Oh So Spanish’ Project Family Room
Who said a bedroom suite had to stay a bedroom suite? This room certainly didn’t. When homeowner needs and lifestyle changes require a new approach, spaces need to adapt. What we need from our homes now isn’t what we needed in the days of formal entertaining and strict rules of decorum. Adapting older home layouts to more modern living is a special thrill for me. Maybe because, in today’s world of new builds and new everything, these homes cry out for a second chance and often all these character homes need is a bit of creative thinking to bring them in line with current lifestyle habits.
Our homes, like us, have to pivot. No one room or space should be seen as single-purpose. This room was once a bedroom with a dressing area and bathroom. But that wasn’t what this family needed from it. What they wanted was a cozy family spot upstairs close to bedrooms where they could gather for movie nights and Laker games. This is not uncommon in older homes whose downstair’s rooms are larger, harder to heat and too formal for casual hang-outs.
This room is where this family spends most of their time together. And that dressing room? It became an office for Mom to finish tasks while still feeling a part of the family’s conversations.
For the design, two priorities led the way: her love of beautiful fabrics and his love of a crazy comfortable sofa. I found the Colefax and Fowler fabric first. We’d worked on another home of theirs and it was with this history that I flagged fabrics and patterns I knew she’d love. I held onto that fabric for almost a year before we found its perfect place as the roman shade fabric.
Similarly, we noted and stored away our love for the “sink-in” comfort of the Wesley Hall sectional sofa we used on both sides of the room. We upholstered it in an oh-so-soft Schumacher fabric we knew he’d loved for that extra, end-of-the-day “ahhh”. Perhaps one of my favorite details, though? That burled wood waterfall table over the custom ottoman. We added castors to its base so it can be pulled close to the sofa when an extra place for work or a drink is needed.
And this….This is where I would curl up at the end of each day.
Courtney Thomas, ASID
Principal & Lead Designer
My job is to make spaces functional in their layout, comfortable in their use, inspirational in their style and luxurious in their appointment. In that order. For that one moment after installation, the pictures are perfect.
