You do! Your decorating tastes and William Ryan Homes Phoenix open floor plan design combined creates a Great Room you’ll cherish every day. Great Rooms are generally large, centrally located areas that blend the functions of a living room, family room and dining room into one space. Unlike living rooms which are traditionally formal rooms set aside for entertaining guests, a Great Room is the heart of the home. It’s the place where family and friends gather for entertainment, recreation and relaxation. This is great for parents who like to keep an eye on children while they play indoors and when streaming videos, anyone who runs to the kitchen can keep up with the story.

A Place for Everything.

We encourage you to research decorating tips online so you know exactly what “style” you call your own. But remember, it’s visually much more appealing to mix and match compatible styles than to get too matchy-matchy with your interior design.

 An important point is that you should create “zones” in your Great Room for specific activities. Be sure to include a conversation corner where people can sit at a comfortable distance for talking. You might like to add a bistro table for quick impromptu lunches. Most families have a TV viewing area with couches and overstuffed chairs within easy viewing distance. A low coffee table surrounded by cushions is useful for enjoying snacks while watching TV. If your Great Room doesn’t have an adjacent dining room, set apart a dining table and chairs for more formal dinners at home.

Float Your Sofa and Credenza.

           Great Rooms are the ideal place to pull your sofa or couch and chairs away from the walls and place them near the middle of your space. Who wants to sit against a wall in a great big room anyway? The Sofa and sofa table (e.g., credenzas) can serve as a visual delineator between your conversation area and another functional space. Breaking up one large space into smaller zones each with their own specific uses makes it easy to decorate to your family’s particular desires.

           Another way to differentiate your zones is with real or realistic plants or trees, bookcases or decorative screens that reach some height. Side tables and ottomans can help too. These tricks can serve the function that a wall would perform in an ordinary living room/dining room setup.

Define Spaces with Color.

           The most natural way to separate various areas from each other is by the careful use of color. Colorful area rugs and furniture are a great way to visually state, “This area is for chatting” and “this space is for reading.” If you choose more than one area rug, of course they don’t have to be identical. Just make sure your rug colors and/or prints are compatible with each other and other decorating choices you’ve already made.

           Paint colors can also help you break up your one large space into a more interesting collection of furnishings. One bold accent wall can absolutely “make” a room. Variations on the theme of that color can then be brought into your upholstery, draperies and other room accents.

Don’t Forget Your Ceilings.

           Yes, people do look up and notice your ceilings, especially if you’ve added ceiling beams or decorative archways. Coffered ceilings also offer a pleasing way to break up your one large space into visually unique separate spaces. Lighting and light fixtures can also signal the eye to an area’s purpose. Chandeliers, spotlights, even recessed lighting all contribute to creating one harmonious whole out of the various sections of your fabulous Great Room.

Let The Sun Shine In.

           Great Rooms normally have more (and larger) windows with sliding glass doors than conventional living rooms. Since Great Rooms generally have no interior walls, the light flow that pours in, bounces around and, combined with higher ceilings, explains why these rooms feel so light, bright and airy. Take advantage of all this glorious illumination when you decide where to put your bookcases and reading chair.

Great Rooms Love Family Life.

           A large, central space where most of your home life takes place just naturally encourages more and better family time. The few walls or obstacles, easy walking flow, comfortable furnishings and openness of floor plan all combine to encourage everyone to spend congenial time together. Parents can keep an eye on youngsters while adults are in the kitchen. Teens can invite their friends to share some family time with you too. And, of course, your own friends can easily be made welcome and entertained with ease. All it takes is your good hospitality and a Great Room that’s you’ve made fabulous!

Are You Ready for a New Great Room?

           Plan now to visit and explore any of the seven communities where William Ryan Homes Phoenix builds new construction homes throughout the Phoenix area. William Ryan Homes Phoenix offers 24 different floor plans from 1,466 sq. ft. to 3,216 sq. ft., all of them designed and built for energy-efficiency and monthly utility savings.

 To learn more and to make an appointment, please call your New Home Specialist at (602) 786-9091.