Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Operation Cozify

I made that word up, cozify. Do you like it? I want to "cozify" our family room. It is a fairly large room, 20 ft x 30 ft I think. It has hardwood floors and overhead lighting, so at times it feels more like a big studio than a cozy family room. I feel like it's lacking some warmth and I'm not sure how to decorate it to achieve this. I'm really bad at having a vision of how something should look, and thus I'm not great at interior design. So right now my only ideas for this room are to add curtains, throw pillows on the couch, and some sort of green potted plant somewhere. I need some other ideas! Preferably things I can add that don't cost much money, if any. Here is our family room. Excuse the shop-vac and broom....Adam just finished trimming the windows. Don't they look nice?


So what do you think? Do you have any ideas for adding color/warmth/coziness to this room? Know any interior designers who work for free? I want a room that looks like a page in a catalog. Is that too much to ask for?

Just for fun, here is what it looked like before we moved in.


Pretty sad. That balloon should have been frowning.
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 16, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    I'm going to recommend two things. First, I think a different color paint might help. Something warm. Also, what works for me and big spaces is hanging quilts. That covers a big wall and adds lots of color and cozifying. There are so many quilts out there in different colors, designs, etc. See if your Grandma will let you raid her stash! or check out inexpensive ones on QVC or Bed Bath and Beyond.

    Aunt Susan

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  2. StephFebruary 16, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    I actually mentioned to Adam the other day I wish we had chosen a darker, warmer color for the walls. He about had a heart attack when I suggested we re-paint, since it's such a big room.

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  3. TaraFebruary 16, 2011 at 10:14 AM

    What a great room! I love the floors. I think some photo clusters (maybe of your recent family photo shoot? Those were cute!) Ikea has inexpensive, matted frames that look great in groups. Or you could go a more eclectic route and get a bunch of coordinating yet mismatched frames from goodwill or someplace cheap. A collage could look good on one of the walls by the playpen.

    Maybe some bright, contrasting throw pillows? Like a warmer deep orange/red/yellowish? Pier 1 and World market have cool stuff, though sometimes it's a little pricey if it's not on sale.

    I'm no decorator, but those are my feeble suggestions. :)

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  4. jenniferFebruary 16, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    i think you should keep your eye out for a partition. a lot of times design shows will separate the living and dining areas in order to get the feel you're going for. some sort of screen (maybe a collage one so you can personalize it - pictures are fun!)

    of course, this is in addition to the other things you're looking at doing - window treatments will do a lot to warm it up. i would recommend hanging the window treatments as close to the ceiling as possible. it draws your eyes up and makes the windows look taller. that's what my parents did in their big living room and it looks great.

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  5. StephFebruary 17, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Thanks for all the great ideas everyone!

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