From Lanai to Family Hub: Designing a Playful and Functional Family Room Addition
Creating a dedicated family room has been a top priority for our growing family. When we first enclosed our lanai, I imagined a split layout: half home office for me, half playroom for our then three-year-old son. As our family grew, (we now have a nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter!), the space quickly and happily evolved into a full-time family room/playroom. My dreams of a dedicated home office in that space were happily replaced with a fun, laughter-filled family for everyone to enjoy.
If you want to see where my home office space ended up, read this post.
BEFORE:
This evolution meant rethinking the layout and maximizing every square inch for play, connection, and (let’s be honest) a little bit of sanity. The challenge became creating a functional and fun space that could accommodate the needs of our growing family while still feeling cohesive and inviting.
The more we used this space, the more we realized we needed a sofa. It’s perfect for us to sit down and cuddle while watching TV with the kids or just hanging out while they play. At this age, they want us around, so I'm cherishing all the time I can with them before they reach their teenage years. Half of the room has now transformed into our new hangout area and TV viewing room for the kids.
The furniture plays double duty and functions as toy storage which has helped a lot in keeping the space from feeling too cluttered. In this handed-down painted oak armoire, we store extra linens on top while using the bottom to store our board game collection.
If you’d like to see how and what I used to organize our board games, read this post.
We recently added a round table (a fantastic find from Facebook Marketplace) and built the bench seat to fit this corner of the room perfectly, giving us a lot of extra storage and seating. The kids love gathering around for board games, playing with Play-Doh, or building Legos.
Since we have limited wall space—only two walls available for taller furniture—we chose our pieces carefully. The Hauga line from IKEA was a perfect addition for our TV wall, allowing us to store a lot of toys while maximizing the small amount of wall space we have.
I've had a long-standing struggle with the indoor window (above the desk) in this room, and I recently decided to hang a picture in front of it to help hide it. If you are curious to see what the other side of the window looks like, check out this post.
We’ve been enjoying this layout, and I think we’ve finally found an arrangement that works well for our family. I hope this inspires you to experiment with different layouts in your own spaces—you never know which one will make the most sense until you try!
I’m a mom of two and wife to a seriously supportive hubby, living our best life in our forever house by the preserve! I'm all about helping you create a stylish, Pinterest-worthy home on a budget. Let's obsess over interior design, home decor, DIY, and home improvement projects to help you create your best home. Follow along and say hello! I love hearing from you.
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