When describing items that already have well-known names, the real estate industry enjoys inventing new, sometimes perplexing phrases. The phrase "great room" has become widely used yet is not always understood.
Although great rooms are not the same as front or living rooms, that does not imply that their functions are different.
In this post, we'll discuss what a great room is, what it is for, and more. So without further ado, let's get started!
What Is A Great Room?
A great room is simply a huge ground-floor space in or close to the heart of the house. Like a living room, it can include couches, comfortable seats, and a television where guests can gather. However, although a great room can function as a living room, a living room cannot always function as a great room because the area is larger than a standard living room.
Advantages Of Having A Great Room
As mentioned, a great room has a lot of available space which may contain various pieces of furniture and are organized into nooks and sections for multiple functions.
For instance, you might have a couch and comfy seats in a corner for family gatherings or around a fireplace for reading and resting. You could also have a bar for fun, coffee tables for dining, and specific places for kids to run and play in your great room when you have a great room.
This is because great rooms have open floor plans, which means no walls separate the various seating sections. As a result, the entire space appears spacious and inviting for multiple uses.
When it comes to great rooms, the most important thing to keep in mind is their various functions. A great room is well-suited for eating, relaxing, entertaining, living, and playing, whereas a living room can be a good spot to hang out or entertain guests.
Great rooms usually have short tables where people can sit, eat, or drink, but they're not meant to be dining rooms.
Since they are open-plan, it often leads into kitchens and eating rooms.
How To Set Up A Great Room
These are ideas you can consider if you're uncertain if a great room will take up too much space or how to make the most of that space.
- Choose Specific Transitions
You should make each great room feel different, even though they should be connected to the other rooms in your home. This can be done very well by choosing the specific transitions.
Changing the kitchen or dining room's lighting or flooring can also help maintain its ambiance. One quick way to tell that the space has changed is with roof beams and decorative arches.
- Adding A Variety Of Furniture
There are many ways to divide a big room into different areas, each with its color scheme, wall trim, and furniture. The great room can feel cozier and easier to handle if warm colors are used around comfortable chairs and cool colors are used around larger sitting areas.
- Consider Adding Floating Furniture
There's nothing worse than sitting against a wall and feeling like you're ten feet away from the nearest person. One of the best things about a great room is that it can have floating furniture. Opening sofas, tables, and chairs can make the space more inviting. This is especially true for great rooms with a lot of square footage.
- Having Large Windows
If you want more natural light in your home, great rooms are a great way to do it while also using less electricity to light the room. That's because great rooms usually have big windows on the outside walls that let in a lot of light. In addition, there are no inner walls so the light can bounce freely.
How To Maximize The Great Room
- Make the space suitable for both big and small gatherings. This might entail a few seating sections, one with a big sofa that can accommodate a lot of people and a few smaller ones scattered throughout the space for more specialized hobbies like board games and reading.
- Plan the area to accommodate a variety of activities. Great rooms can be used for entertaining, recreation, and relaxation, among other things. Establish areas for each activity while ensuring the entire space functions as a single unit.
- Consider how the room flows and how your family (and visitors) will utilize the area and navigate it. Make your décor decisions based on this, making sure that traffic moves well and that the layout is useful.
- Take into account the room's acoustics. The vast vaulted ceilings seen in most great rooms let sound through. Therefore, the location of your TV or entertainment system is important. However, if this is already a problem, materials and décor that absorb sound, such as millwork and cabinets, as well as wall coverings, window treatments, and carpets, can help lessen it.
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