
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Honor Your Personal Style
A little bit modern, a little bit bohemian. What’s not to love? Designed by Jessica Bunge of Emily Henderson Design, this space is a lesson in pairing unexpected colors, materials, and styles. Mixing more cutting-edge items with vintage finds and traditional classics will make it feel like a home that can grow with you over the years. Whatever you do, make sure it speaks to your personal style.
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Play Up Architectural Quirks
If your home has eye-catching architectural quirks—think exposed beams, indoor arches, and, in this case, stained glass—don’t try to downplay them. Instead, allow them to anchor the room. While the décor scheme in this living room feels contemporary, none of the accent items overpower (or clash with) the gorgeous stained glass.
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Make It Pet-Friendly
And now, for a family room idea that’s also going to make your pets very pleased… This contemporary San Francisco family room designed by Regan Baker is cat heaven. With custom floating shelves built into the walls, it’s both elevated, design-savvy, and very pet-friendly.
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Balance Trends With Timelessness
With plenty of comfortable seating, built-in wall storage, a traditional rug, and playful yet neutral throw pillows, this family room designed by Amber Interiors strikes the perfect balance between on-trend and timeless. The gray-painted walls also give it a unique edge.
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Include Informal Materials
This simple family room incorporates tons of texture, from the rug, to the shades, to the sofa. It’s also proof that even if you don’t live by the coast, blue and white is a go-to color combo. These casual materials make it feel family-friendly, too.
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Use Textiles
What’s cozier than sheepskin throws? Throw them over your armchairs or layer them with your area rug. The ceilings are super high in this family room designed by Amber Interiors, so the layers of throws will introduce a nice dose of warmth.
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Add A Touch of Playfulness
A sectional in linen velour anchors the family room in a Maryland living room designed by Mona Hajj. Pink accent chairs help make sure all the gray doesn’t feel too dull. And a grand piano is always a good call in the family room.
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Get Whimsical
Incorporate sweet pastels and cheerful hues to create a nice, calming environment with plenty of style. In this room designed by Ellen Kavanaugh, where the exposed beams and floor tiles having a grounding effect, the wallpaper, upholstered coffee table, and throw pillows add a touch of whimsy.
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Install A Home Bar
Add a home bar in the family room to make it equal parts kid-friendly and adult-friendly. It’ll be the perfect place to entertain guests but won’t overtake the space if you tuck it off to the side. This family room by Amber Interiors also makes us want to mix patterns.
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Design Editor
Hadley Mendelsohn is House Beautiful’s design editor, and when she’s not busy obsessing over all things decor-related, you can find her scouring vintage stores, reading, or stumbling about because she probably lost her glasses again.
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