We haven’t revisited this room since a post more than a year ago about hanging our giant chandelier — how did that year fly by? The space has worked well for us from the start, so our infrequent updates make sense. From the beginning we planned this large, multipurpose room to serve as a cozy movie area, a place to lounge and read, a workspace for both of us, and an art and craft desk for the kids that also stores their papers and projects. We also needed storage for board games and work paperwork. It was a tall order, but the room is big and there was one clearly best wall for the TV thanks to the many large windows that fill the rest of the room.
That wall helped define a cozy TV zone on one side of the room.
The other half of the room functions as our office and an art/workspace for the kids, which has been working great.
Photos rarely capture the true scale of this room — visitors who’ve seen photos often say it feels twice as big in person. For reference, the rug under the sofa is 8 x 10, and the room is roughly 25′ by 16′. It’s spacious.
The opposite half of the room offers tons of open floor space — you could easily fit another 8 x 10 rug without it touching the TV zone.
This is the office/art side when you stand with your back to the sofa.
This view has changed drastically since we bought the house in February 2020.
Here’s a before shot of the long wall when we moved in. The wood treatment was attractive, but mildew near the ceiling needed attention. The house had been abandoned for years, so we faced leaks, mold, and soggy drywall in several areas before moving in. Those problems were addressed during the renovation.
Fast forward to today and this side of the room is clean and dry. We replaced damp drywall where necessary and scrubbed the wood treatment — luckily there was no hidden mold behind it.
Recently we made three updates that improved storage and functionality. Below are the details and photos from each change, plus a short video walk-through that includes a peek at the firepit area and our new kitchen deck.
Update #1: Bringing These Bookshelves Up From The Kitchen
We moved two large Fjalkinge bookcases from the kitchen to this room. They previously served as a makeshift pantry and now provide excellent office and craft storage. Combined with the console by the TV that holds games, photo albums, and sentimental items, the room now has much more functional storage — which I love.
The bookcases fit nicely between the windows on the long wall. Their larger scale suits the room and their drawers are ideal for storing receipts, tax paperwork, art supplies, and kids’ creations. We built the kids’ double desk using inexpensive Ikea components and metal legs, and the drawers on each side give the kids their own storage space.
Update #2: Getting Our Entire House On Central Air
We finally routed HVAC ducts to this room and to the bedroom so the whole house now runs on one central HVAC system. When we bought the house there was no functioning HVAC or water, and the initial plan to reroute ducts proved more complicated than expected because of a ceiling header that initially appeared load-bearing. That led to several rounds of HVAC recommendations — either add a soffit or use mini-splits for the bedroom and family room. We initially installed two mini-splits for those rooms while leaving the other four rooms on central air.
The mini-splits worked but were oversized for our spaces, which caused cycling and humidity issues. Later, after a second structural opinion, we discovered the header wasn’t load-bearing and there was a generous channel in the ceiling for standard ducts. We removed the mini-splits and extended central air to the bedroom and family room, repairing the kitchen ceiling in the process. We sold the mini-splits back to the HVAC company and finished the conversion for under $1,000, including the drywall repair.
The result: the whole house is more comfortable and balanced. Towels dry on the bedroom hooks now, and we only maintain one central system instead of multiple systems. If you’re navigating HVAC decisions during a renovation, trust experienced pros and be prepared to pivot when new information appears.
Renovations often involve curveballs and changes in direction. Try not to stress if you pivot later — better late than never.
I’ll share more close-up photos of the vents soon — one vent sits at the base of the TV cabinet and the other is on the wall near the top of the stairs. I’m also hunting for nicer vent covers.
Update #3: Moving The Desk To This Window (& Making Faux Legs To Recess It Into The Sill)
We saved the original legs for our parson-style desk and built short faux legs in back so the desk could slide about seven inches deeper into the windowsill. That small change gives the desk better alignment with the flanking bookcases and creates a nicer visual balance.
The desk has been in our lives for 15 years and remains a versatile piece that can fit almost anywhere. Our desk chair is light, solid, and a good match for the floors.
We’re big fans of the Fjalkinge bookcases — they can work in a kitchen, craft room, office, or living space. They’re flexible and practical.
Putting a desk in front of a window is underrated. Previously we had the desk between two windows, but the view from the window is much nicer and more inspiring for work and art.
The plants thrive here because the room gets lots of light. A neon pothos is a great trailing plant to put on bookcases — they do well even without intense light but flourish when given it.
Here’s a less-common angle taken over the stair balcony.
We still love our sofa after more than three years — it’s comfortable and holding up well with kids and pets. The chandelier is large enough for the room and sits well above head height, so it doesn’t interfere with movement.
Our air purifier blends in nicely with the room, and we use a woven basket under the kids’ desk as the trash bin. It fills with paper cuttings, snack wrappers, and the usual kid detritus each week.
One of the console drawers holds spare light bulbs and extension cords — a necessary stash for any household. The leather ottomans are a favorite find and have held up well.
I made a short video walk-through while the room was tidy — it’s a quick, silent tour that shows the space better than photos alone. It includes the family room and the adjacent deck. The video is embedded below.
Note: You can also view this video on YouTube.
That wraps up the current tour of our family room after living here for a year and a half. Unlike some rooms that change a lot over time, this space has remained largely the same because the dual function of office/art area and cozy family/movie area has worked from the start. One well-placed TV helped make the layout click.
It’s fun to wonder how this room might evolve over many years — will the kids’ art desk become a sewing corner, a reading nook, or a grandkid station? For now it suits our family perfectly.
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