The Cure for Houzz Envy: Family Room Touches Anyone Can Do

The family room is where you unwind, play, chat, enjoy the fire and have dinner in front of a movie on the weekends. It’s also the room that often becomes a messy afterthought compared with other rooms. If you’re feeling blah about what it looks like, don’t fret. Here are some easy and free or cheap fixes borrowed from beautiful Houzz rooms that will let you relax in style.

More cures for Houzz envy: Kitchen | Dining room | Guest room | Living room | Entryway | Bathroom | Closet | Mudroom | Home office | Laundry room

Get (or make) matching slipcovers. Furniture left over from your college days and hand-me-downs often get relegated to the casual family room. You can unify them beautifully with simple slipcovers.

How to work with an upholsterer and more guides to furniture fixes


Thoroughly purge your bookshelves. If you’re not going to read a bunch of those pulp fiction novels ever again, don’t just let them collect dust. Pass them along to friends or donate them. After thoroughly dusting your shelves, mix in favorite framed photographs, other artwork and favorite objects. Play around with leaving some books horizontal and some upright. Step back, assess your work and rearrange.

Not My Precious Books! Pain-Free Ways to Declutter Your Library


Display a favorite collection. Shells, rocks, decoys, creels, pottery and objects you’ve picked up on trips will personalize your space. Display like things together in groups so that you can enjoy your collections all the time.


Speaking of favorite collections … to regular Houzz Envy readers: I’ve finally found a way to put a twist on the “hang plates on the wall” idea. License plates!


Change the look with throw pillows. If you’re tired of the big leather sofa your husband brought into the marriage, change the look up with an array of throw pillows. (I’m sorry if that was sexist stereotyping; I just know a lot of gals who hate their hubby’s bachelor furniture.)


You can also use throw pillows to create an entire style statement. In the case of this room, the patterns bring in a cozy coastal cottage feeling. It’s fun to put all the throw pillows you have around the house and porch in a big pile and switch around which rooms they are in. If you’re looking for something new, save money on an insert by buying or sewing a new cover or two and reusing the inserts you already have.

Revive Your Space With a Homemade Pillow Cover



Make the fun stuff easy to access. Family rooms are all about family time. Keep board games out in the open or somewhere that’s easy to access in the room, and also have a place set up to play them together, like a game table or a big coffee table.

Check out more game setups


Use a trunk or another storage container as an ottoman. Things you use every day are not technically clutter, but if they are all left out in piles, they look like clutter. Stashing all of those magazines you want to get around to one day, toys, games and exercise DVDs in a handy storage unit like this will keep your room looking neat.


The TV doesn’t have to be over the fireplace. This is always a hot topic here on Houzz. If you like it over the fireplace, that’s just fine, but if you want that focal point to be TV free, you can arrange your furniture to embrace both elements by placing them along adjacent walls.

See more strategies for TV placement


Don’t be afraid of the overstuffed. The family room is a place for getting comfortable. If looking at photos of sleek modern sofas is making you feel like your big rolled-arm overstuffed furniture is a bit dated, simply sink into that big old sofa or chair you’ve been thinking of replacing and realize that something sleeker won’t be nearly as cushy.

See more overstuffed furniture in beautiful rooms


Get over the fact that you think your room is too small for a sectional sofa. There are plenty of petite models available. If all you do in this room is lounge in front of the tube and fireplace, don’t fret over a sectional that’s a space hog.


Put a comfy little seat in front of the fire. Whether it’s a small stool, an ottoman, a pouf or a chair, it’s nice to have a toasty spot snuggled right up next to the hearth.


Define the space with an area rug. If you’re tired of the plain old wall-to-wall or want something softer underfoot than tile or hardwood, add a rug for texture and color.


Rethink the mantel arrangement. Clear it off and switch up what you’ve been displaying. You may want to trade a piece of artwork for a mirror that’s hanging somewhere else in the house. Maybe you’ll swap glass bottles for candlesticks. Perhaps this is a good spot for fresh flowers from the garden or grocery store each week in a favorite vase.


If you have an open floor plan, tie the spaces together. It could be with an accent color, a material like rattan or reclaimed wood, or a collection that is spread out between the different areas.

Tell us: Do you have any tips to easily turn your family room into a dream room? Please share them in the Comments section.

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