Decorating Dilemmas is a weekly column in which our stylists answer your design questions, so you can tackle your home decorating project with complete confidence.
Dear Style Studio,
My family and I just moved into a home that has a family room with cathedral ceilings that seem to go on forever!
It’s a such challenge to decorate and figure out furniture placement for this room. One wall (facing the wall of windows) has nothing on it, no windows, fireplace etc … just a huge blank wall.
The wall next to my tall ‘naked’ wall has a fireplace, with windows on both sides that leave only 30 inches from bottom of window to floor.
The wall next to the fireplace is my wall of windows … we love these windows!!
The wall next to our wall of windows is a half wall open to the kitchen.
I’ve noticed most dilemmas are solved by putting a large wall unit with the TV on the tall wall but the problem is we would then have our backs to the windows we love and want to appreciate … plus my husband won with where to put the TV. Against all my efforts, it is above the mantel and that is where it will stay!
Any help or advice would be so very much appreciated…thank you!
-Lauren
Lauren,
You have beautiful trim work in your room so using accessories to enhance the detailing is the best approach for your space.
We think the current furniture layout works well in the space … sofa facing the windows and loveseat facing the fireplace. Anchoring a L-shaped layout against the large wall will give you an excellent view of the outdoors and still allow for television viewing.
Having a L-shaped furniture layout creates a space where the sofa and loveseat meet. Eliminate this gap between your sofa and love seat by adding in side table to join them. We suggest the Olivia 30″ Mirrored Side Table for this task.
Above the sofa on the large wall, we recommend gathering different pieces of over-sized wall art that speaks to your style sense. Below is a stunning example of this idea by using our Portofino Mirror surrounded by a collection of Suzanne Kasler Atelier Antlers.
There appears to be an empty “spot” above your television. Try hanging a wall plaque above the flat screen to visually balance the space … the Lion Head is a perfect option.
For the back wall, sandwiched between the door opening and the windows, we suggest bringing in our Ananda Serving Table. This is a sophisticated piece for displaying special treasures and capturing extra seating. The extra seating is achieved by tucking a couple of small ottomans under the table until they are needed. Above the table we think the Breathless Abstract Landscape is the perfect artwork for color and scale.
Infuse your room with a punch of pattern and color by adding in a Viceroy Chair to the right of the fireplace. Tuck a little side table beside it to create a spectacular reading corner.
As a last suggestion, consider hanging Belgian Linen Drapery Panels on all your windows. Use the space just below your transom windows for the ideal hanging location. In order to highlight your elaborate window molding, we recommend hanging the panels to the outside edges of the windows frames … this will create soft “frames” for your outdoor viewing!
Happy Decorating!
The Style Studio Team
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