Two Hour Family Room Makeover

Nesting – it’s the latest decorating trend.  With the economy dragging, more families are spending time at home to save money, and with that trend they are sprucing up their homes to take on new entertaining and family time tasks.  The first stop is the family room…

Since money is tight, your budget is the top priority in your family room makeover.  Take a few hours to get your family room up to snuff to take on a family game night or movie night.  Here’s how:

Hour One

Certainly not as fun as redecorating your family room, but even more necessary – clean your room!  Easier said than done, but some rooms don’t need a makeover, just a thorough cleaning. 

Get one family member to help, it doesn’t have to be a miserable undertaking.  Turn on the stereo – not the television, it’s too distracting.  Make sure you have all your cleaning supplies on hand.  My husband always gets out of this project by making a run to the store claiming we need more paper towels, so have everything ready beforehand.

  • Paper Towels
  • Glass Cleaner
  • Vacuum
  • Swiffer
  • Rags
  • Lemon Oil
  • Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Divide up the tasks. One person should clean, one declutter.

Person One
Remove all stray papers, books, games, dishes, etc. and put them away properly.  Don’t pile them up to go through later, they’ll end up right back where they started.  The most efficient way to take care of these things is to only touch each item once, meaning once you pick it up, put it away properly where it belongs rather than in a pile to be dealt with later.

Person Two
While the clutter is being addressed, the helper can start dusting.  Use the Swiffer on baseboards, ceiling fans and bookshelves.  Lemon oil is better for wood furniture than waxy dusting products, it moisturizes and cleans the wood and gives it a great shine.  It also covers any scratches.

Then go to windows and television screens with the glass cleaner – can you believe how much dirt gets on the screen?  Dust all other surfaces with a damp rag.  Now vacuum – thoroughly – hopefully Person One is through decluttering and can help move furniture around to get every last nook and cranny in the room.

Hour Two

Now that the room is clean and has less clutter, rearrange the furniture.  If you’re like most people, it’s against the wall, pull it out, angle it or create small conversation groupings.  Use an area rug to define the grouping if necessary.  Rearrange accessories, make sure each surface has no more than 3 items on it, you’ll be surprised how much larger the room looks with clear surfaces. 

While you’re at it, consider changing around some artwork, bring something in from another room.  Don’t leave a single piece of wall art hanging out there by itself – either group it with similar items or relate it to a piece of furniture by its location or similarities. 

Bottom Line

Your family room may not need a total room makeover after all, it may just need a good cleaning and quickie update.  Try the two hour makeover before taking on a complete redecorating project if you’re watching your budget.  Try a new accessory or two if you’re in the mood to shop.  It may be just what the room, and your family, needed.