Guys, I need to do a little makeover of our living room. Now that we are home and I’m contemplating a whole winter staying home, I’m more resolved than ever to make our living room a place where I’d like to spend my time.
I mentioned back in January that this year I was planning on focusing on getting the interior of our house how I wanted it. This means letting go of some of our old furniture and replacing it. Well, that hasn’t happened. Between one thing and another, the decor of our home keeps getting pushed further down the list. But now it really needs to happen.
A little backstory. Andrew and I both lived separately before we moved in together. That means that we each had a couch, a set of knives, beds, mattresses, you get the picture. So when Andrew bought our house, we didn’t need anything. We actually had more than we needed.
The only problem was that nothing matched. I should say that this is only a problem for me. Andrew really doesn’t care about a cohesive look or aesthetic. He’s more worried about the bones of the house and the structure.
Anyways, that was in 2015. It’s now 2020, we have a kid and are finally getting around to investing a little in making our home aesthetically pleasing along with comfortable and functional.
I’ve been brainstorming for our living room and wanted to share where I’m starting with you guys. And let me just say, that it has taken me a long time to get to this point. I freeze up when it comes to making any interior design decisions. This is mainly because it’s a lot of money and I need to get it right. Getting some new furniture, deciding I don’t like it, then getting something else really isn’t an option.
Also, we don’t have a ton of space. Our home is 1,200 square feet but the living part of the house is really just about 1,000 sq. ft. So this living room is everything for us. It’s a living space, playroom, tv room, and entryway all in one. It needs to serve several purposes while being functional and comfortable and able to withstand daily destruction by a toddler. Plus, I want it to be pretty.
I’m not asking for much am I?!
Here’s some of the inspiration that I’m using to help guide me.
Small Living Room Inspiration
Barbara Straub Interiors
The mix of colors, patterns, and textures here are quite beautiful and cohesive. I’m trying to do the same for my home but with a slightly altered color palette. Namely more grey rather than tan. Everything on Barbara’s account is a stunning and beautiful inspiration.
Dear Lillie
I really like how they make use of the entryway by adding pictures and a place to sit and remove shoes. I want to look into arranging some pictures like this in our home since we have a similar awkward narrow space.
Kelly in the City
Kelly’s old home was similar to ours in several ways. Their living room, dining room, and kitchen are arranged similar to ours. They also had the small footprint that we are dealing with where our living room has to also be an entryway and playroom.
Queen Carlene
Former fellow Seattle blogger, Carlene is furnishing her New Jersey apartment with comfortable and affordable pieces. She mentioned that this chair cover was a great find and the chair ottoman looks pretty comfy.
Style Assisted
If you have been reading here for a couple of years, you may remember Adriele from Style Assisted. They moved into their new home a few years ago and I’ve always loved her living room. Those built-ins are stunning and look like they provide a bunch of additional storage space.
The Everymom
Since our living room is also a play area for Teddy, making a designated toy storage area is a must. Also how cute is that National Park print?!
Clark + Aldine
This is another example of a beautiful and functional entryway in my opinion. I love the setting and storage solution plus the photo arrangement.
