For people who are living in a huge and sprawling mansion, creating a room dedicated to encouraging the entire family to get together and spend quality time in each other’s company is significantly easier.

However, for the majority of people who live in a traditional two-up, two-down property, or a small apartment, there is simply not the luxury of creating a dedicated family room.

Your lounge is, therefore, the best space to foster a functional and spacious family room and can act as the social hub for every family member. Here are four top tips to make this happen.

1.    Make the Furniture Work for Everyone

Usually, the focal point of a family room is the seating, and when designing a space that everybody, adults and children alike, want to spend time in means investing in key pieces of furniture that work for everyone.

Pay weekly furniture makes for the ideal option when choosing said pieces of furniture, meaning you can find the perfect corner sofa, chez longue, or even a giant bean bag that everyone will love.

2.    Bring the Family Pet!

If you are fortunate enough to share your home and your heart with a furry friend or two, then the family room is the ideal location for them to spend the majority of their time.

Whatever your pet, make sure the entire room is pet-proofed. For instance, to bunny-proof or kitten and puppy-proof a room, you should hide any wiring, cover up gaps behind the television or gaming console, and include toys so that they can enjoy the room and bond with you and the rest of the family.

3.    Storage is Everything

Another excellent thing to remember when designing your new family room is that, as you would expect, it is going to be used by every single member of your family, so storage is an absolute necessity.

This does not mean, however, that too much of the floor space needs to be taken up by large ottomans and dominating bookcases; rather, you should utilize the wall space. Large fabric, foldable laundry baskets in bright and clean colours are a great way for your children to store their toys and games, keeping the floor space as clear as possible.

4.    Make Sure the Space is Bright & Airy

Fresh and clean air is not only important for every member of your family, especially when spending many hours in one room together, but it will also mean the room stays attractive and somewhere everyone will want to spend time.

Lighting plays a pivotal role here so, for example, when the children have gone to bed, and you are getting ready to snuggle down on a comfortable sofa for a movie night with your significant other, instead of using the bright ceiling light, instead switch on a more demure and intimate floor light.

Additionally, carefully consider how the amount and depth of light changes throughout the day to maximise the impact created with different lighting fixtures and fittings.