Behind the Design of Our Great Room

Our Great Room has always been one of the spaces I love most in our home. When we first built nearly a decade ago, the two-story ceiling and openness of this room were such a dream for me. Over the years, it has become the place where so much of our life happens - where we gather as a family, welcome friends, celebrate holidays, have movie nights, talk about our days, and move through so many of the little moments in between. 

So when we began thinking about this next chapter of our home, the goal was never to completely change the Great Room. It was about allowing the space to grow with us. 

I wanted to keep the things we had loved for years while adding more warmth, texture, architectural detail, and personality. Most importantly, I wanted the room to feel like an invitation from the moment you walk through our front door: come in, sit down, and stay awhile. 

Adding Character From the Ceiling Down 

The biggest transformation in the Great Room was architectural. 

The height and openness were already there, but after living in the space for nearly ten years, I knew we could give it more dimension and character. We added custom wood paneling and millwork throughout the room, framed the windows, and brought a tongue-and-groove treatment onto the ceiling. 

For the ceiling, we chose a warm wood tone rather than paint. It added another layer to the room and helped draw your eye upward, while also connecting beautifully with the wood floors that were already here. 

Those floors are actually original to our home. When we built, I intentionally chose a stain I felt would age beautifully rather than timestamp the space, and nearly a decade later, I still love it. Instead of replacing something that was already working, we used that original wood tone as part of the inspiration for the new ceiling. 

That became an important part of this remodel as a whole: not everything needs to be new for a home to feel new again. 

DESIGN TIP: Don't forget the fifth wall. 

The ceiling is such an important part of a room, especially when you have height to work with. Tongue and groove, beams, paneling, wallpaper, paint, or another thoughtful ceiling treatment can completely change how a space feels and make the architecture feel intentional from top to bottom.

Let the Lighting Celebrate the Architecture 

Once we added so much interest overhead, the light fixture needed to complement it. 

Tyson and I actually found the Great Room chandelier together while we were on a sourcing trip for the House Sprucing showroom. As soon as we saw it, we both knew: that needs to go in our Great Room. Known as the Louise Chandelier, it has since become a House Sprucing signature light fixture and is available through our showroom. 

I loved the combination of white and brass with the woven rattan detail around the candelabra-style lights. The scale and double-tiered silhouette make your eye travel up, up, up, allowing you to really appreciate the height of the room and all of that new ceiling detail. 

It's a great example of choosing a fixture not simply because it's beautiful on its own, but because of what it does for the architecture around it. 

Layer Color, Pattern + Texture 

One of my favorite things about the finished Great Room is how much is happening within it. 

There's velvet and tapestry-inspired fabric, rattan and brass, warm wood and charcoal marble, custom millwork, vintage textiles, a patterned rug, and so many different colors and silhouettes. And yet, when you see everything together, it still feels cohesive and edited. 

I love playing with patterns and especially with the scale of a pattern. Not every print needs to be the same size or have the same personality. Mixing those scales, materials, and silhouettes is what gives a room that collected-over-time feeling. 

There's a version of maximalism that can still feel clean and livable. You can have color, pattern, art, texture, and personality without a space feeling cluttered. The key is making sure those individual layers are having a conversation with one another. 

Start From the Ground Up 

The Martino Vintage Rug was an easy choice because it comes from our House Sprucing x Jaipur Living collection, which I originally designed with the idea of pieces I would actually want to live with in my own home. The entire collection is available through House Sprucing. 

It brings an antique-inspired, collected feeling into the Great Room, but it's also pet-friendly and kid-friendly - which matters just as much to me as how it looks.

I also love the idea that a beautiful rug can eventually become an heirloom in a home. It's something you walk across every day, build memories around, and can continue loving for years. That feeling of creating something lasting was part of the inspiration behind the collection from the beginning. 

Furniture Should Be Beautiful and Comfortable 

This is probably one of the most important parts of how I design. 

You can look at a photograph and see a beautiful fabric, an interesting silhouette, or the perfect color - but you can't see how a sofa feels when you sit down. 

I never want to design a room that only photographs beautifully. I want the furniture to make you want to come, sit, stay, and keep the conversation going. 

That's one of the reasons we love working with Rowe Furniture. Their furniture is American-made, beautifully constructed, incredibly comfortable, and has been tried and tested for years - not only in our own home, but in the House Sprucing showroom and our clients' homes. The Rowe furniture featured throughout our Great Room is available through House Sprucing. 

