Posts Tagged ‘style’

Practicality and Style for Your Family- Friendly Living Room

Thursday, June 20, 2024
Debbi DiMaggio

Envision a family-friendly living room where your loved ones can relax, bond, and enjoy each other’s company! If you’re wondering how to do that, you might want to continue reading this text. Below, you’ll discover a few tips to help you design a living room that seamlessly integrates practicality and style. Thanks to those, you can transform your home into a warm and inviting haven where every moment is cherished. So, prepare yourself to uncover the secrets to crafting a space that meets your family’s needs and reflects your unique sense of style.

Practicality: Functionality Over Form

When it comes to designing a family-friendly living space, practicality takes center stage. Think about it: with kids running around and everyday spills, you need furniture that can withstand the chaos. Therefore, when you’re about to make changes to your living room, you should first replace the furniture. Remember that choosing durable, easy-to-clean fabrics and materials, as well as timeless home decor items, is key to maintaining your sanity. After all, who wants to replace their sofa every couple of years? By prioritizing functionality over fleeting trends, you’re saving money in the long run and creating a space that can adapt to your family’s ever-changing needs.

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Style: Elevating Aesthetics Without Sacrificing Comfort

Now, let’s talk style! Your family-friendly living room shouldn’t just be practical. It should also be a space where everyone feels at ease. And all you have to do is look for design trends prioritizing coziness without compromising aesthetics. So, think of soft, inviting textures and warm, neutral tones that create a welcoming atmosphere. 

Apart from that, when selecting furniture, it would be a smart idea to invest in pieces that look good and feel good to lounge on. And here’s a tip: if the thought of moving heavy furniture makes you break a sweat, consider hiring furniture movers. They’ll alleviate the stress of rearranging your space and hurting your back in the process, allowing you to enjoy your stylish, family-friendly living space.

Practicality: Budget-Friendly Solutions

Let’s be real: furnishing a living room can put a dent in your wallet if you’re not careful. But here’s the good news—you don’t have to break the bank to create a practical and stylish space. Embrace budget-friendly solutions that still pack a punch. Look for versatile pieces that serve multiple purposes, like a storage ottoman that doubles as a coffee table or a sleeper sofa for overnight guests. Get creative with DIY projects or explore secondhand options for unique finds at a fraction of the cost. And don’t forget to shop smart during sales or take advantage of discounts from furniture retailers. With a little resourcefulness and savvy shopping, you can achieve the family-friendly living area of your dreams without blowing your budget.

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Style: Create Something Special in Your Family-Friendly Living Room

When it comes to these spaces, know that making a memorable first impression is key! So, think of it as setting the stage for the rest of your home. Start by choosing a cohesive color palette that reflects your style while creating a sense of unity throughout the space. To add depth and visual interest, incorporate texture elements, such as plush rugs or tactile fabrics. Consider the layout carefully, ensuring that furniture placement promotes flow and conversation. And don’t forget the finishing touches. Thoughtfully curated accessories like artwork, decorative pillows, and statement lighting can elevate the room’s ambiance. By paying attention to these details, you’ll create a living room that welcomes your family and leaves a lasting impression on guests.

Here’s What You Can Add to Your Living Room

  • Families and guests appreciate living rooms with features catering to comfort, functionality, and entertainment. Therefore, comfortable seating arrangements, such as cozy sofas and oversized chairs, are essential for relaxation and socializing.
  • Along with that, you’ll also need versatile storage solutions. For instance, built-in shelving or storage ottomans can help keep clutter at bay and maximize space.
  • Additionally, entertainment options like a well-equipped media center with a large TV or a cozy reading nook with ample lighting appeal to different preferences for leisure activities.
  • Also, natural light and views of the outdoors through large windows or French doors create a welcoming atmosphere and connect the living room with the surrounding environment.
  • You can add accent walls, statement artwork, and personalized decor. These things add character and charm to the space, making it inviting for family gatherings and social occasions with guests.

Practicality: Streamlining Your Home Selling Strategy

Now, let’s talk about how your living room can play a crucial role in selling your home. Picture this: potential buyers enter a well-organized, inviting space that feels like home. By prioritizing practicality in your living room design, you’re creating a comfortable environment for your family and enhancing your home’s selling potential.

Also, a clutter-free home and well-maintained living room can leave a lasting impression on potential buyers, helping to streamline the selling process. So, as you design your family-friendly space, keep in mind its impact on your home selling strategy. After all, a little foresight can lead to a smoother transition when moving on to your next adventure.

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Conclusion

In the end, remember this: your family-friendly living room isn’t just about looks or convenience. It’s about fostering moments that matter. And by blending practicality with style, you’re setting the stage for countless memories to unfold. So, go ahead, design with intention, and watch as your living room becomes the cherished heart of your home.

Reinventing Our Lives after the Empty Nest

Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Quentin Bacon

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Real Estate is obviously a passion of mine.

From helping our clients to redesigning homes, I just love it! So when it came to making our move after the children flew the coup I knew exactly what I wanted.

It started with a vision. I knew I wanted low maintenance with a loft like open floor plan. I envisioned freedom and space and lots of white.

