Sarah Richardson: Big ideas for a big room

A main floor family room is the equivalent of finding the Holy Grail when house shopping. Who wouldnt love a home with room for the whole family to sprawl out in casual comfort? The problem is that most older homes in the inner city werent built with family rooms as part of the plan. My clients had opposing viewpoints on whether to stay local or hit the highway in search of a home with enough open area. In the end, they settled on a 1960s-era ranch style home that boasted privacy, lots of space, and a giant main floor family room oozing with vintage character - but in dire need of a major makeover.

Sarah Richardson: How to peel back the old-timey look

Strip it

If your home is stuck in a bygone decade, the only solution to achieving contemporary style is likely somewhat drastic. You dont need to tear down walls, but you may need to peel back a few layers of decorative enhancements to arrive at a simple and streamlined base for moving forward. We ripped up broadloom, tore off trim, unloaded an old wood stove, and ripped out a cartload of stained oak. Suddenly, this split-level space looked more like a sleek, light-filled studio than a retro rumpus room, and its underlying strengths were revealed.

Smooth it

One of our greatest obstacles in this house was an overabundance of stucco. Were not just talking stippled ceilings here, my friends, but stucco everywhere! Ive said this before and Ill say it again : I hate stucco on any interior surface. I spend too much time getting rid of cheap stucco finishes. So how do I suggest you smooth out your stucco? The most economical approach Ive found so far is to skim coat with plaster. Its painstaking and its dusty, but it costs less than putting up new drywall. It wasnt me spending days smoothing out all the bumps, sanding, and dealing with the mess, but one thing I do know is that having an envelope of smooth walls makes a huge difference to the room.

Unify it

Among the challenges with this homes original space was the multi-level plan, the sloped roof lines, and the combination of materials. Somehow, you have to overcome the design discord and make all these distinct elements work together. In this case, the answer was gallons and gallons of white paint. Suddenly the brick walls brightened, the ceilings soared, the views to the garden became more engaging, and the whole room began to read as one light, bright, contemporary cocoon. A little harmony goes a long way.

Contemporize it

My clients expressed two different design briefs: one wanted institutional modern while the other wanted mid-century warmth. My job was to marry these two agendas and the solution rested on two elements with big impact: floors and glass railings. Six hundred square feet of engineered oak floor with a limed stain introduced the natural beauty of wood grain while still maintaining the stark monochromatic palette that would deliver the minimalist look. The raised dining platform offered its own set of challenges in terms of sightline and flow between living and dining areas. A custom glass-railing system allowed the dining room to float: in the space. While the templating and installation of the railing is custom, the railings, connectors, post and base moulding are all stock components that can be mixed and matched for best results. The choice of floor and railing were a bit of a splurge, but getting the fundamentals right is the key to success.

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Sarah Richardson: Big ideas for a big room