Hot design tips for your family room.

As the air outside begins to cool, inside thoughts turn to warm drinks and cuddling up hearthside. Fireplaces top the wish lists of many home buyers, and for great reason; besides the ambiance of a crackling fire, a hearth provides architectural interest and a focal point. So, let’s have a look at how you can maximize the fireplace season with a fabulous furniture plan.

Focal point dilemma

If you have a sitting room with a fireplace in your home, your hearth is likely the clear main attraction. However, you might have noticed that living and family rooms are evolving into multipurpose great rooms, often requiring more than one focal point. When you have a room being used for a number of family activities, questions about furniture placement arise. Questions that may sound something like this:
Her-“Do you want one or two chairs to go with the sectional for the family room?”
Him-“Um, can one of the chairs be a recliner and face the big-screen TV?”
Her-“Wait a sec; I thought we were going to tuck a small flat screen into the cabinet beside the fireplace?”

Double duty

The easiest way to tackle this multiple focal point problem is to mount the television above the mantle. While this can compromise the ideal viewing height, this issue can often be tempered by a mounting arm that can be swiveled and angled—often this is the lesser of two decorating dilemmas. In addition, there are now retractable screens that cover a TV screen to disguise it as a piece of art when not in use. So, if your room has a fireplace alone, or one with a TV mounted above it, take a gander at floor plans A, B and C on page 70 for a little interior inspiration.

Plan A, or the “Wine and Cheese Special,” is perfect for you if you like to entertain. The two full size sofas offer lots of seating and because they face each other, conversation flows easily. You can display your nibblies and drinks on the elongated coffee table and guests can rest their glasses on the end tables. The two small ottomans in front of the hearth do not obstruct the view plane and offer extra, movable seating for a crowd. Two cabinets flank the fireplace and provide storage.

I like to think of Plan B as the “Coffee Talk” layout. This room can work for you if you like to have informal gatherings like book club meetings, coffee mornings or just to stay put and spend time with the family. The sofa faces the hearth to make the most of the roaring blaze, and the comfy chairs are angled so they don’t disrupt the view. Using a round table here softens the look and adds leg room.

If the TV is mounted above the mantle, then Plan C is the “Hockey Night Hang Out.” It is the most casual of the three furniture arrangements. This is a comfy room in which you can really unwind; break out the cribbage set or kick back to watch the game.

The large L-shaped sectional sofa provides abundant seating and the two chairs can swivel and be moved in closer when needed. The large square ottoman also provides storage for board games and cosy throw blankets when not in use.

Add a tray or two of munchies and crack open a Keith’s.

Flexible floor plans

There are some fireside rooms in which a TV is an integral part of the plan and mounting it above the mantle is not an option. In the case of wood-burning fireplaces, for instance, heat must be considered. In other cases the television may be larger than the fireplace. This would look unbalanced and awkward if mounted above the mantle.

In these rooms, some folks are faced with a planning predicament. There are clearly two focal points; the fireplace and the television. So, where do you put your seating? If you have a room with multiple focal point personality disorder, have a peek at floor plans D, E and F for some ideas on making your space work for you.

Plan D, or “Cocktail Time,” is a flexible floor plan equally accustomed to TV time as an evening of revelry. The loveseats are placed at right angles to one another; one faces the fireplace and the other the television.

The elegant chaise lounge is a perfect place to perch and join in the chitchat but low enough not to disrupt the view of the hearth. Your guests can rest their glasses on the centralized square cocktail table. The table is large enough to service all seats and the hearth is flanked by free-standing storage cabinets. Even with the big screen, the symmetry in this space enhances a subtle sense of formality.

You can think of Plan E as “Tea Time;” the sister to Plan B’s “Coffee Talk,” of course. This plan has the sofa clearly facing the TV, and the chairs are on swivels. The angle of the chairs is casual and shouldn’t interfere with the view of the TV screen or the fire.

These chairs should be light enough to move, if needed, in a pinch. Built-in shelving on either side of the hearth makes a great addition to a room like this, allowing for display of personal items, as well as closed storage. The seats face the round table; a perfect setting to serve a spot of tea!

Plan F stands for “Family Fun.” Similar to Plan C, this design facilitates movie nights with the clan as easily as cosy card competitions in front of a warm blaze. Once again, using a large L-shaped sectional sofa makes the space relaxed and inviting. The ottoman here offers internal storage and a spot for snacks and games. An extra chair is available for overflow seating. You can also add floor cushions in this casual space for warming your toes in front of the fire until the games begin!

Furniture placement can be a challenge in a room with two focal points, but if you spend a little time to fine tune your plan you can avoid face-offs between furniture, focal points and family members. Just think about how nice it will be to light the fire, cosy up with your favourite people and let the cold nor’easter blow.

Kimberley Eddy owns Evolve Interior Decorating.