Brightening up a dark family room in Sherborn

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A few years ago, the owners added an expansive family room and dining area to their Sherborn home. The new space offered ample area for the couple and their three sons to be together.

The dining table is lightened with an orange patterned rug and white side chairs with orange vinyl seats.Eric Roth

"They loved how big it was and the way it opened into the kitchen," says interior designer Kelly Rogers. Yet after a while, the couple realized that the brown sectional, dark walls, and a poor layout made the space feel confining, disjointed, and dark despite numerous windows.

"It felt kind of like a man-cave; the wife didn't feel comfortable entertaining in the space," says Rogers, who worked with the homeowners to make it brighter and more reflective of their style.

The old brown couch was relocated to the basement and walls were painted Benjamin Moore's Dulce de Leche, which presents a light, airy backdrop for the new scheme. To help with privacy and to infuse a little textural dimension, Rogers selected window treatments made of a hand-blocked hemp Rose Tarlow fabric. Rustic touches like the round copper-topped coffee table and a leather lampshade are combined with softer elements including faux fur throw pillows and a custom variegated wool rug.

Rogers focused on creating a flexible layout in the living area that would accommodate large groups for entertaining and also be comfortable for family downtime. The CR Laine daybed can seat six people during a party and is a favorite spot for the boys to lounge on. While the new sofa has a refined look, family members are free to put their feet up on it. "It's very durable," Rogers says of the piece's woven upholstery, a stain-resistant fabric by Duralee's Crypton Home Collection.

There's more textural and pattern appeal in a pair of wood rope twist chairs upholstered with an abstract animal Ikat woven fabric by Robert Allen.

The owners opted to keep their dark wood dining table. The effect is lightened with a lively orange patterned rug and white side chairs with metallic orange vinyl seats. The host chairs are upholstered in a linen stripped Joe Ruggiero Sunbrella fabric.

"The space now has a lightness to it," says Rogers. "It's low maintenance but polished with lots of interesting touches."