Great Room Design Ideas
The Great Room combines Functional Living
Needs into One Large Room
By: Mark J. Donovan
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The great room has ebbed and flowed
in popularity over the past couple of decades due to the changing lifestyles and
spending habits of the American public. For many homeowners, the formal living
room and dining room seems antiquated and out of touch with their busy
lifestyles. As a result, they prefer home styles that include large great room
designs where the traditional family room and dining room are combined into one
large room. For others, the concept of a great room is wasted space and prevents
the use of additional living space being created within the home. |
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Regardless of preference,
however, no one denies the beauty and openness of a great room.
Structural Great Room Ideas
A great room is typically
synonymous with large vaulted ceilings and wide open areas. Most great room
designs are centrally located within the home and act as the focal point of
the home. If you are planning a new home or home addition that includes a
great room there are a number of excellent great room design ideas that you
should consider. |
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When developing great room design
plans there are four main structural considerations you should focus on.
First is the size of the great room.
It should be large, as it is supposed to be a great room. It should also be able
to serve at least two functions of the standard home. For example, it could
serve as the traditional living room and dining room area. Alternatively, you
may want it to serve as a living room and den area. |
Second, cathedral ceilings or vaulted
ceilings are a signature feature in a great room. Think of the great room in
medieval castles. They are expansive with high ceilings. A great room design
must include high ceilings to truly qualify as a great room.
Third, a great room design must be
centrally located within the home. A great room is meant to be the common area
of the home, and consequently it should be at the center of the home and home
activity.
Finally, a great room should include
copious amounts of light and preferably natural light. In addition, sufficient
electrical lighting should be supplied to maintain the room’s brightness in the
evening hours.
Accent Great Room Ideas
When developing a set of great room
plans it is important to think about adding touches of elegance and grandness to
the room. For example, you may want to consider the use of exposed timbers and
beams in the vaulted ceilings. In addition, you may want to use accent lighting
along the beams and in the corners of the room to provide texture and drama to
the ceilings.
In addition to exposed beams, you may
also want to consider the use of exposed posts and/or columns to provide a
feeling of greatness and strength in the room.
The use of large entranceway arches
is another excellent great room idea.
Home Electronics and Great Rooms
Since most great rooms act as the
central living room or family room, it is also important to consider the
location of home theater systems and stereo systems. Consequently sufficient
wall space should be included in your great room design plans to allow the
installation of this type of electronic equipment. Alternatively you may want to
consider the use of built-in cabinets in your great room design plans for
housing the electronics. Also, make sure you identify and include all of the
necessary outlet connections you need for your home theater system in your great
room design plans. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
It is also important to note that
great rooms have the tendency to have poor acoustics, so you may want to
consider the use of wall fabrics and other types of tapestries to help absorb
sounds within the room. A home theater system, for example, may end up
reverberating in the great room if sound damping methods are not employed in it.
Great Room Lighting Ideas
As I have already noted, it is
important to include as much natural lighting in a great room as possible. The
use of sky lights and a wall of windows are excellent great room ideas. In
addition you may want to include spot lighting for over the dining area as well
as a large centrally located chandelier for lighting the entire room.
In addition you may want to consider
the use of wall sconces and track lighting. If you anticipate hanging paintings
in the room, you may also want to consider the use of spot lighting over the
areas where paintings are expected to be hung.
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Photo by Mark Donovan |
In regards to the home theater area
of the room, you will also want to utilize dimmer switches to control the lights
in different areas of the great room. Also, don’t forget to include speaker
wiring and outlets for wall and ceiling speaker mounts.
With these simple great room ideas
you can maximize the splendor and functionality of your future great room. In
addition, these key features can maximize the return on investment in your great
room addition.
For more help on building a great room addition, see HomeAdditionPlus.com's
Home
Addition Bid Sheets.
Our
Home
Addition Bid Sheets
provide you with the knowledge and information on how to plan a great room
addition project, and what to look for when hiring contractors. They also
include detailed cost breakdown tables and spreadsheets for estimating your own
new great room addition building costs.
How to Finance your Home Remodeling Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Related Building Home Addition Articles
Additional Home and Great Room Addition Resources from Amazon.com
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