Design and photo: Clever Home Design LLC Contractor: Slachta Home Improvement (www.slachtahomeimprovement.com)
Photo of a small contemporary enclosed family room in New York with grey walls, medium hardwood floors and a freestanding tv.

Rustic beams frame the architecture in this spectacular great room; custom sectional and tables. Photographer: Mick Hales
Design ideas for an expansive country open concept family room in New York with medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv.

The dark paint on the high ceiling in this family room gives the space a more warm and inviting feel in an otherwise very open and large room. Photo by Emily Minton Redfield

This contemporary beauty features a 3D porcelain tile wall with the TV and propane fireplace built in. The glass shelves are clear, starfire glass so they appear blue instead of green.

Donna Griffith for House and Home Magazine
Inspiration for a small traditional family room in Toronto with blue walls, a standard fireplace and carpet.

Expansive transitional open concept family room in DC Metro with grey walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, brown floor, coffered and decorative wall panelling.

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.

This home is a bachelor’s dream, but it didn’t start that way. It began with a young man purchasing his first single-family home in Westlake Village. The house was dated from the late 1980s, dark, and closed off. In other words, it felt like a man cave — not a home. It needed a masculine makeover. He turned to his friend, who spoke highly of their experience with us. We had remodeled and designed their home, now known as the “Oak Park Soiree.” The result of this home’s new, open floorplan assured him we could provide the same flow and functionality to his own home. He put his trust in our hands, and the construction began. The entry of our client’s original home had no “wow factor.” As you walked in, you noticed a staircase enclosed by a wall, making the space feel bulky and uninviting. Our team elevated the entry by designing a new modern staircase with a see-through railing. We even took advantage of the area under the stairs by building a wine cellar underneath it… because wine not? Down the hall, the kitchen and family room used to be separated by a wall. The kitchen lacked countertop and storage space, and the family room had a high ceiling open to the second floor. This floorplan didn’t function well with our client’s lifestyle. He wanted one large space that allowed him to entertain family and friends while at the same time, not having to worry about noise traveling upstairs. Our architects crafted a new floorplan to make the kitchen, breakfast nook, and family room flow together as a great room. We removed the obstructing wall and enclosed the high ceiling above the family room by building a new loft space above. The kitchen area of the great room is now the heart of the home! Our client and his guests have plenty of space to gather around the oversized island with additional seating. The walls are surrounded by custom Crystal cabinetry, and the countertops glisten with Vadara quartz, providing ample cooking and storage space. To top it all off, we installed several new appliances, including a built-in fridge and coffee machine, a Miele 48-inch range, and a beautifully designed boxed ventilation hood with brass strapping and contrasting color. There is now an effortless transition from the kitchen to the family room, where your eyes are drawn to the newly centered, linear fireplace surrounded by floating shelves. Its backlighting spotlights the purposefully placed symmetrical décor inside it. Next to this focal point lies a LaCantina bi-fold door leading to the backyard’s sparkling new pool and additional outdoor living space. Not only does the wide door create a seamless transition to the outside, but it also brings an abundance of natural light into the home. Once in need of a masculine makeover, this home’s sexy black and gold finishes paired with additional space for wine and guests to have a good time make it a bachelor’s dream. Photographer: Andrew Orozco

Inspiration for an expansive contemporary family room in New York with a library, light hardwood floors, white walls and brown floor.

Ric Stovall
Photo of an expansive country open concept family room in Denver with beige walls, light hardwood floors, a metal fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, a home bar and a ribbon fireplace.

Cottage in Carmel by the Seat that was converted to an office space while retaining all the cottage's charm and history. www.macdonaldphoto.com
Photo of a small mediterranean enclosed family room in San Francisco with beige walls, carpet, a corner fireplace and a stone fireplace surround.

Landing and Lounge area at our Coastal Cape Cod Beach House Serena and Lilly Pillows, TV, Books, blankets and more to get comfy at the Beach! Photo by Dan Cutrona

The same shaker-style Grabill cabinetry was installed in the adjacent family room but stained in a rich dark tone to create variety in the home. Tall cabinets flank the grand fireplace allowing it to be the focal point in the room. Light-toned stacked ledger stone was installed around the fireplace surround to contrast the dark-tone cabinets. Open shelving was designed on each side to display the homeowner’s favorite belongings, while keeping this custom-made furniture piece from appearing to heavy and overbearing. A sense of balance is created through this symmetrical design of these built-ins, allowing for an overall striking and polished design.

Great rooms are perhaps the hallmark of residential design in the first decades of this century, creating beautiful expansive spaces for families to enjoy. This great room is remarkable with vaulted ceiling and a huge accordion door opening to a covered patio. Its book ended with a natural stone wall in the kitchen and a stone wrapped two story fireplace in the living room.

The three-level Mediterranean revival home started as a 1930s summer cottage that expanded downward and upward over time. We used a clean, crisp white wall plaster with bronze hardware throughout the interiors to give the house continuity. A neutral color palette and minimalist furnishings create a sense of calm restraint. Subtle and nuanced textures and variations in tints add visual interest. The stair risers from the living room to the primary suite are hand-painted terra cotta tile in gray and off-white. We used the same tile resource in the kitchen for the island's toe kick.

The two-story living room features a black marble fireplace, custom built-ins, backed with warm textured wallpaper, double-height draperies, and custom upholstery. The gold and alabaster lighting acts as jewelry for this dramatic contrasting neutral palette.

Photo of an expansive contemporary open concept family room in Salt Lake City with a home bar, white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a built-in media wall, brown floor, exposed beam and wood walls.

Client's personal piano was the inspiration for this music room with twin shelving and handmade textured woven wallpaper from Weitzner.
Small transitional open concept family room in Sacramento with a music area, beige walls, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and wallpaper.

Great room with cathedral ceilings and truss details
This is an example of an expansive modern open concept family room in Other with a game room, grey walls, ceramic floors, no fireplace, a built-in media wall, grey floor and exposed beam.