Homes + Decor

17 Fabulous Family-Friendly Living Rooms

These examples from the AD archives prove that a comfortable living room can still look polished

March 25, 2016

Photo: William Waldron
1/17
Whether you have young children who are constantly wreaking havoc on your home or a grown family that you host on weekends or during holidays, a family-friendly living room is where some of life’s most important moments go down. So why not craft a space that’s both seriously comfy and stylish? We’ve rounded up 17 family rooms from the AD archives that are just as suitable for entertaining guests as they are for kicking back with the kids in front of the TV. From Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady’s breezy Los Angeles house to Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s New York apartment, these stylish family rooms are chock-full of ideas for your own favorite gathering space.
Shown: In this 19th-century Manhattan townhouse for a family of six, Leroy Street Studio architects and decorator Christine Markatos Lowe employed Paul McCobb armchairs and a Veere Grenney Assoc. goatskin ottoman in an unpretentious living room.
Photo: Dominique Vorillon
2/17
In the midcentury beach house south of Santa Barbara, California, that designer Abigail Turin restored for her young family, the living room features cushy sofas by B&B Italia and Cappellini tables.

Photo: Richard Mandelkorn
3/17
Japanese-born, Boston-based designer Maho Abe crafted a spacious living room with cathedral ceilings in this Back Bay, Boston, penthouse that can accommodate both family time and entertaining.
Photo: Michael Moran
4/17
Shelton, Mindel & Assoc. gave this Robert A.M. Stern Hamptons home a vibrant refresh, pairing electric magenta light fixtures and throw pillows with a sumptuous, neutral sectional.

Photo: Oberto Gili
5/17
In a New York townhouse remodeled by Annabelle Selldorf and D’Apostophe Design for a couple with young children, the comfortable family room features a sectional sofa and ottoman from Mecox and Paola Lenti poufs, ensuring plenty of seating.
Photo: Roger Davies
6/17
White sofas and vintage teak-and-woven-leather chairs gather around a fireplace surround made of board-formed concrete in fashion designer Jenni Kayne’s family-friendly Beverly Hills, California, home.

Photo: Roger Davies
7/17
In Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady's eco-conscious house in Los Angeles, the family room, which opens onto a verdant backyard, is furnished with sofas upholstered in a Castel cotton; the ottoman table is covered in an embossed Bordoni leather from Richard Shapiro/Studiolo.
Photo: Björn Wallander
8/17
In the stylish Manhattan apartment that fashion editor Nina Garcia shares with her young family, the living room is outfitted in midcentury furniture, including a leather-clad Fritz Henningsen armchair, a 1940s French daybed, and Carl Malmsten klismos-style chairs.

Photo: Nikolas Koenig
9/17
In the Manhattan townhouse that interior designer Laura Santos devised for her family, club chairs and a sofa by Dune offer comfy seating options in the media room.
Photo: Paul Raeside
10/17
In a 19th-century home in the Hamptons, the family room is appointed with a George Smith sofa and tufted stool.

Photo: Nikolas Koenig
11/17
In a minimalist, family-friendly home on Martha’s Vineyard, a comfortable living room features a pair of sofas from Victoria Hagan Home Collection and a Jens Risom cocktail table, which provides a bit of additional storage.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn
12/17
In this Hamptons home, lovingly restored by architect Peter Pennoyer and designer Matthew Patrick Smyth, the living room’s Anthony Lawrence-Belfair sofas are upholstered in a Loro Piana linen; the cocktail table is formed by two McCollin Bryan benches from Holly Hunt.

Photo: Oberto Gili
13/17
In the family room of this Martha’s Vineyard summer home, a bespoke De Angelis sectional sofa covered in a Rose Tarlow Melrose House linen blend is grouped with antique English armchairs clad in a Jasper fabric and a cocktail table custom crafted from reclaimed oak.
Photo: Douglas Friedman
14/17
In Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s New York apartment, the family room features a sumptuous sofa backed up against floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

Photo: Oberto Gili
15/17
Patterned pillows enliven the Molteni & C sectional in fashion designer Veronica Toub’s Paris pied-à-terre.
Photo: Richard Powers
16/17
In the family room of a Manhattan home renovated by designer Michael S. Smith and Ferguson & Shamamian Architects, a Tina Barney photograph hangs over a Jasper sectional sofa clad in a soft Schumacher chenille.

Photo: Björn Wallander
17/17
A riotous two-panel artwork by Keith Tyson hangs above the sofa in the lively family room of a 1920s New York apartment reimagined by Stephen Sills.
Related: Family Friendly Homes: Expert Advice on Kid's Rooms, Family Kitchens, and More