8 Tips for Designing Your Family Room and October in NYC

I’ve been enjoying myself in Manhattan (Howard is working and I am not :). Annie from Most Lovely Things and I had a petit déjeuner at Bel Ami (we connected as bloggers when she lived in Orange County and now she has a cool house in Connecticut).

Then we strolled through the exquisite Ralph Lauren showrooms on the Upper East Side.

And on to the Botonical Gardens in the Bronx…and the weather could not have been better!

Annie dropped me off at the train station and within minutes I was back in Grand Central Station and strolling through Saks Fifth Avenue.

Recently, I completed two custom family room e-designs for families in Pennsylvania and Texas. Here’s what you can use for your decorating plan:

Do a floor plan on grid paper to see how your furniture will fit. Have about 36″ for walkways and about 18″ to your coffee table.
Start with an inspiration piece like artwork or a rug or fabric (in these two family rooms the first one used a rug the homeowner wanted to buy and the second used an existing rug)
Place the furniture in a conversational grouping and mix it up so that it’s not all matching.
Declutter all your accessories and place in one area. Then shop from what you own. When it looks just right, stop and store or giveaway the rest.
Fill in with something fresh like plants, flowers or a tree.
Choose colors or neutrals that you like (check out your closet)
Create a focal point from where you stand when you enter the room.
I always like to throw in a luxurious cashmere throw…a gift to yourself. And remember the importance of pretty new pillows!

Here is the floor plan for the mood board above. Denise has a two story stone fireplace.

I spied the artwork from photo of her hallway and asked her to try it on her previously bare mantel. Sometimes is just takes another pair of eyes (ask a friend’s help). Now she has a focal point.

Her sofas and chairs were existing.

This Eva rug from Pottery Barn is a good deal on sale right now–and Denise needed a 10′ x 14′!

In this design, Rose Ann has a local carpenter who will build her media center. She bought ivory linen curtains with a navy border and wanted to introduce more color. Again, her colorful rug was the starting point.