The Alternative Room

I think the most important thing in design is function. I love a beautiful and well appointed space, but if it's not user friendly, I think...why bother, what's the point? The older I get, the more important it is to have a home that is not only attractive and reflective of our interests, but one that functions well for the way we live everyday. And, the truth is we are not formal living room people. Our family room, which I call the living room has more of a "living room" room feel and is my favorite room in our house, both for it's comfort and beauty.

The room our floor plan indicates is the living room is probably the least interesting space in our home. It only has 2 windows and is a long rectangle with 2 entrances/exits on one wall. Which also means it's a challenge to furnish and still have plenty of room to move around. In it's earliest days, it was the playroom for my children outfitted with a pint size sofa and chairs in a navy print Winnie-the-Pooh fabric. Then it had a life as a formal living room complete with sofa, coffee table, 2 chairs and an amoire for stereo equipment. Before moving in 2001, we sold everything in the room knowing upon our return, this was not the best way for this room to live beautifully everyday! For the last several years, it has become an extension of our small library, but without the ambiance from the fireplace. Currently, it contains 2 chairs, an antique game table and a secretary. It functions well and is attractive, but definitely could still be improved upon. It's on the list, albeit rather far down!

Forget what your floor plan says. Think about what your needs are and don't be afraid of renaming and reinventing a space. I've said this before, if something doesn't work for the way you live, it doesn't work. One of my favorite reinterpretations of spaces is a seating group consisting of 4 chairs with an ottoman or round table in the middle. Here are a few inspirational spaces scanned from my tear sheets showing this arrangement in a variety of styles!

Don't like or have a matching set of chairs? Mix it up then!

Images courtesy of Southern Living, Decor, Tradtional Home, Veranda