What is a great room? Any room can be great, but a Great Room is a room inside a house that combines the roles of several more traditional rooms (e.g. the family room, the living room, the study, etc.) into one space. Great rooms typically have raised ceilings, tall windows, and are usually placed in or around the center of the home to function as a gathering space.
Great rooms can be difficult to design because they are big spaces and serve multiple purposes. They need not only to be attractive and cozy but also functional to serve each purpose.
The two biggest challenges when decorating a Great Room is making a big space look cozy and inviting and dressing tall windows without losing the beauty of the window.
Here are five of the most important things you need to consider when decorating a great room.
1. Designate zones.
Think about what the space will be used for – watching TV, playing video games, reading or working from your laptop.
2. Divide the space visually.
You can add half walls, sofa tables, desks, tall plants or pillars to divide up a room.
3. Anchor the room.
Great rooms or large living areas can end up feeling cluttered if you put too many small pieces in the room without adding a couple of anchoring pieces.
A sectional, large sofa, large coffee table, built in bookcases or even a piano will help anchor a room so that smaller pieces can be tucked in here and there as accents if necessary.
4. Use Color.
Color and pattern can be used to break up big expansive spaces. Mix things up. Use color on the furniture or rugs
If you have a high ceiling, you may want to try a simple trick to cozy up your room. If you paint the ceiling a shade or two or even several shades darker than your walls, your ceiling won’t seem as tall and your room might feel snugger and cozier.
5. Cozy up the space with window treatments
Most great rooms have tall windows which are usually there to let the light in. Add decorative side panels to warm up the room. Because of the scale, it’s usually best to keep the panels neutral. If you need privacy or protection from the sun, keep it simple and go for roller shades.
What can you do to get started right now?
- Define the space – what do you want to use it for?
- Designate zones – by functional use
- Create a floor plan to scale. Measure every aspect of the room and either draw out on simple graph paper or use Room Sketcher to create one online.
Once you’ve done that, designing the room will become a whole lot easier. If your still feeling overwhelmed and feel you need some help, Peacock & Owl offers a variety of interior design packages customized to your needs which start at $995.
Contact Us today to discuss your project or schedule a design consultation online and we’ll put together a package that works for you.
