How To Make Your Family Room More Versatile During The Holidays

by Amanda Gates
Gates Interior Design

Family rooms are the most versatile rooms in our house. They can be used for watching a movie, doing homework, listening to music, hanging out or entertaining guests.

The most important thing when putting together a family room for the holiday’s is to have a plan. Whether the space is big or small, the right plan will give you more personality, and function without any surprises. In order to capture your holiday style, your room needs to breathe the way you and your family live and entertain. For example, if the room will only be used for listening to music and light mingling, then there is no reason to spend time on adding additional seating. Design should be tailored according to how you will use the space.

Once you have determined how the room will be used, select fabrics that function appropriately for its use. This is especially important when you are first putting the room together to begin with. If you are redoing your family room, always take into consideration high performance fabrics that look great and perform even better. But if you aren’t redoing your room anytime soon, you can always add holiday slipcovers for added protection and fun holiday style. Obviously if kids will be involved, the fabrics need to be prepared for combat so slip covers are always a good idea.

Always dress your windows with draperies. Draperies play a major role in building your style. They not only add warmth to a room but they soften the walls. Windows without draperies look naked, and the room will look unfinished, but make sure they are the correct scale to your room. In other words, make sure they are full and touch the floor. Add embellishments like tassels, ornaments and other fun holiday decorations to boost the festivities.

Tell a story with your furniture, and bring in additional pieces from other rooms. Choose pieces from around the house that speak to you and the personality of the party. Nothing adds more charm to the holidays than well mixed furniture that gives your room an eclectic feel. Stick to your overall holiday plan, and choose items that read closely to your room’s entertaining goal. Mix and match your pieces and ground the room with a great rug.

Lastly, design with flexibility in mind. Always have lightweight options like stools, that can be easily moved around, and leave open space so that chairs or other seating from other rooms can be added if needed. Small tables that are lightweight are great drink holders and instantly bring people together.  Choose a rug that is larger than the furniture arrangement so your stools, tables and any other added items work with ease. And finally, remember to have fun! The holidays are all about getting together with friends and family and sharing a wonderful meal over laughter and warm memories.