The family room is designed to be a place where family and guests gather for group recreation like talking, reading, watching TV, and other family activities. In most homes this room is adjacent to the kitchen and is therefore, one of the most popular rooms in the house. The TV is often the most prominent part of this room and unlike a media room or game room, it has to blend in with your decor and not overwhelm the room. In addition the family room can be a hub for the first floor and often contains technologies like audio, gaming and more.
When planning for home entertainment and technology in your family room think about RF based control systems, so the equipment can be hidden in furniture or in a closet. Be sure to provide for wired or wireless networking as many of today’s components allow internet access and think about where you will place your furniture so you can optimize placement of a subwoofer for viewing movies in full surround sound. Another important point is that most family rooms contain a fireplace and these are usually encased in stone. If you plan for a television above the fireplace or speakers on bookshelves on opposite sides of the room, the cost of wiring after the fact can get expensive. Plan to include a design consultant early in the process, so you can properly budget and maximize your enjoyment of this most critical of rooms for a every member of your family.
