Moving on Up! Designing a Right-sized Home for a Growing Family Part 2

A Playful Sunroom Designed for Everyday Life

In the next installment of our “Moving on Up! Designing a Right-sized Home for a Growing Family” series, we're taking a look at the sunroom—a space designed to bring a little more flexibility, and personality into everyday life.

When our clients were moving into their new home, they knew there was something they wanted to recreate. In their previous home, they had a favorite den centered around a fabulous game table from Dunes and Duchess. It was a room with a playful spirit—a place to gather, play, and simply enjoy being together. As we began designing their new home, they wanted a space that could offer a similar feeling right at home within this next chapter.

We found the perfect opportunity in the sunroom, conveniently located between the dining and living rooms. The goal was to create a space that could support a lively game to overflow seating during a dinner party, while maintaining the sense of whimsy our clients love.

a Flexible Sunroom for Growing Family

At LiLu Interiors, we believe a successful right-sized home for a growing family makes every room work a little harder. A sunroom doesn't need to have just one purpose. In fact, the most successful spaces often support several different ways of living.

For this room, the space plan centered around the existing game table, along with a sofa, lounge chair, and supporting tables. The game table immediately gives the room a sense of purpose, but its function extends well beyond game night. It can become an additional dining surface when entertaining, especially with the dining room located directly next door. It can also serve as a convenient place for a school project or creative activity to remain in progress without taking over other living spaces.

For larger gatherings, the layout creates an easy flow between the dining room and sunroom. During a mahjongg gathering, for example, guests can move comfortably throughout the adjoining spaces, while buffet service in the dining room naturally extends into the sunroom. There is plenty of seating for guests who want to join the conversation as well as those who are ready for serious play. The result is a room that feels purposeful without being overly prescribed—a flexible extension of the home that is ready to adapt to the life happening around it.

Layered for A Playfulness

One of our favorite ways to create a layered, personal interior is by finding new life for pieces our clients already love. In this sunroom, a lounge chair from the former primary bedroom was given a new role. Upholstered in a playful blue lattice fabric, the chair felt perfectly at home in this more casual and social setting. We also incorporated a sofa from a family member and gave it a new life through reupholstery in a blue and cream fabric.

The existing blue lacquer and walnut game table provided an important starting point for the sunroom's design. In its previous setting, we had paired the table with gray-stained dining chairs upholstered in pink tweed. In the new home, we expanded on that original combination and allowed blue to become a stronger, more immersive presence. Rather than treating blue simply as an accent color, we used it almost as a neutral—creating a foundation that feels grounded, sophisticated, and connected to the surrounding spaces.

This use of blue also creates a direct visual relationship with the living room. While each room has its own personality, repeating key colors throughout the home helps create a sense of continuity and allows the spaces to feel connected rather than individually decorated. Against this blue foundation, playful accents bring the room to life. Stripes, embroidered fabrics, and unexpected pops of color add personality and subtle moving, creating the sense of whimsy that was so important to our clients from the beginning.

A green lacquered end table with a fun tray edge adds another unexpected layer of personality, while the coffee table, wrapped in white linen, features an apron with a softly scalloped edge. The curves, edges, finishes, and fabrics all contribute to the feeling that this is a space where play is welcome. The furnishings invite people to settle in, pull up a chair and spend time together.

The right-sized home for a growing family, this kind of flexibility can make all the difference. The rug became an important unifying element in the sunroom, bringing together the blues, greens, and whites used throughout the furnishings and finishes. We selected a striped design with a playful rhythm that feels suggestive of an animal print without being overly literal. The pattern continues moving around the room while supporting the whimsical character of the furnishings.

To continue the language of playful details, we incorporated a wavy navy edge around the rug. This small detail relates back to the other scalloped and unexpected edges found throughout the room, helping the design feel connected from one element to the next.

At LiLu Interiors, we often look for these opportunities to create a subtle conversation between pieces. A room doesn't need every element to match, but the details should feel as though they belong together.

Softness with Thoughtful Window Treatments

The sunroom's window treatments add another layer of softness to the space while continuing the established color palette. We selected a fabric with a small-scale pattern and a blue background that complements elements throughout the room without competing with them.

Because the room already includes stripes, embroidery, lattice, and playful furniture details, the smaller pattern provides balance. It adds visual interest while allowing the room to remain layered and relaxed. The result is a sunroom that feels warm without losing the brightness and openness that make the space special.

Designed to Invite People In

The best rooms often give people a reason to stay. For this family, the sunroom is not simply a pass-through space or a beautiful room to admire. It is a place to gather around a game table, enjoy a conversation, or create additional space when the whole family comes together.

By building upon furnishings with history, introducing playful new elements, and creating a flexible space plan, we designed a room that feels connected to both the family's past and their future.

That is part of what we love about designing a right-sized home for a growing family. Every room has an opportunity to evolve with the people who live there. Sometimes that means finding a new purpose for a favorite piece of furniture. Sometimes it means creating a dedicated place for gathering, and recognizing the spaces between a home's more traditional rooms as some of the most memorable places to spend time.

Begin the Conversation

A home should grow and change alongside the people who live in it. At LiLu Interiors, we design homes around the way our clients truly live—from the quiet moments of everyday life to the celebrations that bring loved ones together. We believe beautiful interiors should not simply be admired; they should invite you to enjoy the life happening within them.

If you're preparing and want to create a home that feels personal, flexible, and beautifully suited to the way you live, we'd love to begin the conversation. Contact us today to begin designing a home that grows beautifully alongside your family.