When our son left for his Freshman year at CU Boulder following in his sister’s footsteps I began to re upholster the furniture one piece at a time. Before I knew it all our dark furniture was pink! Or some shade of pink. I researched textiles, fabrics, wallpaper, re-upholstery providers and more. I leafed through magazines and immersed myself in Pinterest. The ideas were rampant.

By the time Chase returned home for Thanksgiving break his home had evolved. Tired of the things from our Scottsdale home — all of the oversized and brown furnishings….  pink and white and gold began to take over.

And by the time he was gearing up to head back to CU for his Sophomore year we were moving out of Piedmont ( where I had lived my entire life, except for a few interruptions ) to the home we visualized, discussed and successfully found. We shipped all of Chase’s favorite furniture to Boulder for him and his 5 other roommates to enjoy, while we kept ‘our’, rather, ‘my’ favorite things. Since I loved the style and design of the remaining pieces I re-purposed everything I chose to keep. I found a great re-upholstery tradesman and fabrics I fell in love with! From bench seat cushions and a sofa to ottomans and chairs, I recovered and re-purposed it all!  Reuse, re-purpose, recycle.

Beyond the furnishings, the interior renovation was next. It was nice to have so much time before actually moving in so I was able to have all the furniture re-upholstered and ready for placement when our new home was complete, rather then moving in and starting from scratch.

I had it all planned, every last detail.

I had visualized everything over and over again — had all the pieces ready, so once we completed the renovation and remodel everything was ready for placement!

The walls of the townhouse were awful — puffy, popcorn textured walls which took two weeks to sand, flatten and paint. It was a dust bowl!

Removing the wall to wall carpet was next.

Since I had everything pinned on my Pinterest Boards I knew exactly what I wanted. All I needed to do was hire the team and begin the work.

Creating Our Desired Look

Wide plank bleached white hardwood floors replaced the carpet on the first two levels which included an entry way, hallway and two bedrooms on the main level plus the main staircase, living, dining, kitchen; and powder room on the master bedroom level. The biggest impact came, as we worked to create our new look from Traditional to Modern Contemporary, was by removing all handrails and banisters. By removing the banisters and handrails the home opened up nicely and created a much more open and spacial feeling. The dramatic vaulted ceilings didn’t hurt either.

Eventually we will be adding lucite or acrylic hand-railings and a glass banister which will line and divide the stairwell from the living room.

Our son really wanted a plush carpet in the bedrooms. So I had our carpet guy, Felix, drop off sample after sample until we found the most plush, most comfortable, softest thick pile carpet. Nirvana!

The carpet was installed – last – in our master bedroom as well as in our wall-to-wall lined mirrored closet and in the third floor loft. We knew that would be where Chase would hang out while home from college.

The loft, with it’s stupendous San Francisco Bay Views and large picture window, a huge flat screen TV plus his two favorite cushy bean bags, he’s had since childhood, quickly became the perfect spot to relax and recline. We have had those furry brown bean bags for over 10 years no doubt — when he was ten and now at 20, he and his friends still play video games and watch TV immersed in those two bags of fluff today. Such wonderful memories and good times.

 Once the space was opened up, painted and new floors installed the kitchen and bathrooms were next.

For now we are going to live with the current kitchen configuration but we did replace the counters with Carrara marble and once our contractor frees up some time ( I have him pretty busy working on all of our listings for our clients ) will be back to install the shaker cabinet doors to match the newly installed shaker doors we added throughout – swapping out the original Traditional doors, baseboards and moldings to create our new, more modern look.

We remodeled two bathrooms with our master bath to follow once we gain a second wind.

Resources & Inspiration

Our tile came from Siena Tile and Stone in Danville and my ideas inspired by scrolling through multiple Pinterest Boards.

Restoration Hardware sink in the powder room, Toto toilets in all three bathrooms and Carrara marble and 9 x 36 porcelain tile from Siena Tile and Stone adorned respective bathroom floors.

First Floor Full Bath: Cabinet and Sink by Duravit, plumbing fixtures from Rubenstein Plumbing in Oakland.

Built-in lighted shelves discovered on Pinterest implemented by my trusty tradesman Jose and team.

My favorite – Z Gallerie – spherical chandelier appoints the dining room while sparkling crystal lighting from Lamps Plus complement the foyer and upper hallway.

When Your Kids Move On, Life Changes

so having a project really helped me during this transition. And it was really quite exciting to watch my vision become reality.

I just love our new home — it’s everything I’d imagined.

For those experiencing the empty nest, although life is different, you still do see your kids. And if you are anything like us you visit often, no matter where they venture.

Whether visiting Bianca in Australia or in Florence, Italy or meeting up with Chase during family weekend or on the road to catch a lacrosse game in Scottsdale, Arizona, Newport Beach or Boulder, Colorado or joining them for a ski weekend in Vail.

We are there!

Or as things go, this week…  Adam departs SFO to Tokyo to visit our daughter in Japan!!

So I guess the “Empty Nest” isn’t so bad after all.

XOXOX!

For suggestions, questions, resources or inspiration email me at debbidimaggio@gmail.com

Happy Designing!

and share your empty nest stories with us too.

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