Combining kitchen, family room takes a plan

"The means prepare the end, and the end is what the means have made it." John Morley (1838-1923), British statesman, writer and newspaper editor, "Carlyle, Critical Miscellanies."

Q: We are enlarging our kitchen space to encompass a family room. Is there a rule of thumb on decorating a family room when it is attached to a kitchen? Should you look for furniture that matches your cabinets, as far as wood tones, styles, etc. Can you have different flooring in the two spaces? Should window treatments match?

A: Wow! How exciting for you to be getting a new kitchen with an attached family room. That's almost like getting a whole new house because having those two spaces open up to each other will create a living space you will use from morning to night -- cooking, eating, entertaining, watching TV, doing homework and just hanging out.

These are great questions, and ones that more folks should pay attention to.

Let's take the first one. Should wood and styles match in the two spaces? The short answer is yes, if possible. And, even better, it will be more than likely easy to accomplish. If you have country cabinetry or really sleek contemporary ones, chances are that's your overall style, and the furniture and accessories you choose for your family room will match that aesthetic. It should not be a real stretch to achieve unity in the space.

While kitchen cabinetry is looking more like freestanding furniture, some companies are expanding their lines to offer pieces for spaces other than kitchens.

For instance, KarftMaid has storage cabinets, fireplace surrounds and tables to match its cabinet lines, and pieces like these would be perfect in your open room plan.

Regarding flooring, try to keep it the same throughout the space. Breaking up an open area with different types of flooring does just that -- it breaks up the space and makes two spaces look smaller than they are (and somewhat awkward). Having a single floor covering also gives you more flexibility when arranging your furniture. If you choose tile or hardwood for your flooring but would still like a warmer surface in the family room, add plush, cozy area rugs. And, unless you have a one-of-a-kind handmade rug, you can purchase a matching runner or smaller rug to use in the kitchen that will tie the two spaces together.

If you are lucky enough to have a window in your new kitchen area, do try to keep the window treatments coordinated with the ones in the family room if you are using a fabric. The fabrics don't necessarily have to be exactly the same, but use coordinating patterns in the same color family. The styles don't have to match, either. You may have a window topper, a Roman shade or a valance in the kitchen area and curtain panels in the family room. And, just because you have fabric treatments in the kitchen, doesn't preclude shutters or some other treatment in the family room. Pick your window coverings based on what you need for them to do, i.e., let in light, provide privacy or just look really cool.

Enjoy your new space. I'm sure you will find it easier than you may imagine to decorate and a joy to use.

Carolyn Muse Grant is the editor of Southern Nevada Home & Garden magazine. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home & Garden section of the Review-Journal. Check out other decorating tips in Southern Nevada Home & Garden magazine, which is published the first Saturday of each month. Send questions to cgrant@reviewjournal.com.