For this room, we mixed different silhouettes, colors, patterns, and textures rather than choosing a matching furniture set. The goldenrod velvet Harlow Sofa by Rowe adds this beautiful richness and personality, while still giving us the depth and comfort we need for everyday family life. I especially love the little caster legs - they're one of those details that gives a piece so much charm. 

The striped Liam Chairs are also by Rowe and happen to be extremely comfortable. They bring another pattern and silhouette into the room while still feeling relaxed and inviting. The coordinating Theo Ottomans are Rowe pieces as well, and all are available through House Sprucing. 

On the Juliette Sofa, I used a Kim Salmela x Crypton performance fabric that I had loved for years and always hoped to use in my own home. The nature-inspired pattern brings greens, blues, movement, and another scale of pattern into the room. Even better, it's a performance fabric, so it's made to be lived on. The Rowe sofa and Kim Salmela x Crypton fabric are both available through House Sprucing. 

I never want someone to think having children, pets, or a busy household means they can't choose beautiful fabric. Beautiful and practical do not have to be opposites. 

DESIGN TIP: Design for how furniture feels, not just how it looks. 

Pay attention to depth, cushion construction, fabric, and how you actually sit on a piece. A beautiful living room isn't doing its job if no one wants to spend time there.

Give the Room Something That Grounds It 

With so much color, pattern, and warmth in the room, I wanted something darker to ground the furniture arrangement. 

Our River Coffee Table has a charcoal marble top that does exactly that. I often like to bring at least one black, charcoal, or deeper element into a furniture grouping because it gives the eye somewhere to land and helps anchor everything happening around it. I also love the rounded silhouette. It softens all of the surrounding furniture and, practically speaking, means no sharp corners for kids running through the room. 

DESIGN TIP: Every room needs a grounding element. 

If a room filled with lighter colors, pattern, or lots of different materials feels like it's missing something, try introducing one deeper element. A dark coffee table, accent piece, or other grounding detail can give the entire arrangement more balance. 

Make the Styling Personal 

Not every meaningful piece in a home needs to be a formal heirloom or valuable antique. 

On our coffee table, I layered a vintage table runner sourced from Turkey - something we've loved doing at House Sprucing for years. Textiles don't have to live only on sofas, beds, and dining tables. Bringing one onto a coffee table is such an unexpected way to add another layer of texture and pattern. 

There's also a little footed wood bowl filled with Polaroids of our family, coins we've collected while traveling, and other small mementos. I love that those memories aren't tucked away somewhere. They become part of the room we live in every day. 

A coffee table book can do the same thing. The book you choose, the page you leave open, or the imagery you display can tell someone something about what you love and who lives in your home. 

Those are the details that make styling feel personal rather than simply decorative. The lighting, furnishings, styling pieces, and accessories featured throughout the room are available through House Sprucing, and our team would be happy to help you source the pieces you love. 

A Room for Joyful Living 

At the end of the day, the Great Room is not precious - and I don't want it to be.

This is where we snuggle on the sofas and talk about our days. It's where we pile in for pizza and family movie nights, where Sailor and I have had little girls' sleepovers, and where we gather every Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. It's where we have family meetings, make plans, celebrate each other, and simply move through everyday life together. 

Those moments are really what guided the entire design. 

At House Sprucing, we talk so much about creating spaces for joyful living - homes that allow people to gather, connect, grow, and thrive. I want people to walk into this room and notice the beautiful surroundings, but more than anything, I want them to feel welcomed, comfortable, inspired, and like they can stay awhile. 

Nearly ten years after we first built our home, this room still holds everything I originally loved about it. It has simply grown with us - layered with a little more character, a little more personality, and so much more of our story. 

Create With Us 

Your home should be beautiful, but it should also make room for the way you actually want to live - gathering around the people you love, celebrating, slowing down, and making memories along the way. 

If you're dreaming about what the next chapter of your own home could look like, we'd love to be part of it. Connect with our design team to learn more about House Sprucing interior design services, or come visit us in the showroom to experience many of the furnishings featured throughout our Great Room in person. 

Nearly everything you see throughout the room - from the Rowe furniture and Kim Salmela x Crypton performance fabric to our House Sprucing x Jaipur Living rug, signature lighting, styling pieces, and accessories - is available through House Sprucing. 

Interested in a piece you see here? Our team can help you source and order custom furniture, lighting, accessories, and House Sprucing pieces, whether you're local or working with us virtually from across the country. 

Visit the House Sprucing showroom from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, or call or text us at 214-471-0917. 

Let's create a beautiful home for a joyful life.