Red, green, and gold create a warm color scheme that's animated by plaids and a novelty print fabric with a canine theme in this family room. A sofa and three chairs provide flexible seating arrangements. The raised stone hearth and mantel, together with an engaging dog portrait, provide a handsome focal point that is in keeping with the room's scale.
The oversize ottoman, covered in a rug fragment, serves as a coffee table. For the floor, the designer chose a sea grass rug with black cotton binding.
As an accent in the family room, the designer used rich red fabric embellished with images of various dog breeds. To effectively utilize a bold print, "you have to be careful not to go overboard, so always use it in accents," she advises. To change the look, incorporate an Asian print or a toile that complements your existing color scheme.
Updated for Family
Ideal for busy toddlers and sophisticated grown-ups, this room that once housed another family's vehicles now anchors this family's active lifestyle. With three sons, this couple needed rugged finishes that also had style. In an understated approach, designer Susan Nilsson masterminded the interiors with comfortable colors, fabrics, and furnishings. The paneled effect on the walls is an intriguing idea that gives a dramatic lift to the room.
The grid effect on these walls is a simple application of wood strips nailed over gypsum drywall in a rectangular pattern. Minimal accessories rest on the table, which is a family piece.
Family Room With Texas Flair
Furnishings in this family room include a hand-crafted leather-and-fabric sofa, caramel-colored leather club chairs, a distressed wood coffee table with nailhead accents, and a wing chair in cowhide and leather. Flanked by built-ins, a stone-covered fireplace and distressed wood mantel, which matches the beams, form the room's centerpiece.
An Oriental rug unites the upholstered and wood pieces.
Newberry Park Idea House: Family Room
This family room exhibits a comfortable, relaxed attitude with upholstered furniture in subtle tones of green, taupe, and gold, accented by warm red. The top trim of the wainscot conveniently terminates into the six-foot-tall mantel, which highlights a tan quartz stone fireplace surround with hints of cream and copper. Also of note, a wall of large double-hung windows provides marvelous views of the back porch.
Spirited Décor
In this living room, the red-and-white striped chairs started everything, then other pieces were added. With a primary color design scheme in mind, these homeowners searched for unique furniture to fill the space. A bold blue-and-white check chair adds to the mix, as does a variety of pillows in stripes, checks, and flag patterns. The walls, trim, and simple window treatments are a bright white, reinforcing the fresh look.
A wonderful red clock, distressed to look old, and red chairs catch the eye in the dining room.
Shells are a recurring motif, here on a lamp and placed loosely on a side table.
Colorful Ties
Honey tones pick up on the pillow and chair fabric's tawny coconuts and pineapple accessories.
Pop-up Accessories
This family room is decorated with a mix of framed prints and three-dimensional objects.
Glass House Living
In the gathering room, large enough for family visits, crisp red accents catch the eye while subtle earth tones mingle on the sofa, chair, and coffee table.
Who's Afraid of Color?
Two 18th-century French chairs preside over this Caribbean-blue living room, along with a Directoire canape.
Coastal Inspiration
The colors of sand, water, and clouds set the tone in this living area.
One Room, Three Ways: Banana Cream
Here, the sun shines with light, bright shades of yellow and variations of ivory, chosen from distinct colors in the room's central painting, which is flanked by mirrored sconces. With a myriad of subtle patterns and warm textures established by the draperies and green velvet slipcovers on the ottomans, the space is cozy and inviting. The combination of lighter hues blended with shades of white and ivory yields more formality.
Ivory and cream, close cousins to yellow, are highlighted throughout the room--from the sofa and chair upholstery to a variety of lampshades. An element of transparency is found in the acrylic plastic coffee and side tables. The tables were selected because they visually take up very little space.
To enrich the room's color palette with brighter hues, the ottomans and slipper chair were slip-covered.
Tropical Elixer
To create a sense of calm and cool in this living room, the designer stuck to a blue-and-white color scheme, which also enhances the nautical theme of the space.
The homeowner describes spaces in this room as "ploppable and comfortable."
Past Perfect
A painted trunk, English tole tray, and French birdcage came together serendipitously after the designer decided to re-cover the chairs in this library.
A Brand New Hue
The designer used a shimmery, silver palette as a backdrop to intensely hightlight her use of color in this living room. Against the dove-gray sofa, lipstick-hued pillows sizzle.
One Room, Three Ways: Chocolate Brown
Brown walls give this room a sophisticated, big-city attitude. All the cream upholstered pieces really stand out against this rich backdrop. A Persian rug, placed over a sea grass base, provides warmth and unity. The neutral scheme stays fresh with touches of color, including a pop of citrus green on a throw over the slipper chair and a sofa pillow.
The varied pillows add a layer of texture and color. The designer mixed green silk with caramel leather and brown wool in a houndstooth check.
White Finish
This fireplace was painted white to lighten the room and create a focal point.
One Room, Three Ways: Tangerine Orange
Without a doubt, the showstopper for this living room is the vibrant wall color. Because of this, there's little need to go overboard with accessories. So the designer kept all the other elements--pillows, slipcovers, lamps, flooring, and accessories--simple and uncluttered. Accent colors, such as other citrus hues and rich natural browns, were drawn from the painting.
Throw pillows of matching tangerine and other citrus hues unify the cotton duck upholstery, while the sea grass rug provides the perfect middle ground between the neutral fabric and the darker stained wood pieces.
Below the painting, clear glass lamps, topped with monogrammed box shades, allow the wall color to read through. To balance this arrangement, tall iron plant stands were placed on either side of the table. Underneath, woven reed ottomans are topped with green-and-gold striped pillows.
Past Perfect
In this living room, a gilt French mirror and subsequently collected period French and Swedish chairs, miniature chests used as side tables, and an English faux-marble wooden urn on the coffee table make for an upretentiously romantic feel. The upholstery, curtains, and wall color are pale to set off the distinctive pieces.