It’s been a while since I’ve shared a home decor update on here, and I’ve never really delved into the living room – simply because I haven’t really gotten it to where it feels “finished” enough to share! But I’m so excited because I was finally ready to get those finishing touches in place, and enlisted a little help from Kerry Spears for custom upholstery and some professional tips (she offers great e-design services which is so helpful if you aren’t wanting to hire a full-service designer!)
Anywho, we love this room so much and it has had quite a transformation (see this tiktok of mine, which sparked quite a load of heated comments, showing the paint job before and after – who knew this is such a controversial topic – I didn’t!). When we bought the house, this room was covered in dark orangey woodwork. It was clear the previous owners didn’t spend much time in here, it was more of their stuffy/formal living room rather than family room. We knew we would use the space as our main family room area where we would have our TV and spend most of our time, so we really wanted to brighten it up so it would feel more light and inviting rather than dark and cavernous. I am personally thrilled with the result and feel so lucky that the existing details of the woodwork really shine with the white paint (we used Benjamin Moore White Dove for those wondering).
Anyway the updates are slowly trickling in, so I thought it would be a good time for a “midpoint” update and will also share the final result once everything is complete!
While I love the purely blue and white situation we have going on right now, I’m looking forward to seeing more color and varied patterns in this room with the new upholstery that will be coming in!
The new piece I am most excited about is this gorgeous flatweave rug by Caitlin Wilson Design (see this one too with the same pattern on a smaller scale and more sizes available). It lays atop our Fibreworks sisal which we custom ordered (only available to-the-trade, but Pottery Barn carries some of their rugs – similar linked). The rug really gives the room a more layered look, adds color to what was feeling like a room of all beige, and thus far has been quite easy to clean with the kids! Very very happy with it.
For the furnishings, we were very lucky to inherit some pieces from my parents because they coincidentally were doing some re-decorating at their house when we were moving into ours. The sofas were our own from our apartment living days (the one pictured is a very old One Kings Lane settee), but the ottoman, arm chairs, Ralph Lauren lamps, and even curtains we re-purposed from my parents hand-me-downs. The intention was to slowly replace them with more intentional choices, but as you can see it actually all came together pretty well! The arm chairs aren’t pictured here, but they’re a beige velvet. They’re not my favorite because they look really tired and contribute to the “sea of beige” feeling this room had (before we added the blue rug). I found some classic-shaped arm chairs from an estate sale (my new love is perusing these online via auctionninja.com) for only $165 and they’re being re-upholstered this month in a favorite Lee Jofa linen hollyhock! Skirted with blue piping! Eek!
I also found a fantastic Stark sofa from a separate estate sale (bought for $130) and will eventually re-upholster that too and replace one of our existing sofas. I am all about this method for upholstered furniture; ordering custom pieces is not only exorbitantly expensive, but with current delays it can take 6 months or more. So if you’re able to find vintage/second-hand pieces to recover, you save a lot of money and time and can just spend where you get the most impact: on the fabric of your choice and labor from a local shop!
The throw pillows are a mix of custom and purchased. I love Stuck on Hue if you’re interested in designer-fabric pillows without hiring a designer. She has an amazing selection and you can customize the trim (contrast piping/ruffle welt, etc.!)
I LOVE this blue Schumacher diagonal striped pillow Kerry recommended with the ruffle welt – you can purchase the exact one on Chairish – linked here!
For the bookshelves, we compiled any and all blue and white porcelain accessories we had collected over the years, and continue to add over time! My parents had these leftover decorative blue books that fill the top shelves perfectly! Did you know you can buy books by the color *by the foot* for decorative purposes? Book lovers may protest, but I’m personally a big fan of the effect. See similar blue ones from Pottery Barn here!
Can’t wait to see this room come together and will share more as we go! xo
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One Response
It’s looking so lovely, Sam, you’ve made great progress!! I’m a big fan of slow but sure decoration and I love that you are embracing that 🙂 Can’t wait to see what’s next! xo