Great Rooms

Grace Bugg would agree that her great room - a

multi-purpose open-concept area in a house - fits the above dictionary definition. She and her

husband, Ken, spend hours in theirs, enjoying the

beautiful soaring ceilings, floor-to-ceiling fireplace, and

spectacular view. "We do not have a living room: the great

room is the living room. It's where we talk, read, and

entertain. It opens onto the kitchen, and when I'm

working in the kitchen, I'm looking out into the great

room. It's a stunning room, the centrepiece," says Bugg.

The great room is gracious and spacious and made for

today's families. It's the room in which to enjoy company

and congregate in a large, casual setting. Michael DeJong,

a designer/builder with Michael DeJong Homes, explains

that the great room takes the concept of informality and

makes it come alive. Rather than having a living room,

dining room, and walled-off kitchen, the great room

offers a larger space that often encompasses a number of

different functions and, happily, allows for families to

communicate and enjoy each other's company. "In

the Victorian era, you had homes with separate

parlours, formal dining rooms, and kitchens that were

completely separated, all with discrete walls. That was

the seen-and-not-heard era."

"The great room is a reflection of how people live today," DeJong adds. "It's informal and encourages

interaction. It takes the place of a number of rooms: the

living room and the family room and often the dining

room, too. The spaces are all there, but without walls.

There are often multiple functions taking place, which

may be defined by different elements such as seating. You

might have a sofa or two with a coffee table, another table

and chairs for games, and an area for music that could

contain a piano."

An abundance of space and the presence of visually

arresting elements help define the great room. It could be

a fireplace or a coffered or vaulted ceiling; the windows

may stretch the whole height of the room, filling it with

light and spectacular views. Since the space is big, the pieces encompassed by it have to also be on a grand scale

to fit the abundance of square footage. "A great room can

take a lot of shapes," DeJong notes. "Some with cathedral

ceilings seem majestic. A high coffered ceiling is likewise

impressive, but can seem cozier."

Is there a proper way to furnish a great room? Style

counts, of course, and like different families, great rooms

take on a personal quality. However, the emphasis is on

informality and comfort. "This is a room where people

come to flop down and be together," Luanne Kanerva of

katu design stresses. "You may see very comfortable sofas

and love seats with down-stuffed cushions."

"This is the one room where we do not have a TV,"

Bugg notes. "This room, for us, is minimalist in terms of

furnishings and it is low maintenance. The emphasis is on

conversation and comfort."

The Great Room: Defining Furnishings

Looking to make your great room truly great

• Let your furnishings define the area and the stature of
  the room.

• Keep furniture low maintenance. This is a room for the

  family to enjoy! "Ultrasuede makes a great choice in

  material for sofas and loveseats," Luanne Kanerva of

  katu design suggests.

• Stay contemporary. Floral prints and country themes may
  give a look that's too busy. "I would suggest clean lines

  and neutral colours," Kanerva says.

• Try some surprises. One super-seating concept that really
  stands out is an oversized ottoman.

• Items need to fit the scale of the room. If your space is

  grand, furnishings that are delicate and dainty may be

  dwarfed.

• Let your family's lifestyle shine through. Michael DeJong of

  Michael DeJong Homes notes, "the key is to encompass

  whatever the family needs to function. This is where the

  family will live."