Decorating A Double-Story Great Room
Revisiting this jewel-toned new build again today! The feature in the home that our client was most excited about was the double-story great room which featured beautiful windows looking out on their backyard view. But, the design challenge was this: how do we create a space that is still cozy within the large space?
My client wanted window treatments that were double-height, which I agreed with. Stopping window treatments at the lower windows would have cut the space in half and not been the proper scale for that wall as a whole. Additionally, the fabric will help absorb sound and warm things up, which will be much needed in the space. If you have a large open space, adding fabric and other soft items will help with acoustics and also help cozy up the space.
From there, I decided to do two things with the furniture layout. The first was to not lean into the symmetry and lay out a pair of sofas or even an L-shaped sectional. Instead, I placed a curved sofa and a pair of swivel chairs which makes the space feel more inviting, and is also more flexible whether its a pair or a large group using the space. Because the space is also open to the breakfast nook and kitchen, I also had a secondary goal of not wanting the space to feel long and linear when viewed from the kitchen range. An asymmetrical placement with curved pieces helps to keep that from being the case.
The second thing was using lower profile pieces in a tall space. I generally recommend paying close attention to the scale of the space, and there are specific times where I choose to juxtapose the furniture to the scale. This is one of those times. Rather than filling up the space and drawing your attention to how big it is, to make it feel cozy, we want to keep things low and close together. Everything is is a bit more modern, lower in height and a bit sleeker. The room isn’t a big room in it’s width and depth, so the furniture works with it’s size in that respect as well. The main wall that holds the TV and artwork is also quite low due to a soffit, so the lower furniture works as it relates well to the height of that wall.
One additional tip to share: pair two cocktail tables, or as we did in this case, a cocktail table and a cocktail ottoman if you can’t find one item that is the right size for your space. I had laid out the seating where I wanted it first, and then stacked the two round pieces to fill the space I had left accordingly. The furniture is there to suit your needs!
Do you have a large space that you’re struggling with? We’d be happy to help you with any of your design needs! Please feel free to reach out or head to our shop page for details on our services!
