Here at Home: Our Family Room

Good morning. It is a peaceful rainy start to Friday here in Upstate South Carolina. This home tour post is even a bit more “Here” than the others, since I am sitting in today’s room to type this post. Come on in to our family room.

This room did not get the same kind of major overhaul the kitchen received, but we have made a few changes. The sliding glass door was replaced when we got new windows, as well as the gas logs and surround for the fireplace. An old heavy brass hood with some kind of enclosed radiator made way for these black and glass doors that disappear when the fire is not in use. As you can imagine, this is the room we cozy up in in fall and winter, especially at night. And I love having a fireplace mantel to decorate for the seasons.”My end” of the sofa is by the lamp with the floral shade, which belonged to John’s grandmother and is one of my favorite things. Evenings find me there, reading, embroidering, or watching PBS, something on Netflix, or a West Wing DVD with John.

And here is the room with my back to the fireplace. The doorway on the left leads to the kitchen, and straight ahead goes into the foyer, or, with a right turn, down the hall to bedrooms and bathrooms. There’s the imac where I write posts, edit photos and loll in front of Pinterest. As a visually impaired person. i can tell you that the huge monitor has made so much of a difference in how much I enjoy working with my photos digitally.

This end of the room is clearly boy-central, with toy and book storage in the (on their last legs) laminate bookcases, their art on the wall, and a lego area with a table to build on and red bins full of creations in pieces, waiting to be dreamed up. And when you’re tired of playing legos? Beat out a rhythm on the practice pad with some drumsticks.

Sorry for the weird color in this picture–  it was a challenging day lighting-wise. This is a decor idea I reproduced after doing a version of it in our previous house. I masked off a rectangle with painter’s tape and painted it with a color complimentary to the Heavy Cream on the walls. In this case, it is a light caramel color called Pony Tail that we used in the boys’ room. I then gathered picture frames in silver and black (or made them silver or black with spray paint) and a few decorative objects with a slightly more weathered look to take the edge off the more modern feel of some of the frames. So this is a gallery of family pictures, some current and some vintage, but the painted area makes it a whole.

In decorating on a shoestring, often in the position of trying to make something work that is second hand, inherited or thrifted, or in re-imagining what I already have in a new way, I try to keep in mind balance and unity. A modern accessory on clearance from Target can perk up a tired antique and give it a little oomph. By the same token, the patina of an older object can warm up more functional pieces. And, as in the case of the painted rectangle that provides a landscape for the gallery wall, an intentional hand can bring together and unify disparate elements. It is just part of the dance of form and function, to add and subtract elements until the room feels right and works hard. And that equilibrium is intensely personal to the people who live and love and create in a home, and changes and shifts as our lives do.

Thanks for stopping by here at home. Have a make it real weekend!

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