Be quiet or noisy, this 20- by 30-foot room has two zones - family room

Dividing this family room addition in two made a lot of sense. Although each half is a distinct zone-a play area for children and a quieter sitting area for adults-the room is a friendly gathering place.

Before designing the 20- by 30-foot room, architect George Cody of Palo Alto, California, listened carefully to owners Barbara and Jim Willenborg. They wanted their young children to have space for both quiet and active play, as well as loads of storage space. The parents' needs were more sedentary: a fireplace, storage for books and television, and room for a couch and easy chair.

An 8-foot-long hall centered in the space separates the two zones. The hall's walls run to the ceiling, but the upper parts of them are glazed to maintain openness while blocking sound. For additional acoustical control, Cody carpeted most of the floor and covered the walls with a special looped fabric.

Flanking the hallway are 28-inch-deep sets of shelves. On the children's side, open upper shelves house toys; 22 drawers and bins store all the little treasures that kids can collect, and four caster-mounted bins hold other play gear.

Six inches lower than the rest of the room, the floor by this storage wall is hardwood parquet. Its hard, level surface is perfect for stacking blocks, pushing around toy cars, or even riding a trike.

The carpeted area is for quieter play. Here, Cody included a 4- by 5-foot window seat that can double as a day bed. A bookcase fills one end of the bed area.