Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Family Room...



This week the Nester began a new series called 10 Minutes Till A Room You'll Love. On Monday she began with the family room and offered several great tips on how to make it just that- a family room. One thing that I struggle with, I mean have fun with is rearranging the furniture. I'm known for doing it. A lot.

We have lived in our house for just a little over a year now and there have been several furniture placements during that time. None of them had that "just right" feeling until this last one. And dare I say, there doesn't seem to be an upcoming desire to rearrange the furniture anytime soon. Even better than that is according to the Nester, I have done some things right! One being that when I placed the furniture, I moved everything away from the walls. Our family room is a fairly large room (really a great room), so I knew it would look absolutely ridiculous to have the furniture up against the walls. The second thing I did was to turn the furniture to the center of the room. This allows for intimate conversation and being focused on the people in the room, not the T.V. Two of the chairs in our room aren't even facing the T.V. In my other attempts to get that "just right" feeling in this room, I was pretty much squaring the room off with the placement of the furniture, but now I have angled every piece of furniture but still aiming for the center.

I was watching a little Barefoot Contessa while snapping some photos:)
I also still need to give my windows some famous Nester mistreatments:)

Other things that I like to add to making it a cozy and welcoming room are pillows, blankets, and quilts (made by my Mom). I can't snuggle up in a chair without having a blanket close at hand.


But as far as the pillows, they are for decoration only. Oh believe me, my family would love to lay their heads on these pillows but I want them to stay pretty and fluffy. Not dingy and squishy. That is what these are for. Again, thanks to my Mom.




I'm also a big believer in everything having a place. I love to use baskets for storage because not only are they functional but it looks nice too.




Another tip the Nester offered was to use lamps. We have a great ceiling fan in our room but I much prefer to use the light from the lamps. It's soft and welcoming and I'll do anything to make myself look 10 years younger.


Pictures... got to have them and the more the better in my book but it really is all about the arrangement of them because the last thing I want our family room to look like is a museum. I have them placed in different areas on our room from tables to walls.


I also say fill your home with the things that you love and find special ways to display them. Show off those shells you have collected at the beach, the bird nests you have found in the yard, pictures drawn by your child, and all the other special collection pieces that you hold close to your heart.

In the frame is a picture Ben drew of our dog, Anabelle.

What is a home without some history filling the rooms. From the family room to the bedrooms, there are pieces of furniture that have been passed on from my grandparents and parents. I love mixing the old with the new.

This table was bulit by my great-great-great-grandmother's father who worked @ a lumbermill in Pa.


Add some candles, music, laughter, conversation and some of this...

Christmas 2008

and you will find the family room.

What makes your family room a special place?

29 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing this!

    Let me ask you-- do you think people would want to do a 10 minutes... Mr. Linky when the seires is done so we can share what we have done?

    email me and tell me what you think!

    your room is beautiful and a perfect example that every seat DOES NOT have to face the TV!!!

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  2. nestergirl {at} gmail {dot} com


    I LOVE those chairs!

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  3. Christy, look at you! Props from the Nester herself! =) Isn't your remote basket the same one Sarah has? I LOVE this room! You are a talented homemaker, no doubt!

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  4. Your family room looks great...very warm and inviting, just as it should be! Love the "pretty" pillows.

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  5. I think you room looks great! I am still waiting on a chair that I'm having recovered. After that, I need a new rug, then rearranging and then maybe I'll take a picture or two of the results. I am a big believer of floating the furniture away from the walls. When we moved into this house, my in-laws were helping and thought I was crazy not to cram furniture up against the walls.

    The favorite thing about my family room is that it is welcoming for family and friends. I think yours has that feel too.

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  6. It looks so good! I love the arrangement of the furniture and all your accessories. Beautiful!

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  7. I love your family room - makes me want to curl up & watch Ina with you.

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  8. How pretty! I love the iron bowl holding your remotes....wonderful room...I can feel the cozy pillows!
    -sandy toe

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  9. I love this room! I love all the colors. I would love to come and make you some curtains!!!:) I love to sew! I love the pillows your mom made. She spoils both you and Sarah and when my girls are older and have homes of their own,I will do the same.

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  10. LOVE your family room. Now the only thing missing is all of us sitting around, sipping tea and having a great time! ;)

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  11. i love your family room. it looks so inviting! ours in my favorite room in the house - you can personalize a family room so much. love the colors you have chosen.
    have a blessed day!
    ~nicole

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  12. I have been reading your blog for some time now, and I truly enjoy it. I did not realize how talented you were at decorating. I like your style...warm, cozy, inviting... I really like the wooden chest beside the red chair. Keep on posting because I like visiting your blog.

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  13. I am hanging my head in shame that I have not changed my room around in ten years...I know - total gasp!1 I need help. My furniture "as is" is right...pulled away from the wall, sofa table behind it etc, but I want to rearrange but don't know what to do, and the Nester is my IRL friend, so I don't want to ask her (and since she already commented, I know I am safe...hee hee). Maybe I'll post the picture and you can just give me ideas. :) It's hard since we have a large room like you, but it's long with so many french doors, and windows. sigh..I'll live through yours.

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  14. I am with you in that I tried several times to get the family room arranged just right until just this last time. I still love it. I have no desire to change it, perhaps only the accessories from time to time.
    I think I may post about mine too, in response to the Nester's. I was thinking of this yesterday but just didn't have time!
    Thanks!
    Suzanne

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  15. Looks exactly the way I expected your home to look - lovely! Esp. the last family photo! Thanks for sharing Christy!

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  16. It looks so pretty and always inviting! I'm wishing my living room was as big; if I pulled the couch away from the wall, it would be in the middle of the room.

    What makes our family room? Pictures of family of course! A star, a nest, and a basket of blankets too!

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  17. Warm and inviting ... I love it!

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  18. You have such a beautiful family room. We have a little TINY apartment, and our living room is tiny, with HUGE furniture. We have our two huge bookshelves sitting in front of the fireplace...on the brick...because we have nowhere else to put them. So we don't use the fireplace, and have never been able to in the four and a half years we've been here!

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  19. Christy~ Your family room looks so warm, cozy, and welcoming! You've done a beautiful job! I must check out the Nester's tips!!!

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  20. Great ideas...thanks for sharing! Your family room looks beautiful.

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  21. I love your room.... I especially love all the little details. Those touches make such a difference. I have the "bones" of my house done now that my decorator friend helped. But, now I want to shop for the personal nik~naks.

    Your room is so inviting. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing it!!!

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  22. Christy,

    Your family room is so warm and inviting. I love your style, girl!

    Re: the Watermark cd: I love them all, baby! One of my most fave is the Purest Place though. I guess I'm all for those mushy songs. Christy Knockels has an amazing voice.

    Hope the rest of your week is sweet...

    :)Laura

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  23. I love what you did! It sure does look very cozy, comfy, family...just FABULOUS!

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  24. I love your family room. It looks so cozy and inviting. I love the old pieces too. We have several pieces even our bedroom set that's from the late 1800's that were our grandparents and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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  25. Wow, it is SO beautiful! Love it!

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  26. Your room looks so cozy! I tried to enlarge the first picture because that quilt blanket hanging over the arm of the couch is beautiful! I love it! :)

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  27. I believe it was BooMama who taught me the term 'stunt pillow' (those pillows that are strictly for cute and not for using!).

    Your room is very homey and full of ideas for the rest of us.

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  28. Can I come over for some hot chocolate? It's just so warm and inviting!

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