Coastal cottage decor is chic and comfort all rolled into one. Chippy paint furniture, whimsical beach themed designs and easy to care for fabrics make this a perfect choice for the family room.

Regardless of your current decor you can get the cottage style in your family room with a few simple changes, like new flooring, accessories and slipcovers for the furniture. When redecorating, especially if you have a tight budget, you want to think about inexpensive changes that make a big impact such as wall paint and decorative accessories.

What's on your floor can add to the design theme, but if new floors aren't in the budget for your family room then work with what you have by covering them with area rugs that have a cottage style or a sisal rug if you are going for a more contemporary feel. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford new floors, you might consider light stained wood and soften it up a bit with area rugs.

Although it usually requires a bit of artistic talent to create a realistic painting, almost anyone can create an eye-catching piece of abstract art. Since abstract art pieces blend beautifully with contemporary styles of decorating, they can be the perfect addition to your contemporary family room. Although you can actually paint on almost any surface, it's often easiest to start with a purchased piece of canvas board.

Since the family room has to cater to adults and kids, it should contain elements that all family members enjoy. Scour your home from storage to other rooms and find things than can be use in your family room. You can decorate the room with old furniture after having it reupholstered, matching it with a throw rug that can animate the effect of the vintage furniture.

Interior decoration ideas provide good guidance for family rooms you can use one decorative piece or piece of furniture as the focal point and decorate around it. One high quality piece of furniture, electronics or a painting can carry the effect of the whole room and you can decorate around it. Be careful and don't over decorate, since all the family members will spend time there space is important. A good suggestion is having multi-tasking furniture that can be opened and folded back to save space.

Rather than buying expensive furniture and décor that match, look for diverse pieces with a unifying theme, color and style for the family room. A popular trend is cushions that don't precisely match the couch. You can use the basic couch, but have slipcovers custom made for the cushions and replace them. You can always use the original covers later, always use a vibrant and exciting shade in fabrics.