Jo Alcorn’s clients had a problem. The Ontario-based designer behind Alcorn Home—a brand of housewares including lighting, furniture, and easily washable dog beds—could see their family’s TV room wasn’t doing them any favors, emotionally or comfort-wise. “It was just kind of lackluster,” says Alcorn. “We had finished the other rooms in the house, and this became the eyesore that stood out. It had a builder fireplace and a three-seater sofa on one wall that wasn’t conducive to cuddling with family to watch TV properly.” Her directive: make it a showstopping lounge area all ages could love.

She began by doing what, until recently, would have been a bit cringe-inducing to many members of the design cognoscenti: she added an electric fireplace by Dimplex. “I’m all about changing out gas fireplaces now, because you can only use them for a certain amount of time out of the year,” she says. “With electric, you can enjoy the ambience all year round because you can turn off the heat. They’re easy to install, and now come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors. They’ve come a long way.” Another reason to go electric is that they are entirely low maintenance (no dealing with ashes, soot, or lugging of logs).

The fireplace mantel was tailored specifically for modern family life. The TV is on a swiveling mount arm from Wayfair so it can pull toward the kitchen, where these parents can keep an eye on their son and daughter during meal prep. Built-in benches on either side of the hearth contain necessary secret storage by Metrie—a boon for parents of toy-obsessed kids. “Drawers are limited, so the storage is actually a mini door that folds down for full access,” says Alcorn. “The family stores electrical stuff, games, and blankets inside.”

Alcorn derived the room’s color scheme of blues and grays from the family itself—an unbeatable source. “Using their favorite colors means they’ll enjoy their space all the more,” she says, noting that it also has continuity with the rest of the home. “You don’t want to be too trendy. Select hues you’re going to love for a long, long time.” Because it’s a family home with young kids, Alcorn chose hard-wearing, durable fabrics for pillows and upholstery. “I try to find fabrics that have polyester in them for washability,” she says. “Natural fabrics, you’re going to be worried about. With kids or if you’re a frequent entertainer, you want to focus on 100 percent polyester with a high rub count. You can get it in velvet, micro suede, cruelty-free leathers—they can mimic anything nowadays. My collection is 100 percent polyester and fully washable. Like electric fireplaces, these fabrics have [come] a long way.”