Color Transforms a Family Room

This family room was part of a late 90s addition to a Lexington colonial — it had been a TV, game, and play room for the clients as their family grew. They reached out for help upgrading to a cozy and comfortable family room geared more toward movie nights with teens, and were ready to invest in new seating.

The space had a large window seat flanked by built-ins that hide HVAC equipment and radiators — and while that was the prime TV-viewing seat angle, it was not comfortable or practical. The room wasn’t large enough for two sofas, but more seating was needed for this family of 5.

Family Room: BEFORE

Living Room: AFTER

To define the built-ins as a backdrop, and simultaneously create a cozy atmosphere without darkening the space, we painted the entire back bookshelf and window seat combo a classic neutral dark blue hue. The rest of the room was balanced with a pale warm gray on the walls and soft white trim and ceiling.

A small sectional sofa in performance fabric is just large enough to comfortably seat 4 adults without cutting off a portion of the room. The large leather ottoman doubles as a coffee table when not used as a communal foot rest, and the family’s passed-down Ekornes recliner provides a fifth seat. The window seat is refreshed with a new cushion and matching bolster pillows, an ideal spot for relaxing with a book and a view.