The Living Room

Like my own home, your house might need some repairs or a couple renovations left to do. But just because your home isn’t “finished” by pinterest standards doesn’t mean you can’t do some temporary things to make your home more practical and beautiful. I can PROMISE you that a clean, organized home with a few bits of pretty will make you feel so much happier with your home as it is right now.

Each month we’ll go room-by-room to talk through how to get a space deep cleaned, decluttered, and organized. Then I’ll show you some simple styling products and methods I use to make a space feel more beautiful. We’ll even include links to some of our favorite things to help you out!

The couch:

The main and most essential items for me in a living room is a 1) a comfortable couch and 2) the proper placement for a TV from said couch position. After all, you’re setting up the perfect spot for family movies, right?

As the mom to two young boys and dogs that think they own the couch, I opted to do an affordable slipcover sofa from Ikea. I have hopes of getting something nicer in the future, but this serves what we need for this season of life. And I love that all four of us + our two dogs can all cuddle up on it at the same time. I wash the covers every month or so and they look like new every time. To change the look of the room from season-to-season, I change out the pillow covers and throw blanket.

the Mantle:

We refinished our brick fireplace in limewash the year after we moved in and it lightened up the space a LOT. I like that the limewash let the brick keep a natural looking texture.

Matt built our mantle and I keep a large mirror (to reflect more light) + vintage art or an accent mirror in the middle. I add a couple plants (always…) and then some taper candles to create a really cozy vibe.

built in bookShelves:

Our built in shelves + desk in our living room are the main source of book storage for all our adult books in the house. I organize them by color because I think it’s prettier that way, and I pop in a few shelfie decor + plants to mix it up. I’m a big believer that bookshelves should have actual books on it…ha!

The built in desk houses stationary/stamps, the cord drawer (doesn’t everyone have one of those?!) and smaller electronics. If anyone is every looking for a charging cord or a tablet, they’re always put in that exact spot.

Credenza:

The credenza in our living room actually used to belong to my grandparents. My dad grew up with it in his house and they jokingly called in “The Coffin” lol. It used to be their record player setup, but I have it to house our Wii + games, DVD player (yes…we still have and watch DVD’s!), and a couple of baskets that I use to quickly pick up toys and books at the end of the day.

Coffee Table:

Our coffee table is simple and I keep a tray on it to hold another plant (they’re everywhere!), a candle, and a faux book to store the remotes. I used to have an ottoman and I kept the toy + book baskets under there, too. I never had a coffee table growing up, but I seriously love having it now. Not only do we eat on it Japanese style some nights, but we also color or play card games on it.

Side Table:

We have a side table in between our two chairs in the living room and I LOVE that it has a drawer on it because THAT is where I keep our travel ping pong set we use for the dining room table on occasion AND it’s also where we store our clamps we use for fort making. Our living room is meant for living and I’ve never wanted anything too precious in there.

Buffet:

Matt gave me an antique buffet for my birthday a few years ago. And by gave me I mean I found it on Facebook Marketplace and we drove out to the middle of nowhere to pick it up and I dubbed it my birthday present. Ha! I LOVE THIS PIECE!! It reminds me of one my great grandmother had in her farmhouse (which sadly, burned down) and now I keep it to store my good china and all my stemware. I keep a handful of family pictures on display here, as well as a couple candles to make the room feel extra special.

Save VS. Splurge:

I thought I would just make one last note about creating a living room you love when it comes to pieces you want to invest in vs. pieces you want to spend just a little on. I have just a few new pieces in the entire room - the couch, the chairs, the side table and the desk chair. The rest are vintage, thrifted, Amazon or hand-me-downs. I think to have a home with little kids means you have to decide what will serve your family best AND what’s going to give you the best piece of mind. If you feel better about buying a good sofa now and then just maybe make plans to recover it later…awesome! I knew my boys being so rough on furniture (jumping, wrestling, forts, etc.) I knew I didn’t want to spend a lot on a good couch right now. What I DID spend some good money on was our rug. At first we had a Rugglable (which wasn’t cheap) but man it’s WONDERFUL for littles and pets!! Now that my boys and our dogs are older, we invested in a vintage rug that I LOVE. It already has some wear on it (as it should considering it’s 100 years old already!), but I also don’t mind adding a little more to the wear of it while it’s here in our home.

Living rooms are meant to be lived in an enjoyed by your people. The place to unwind at the end of the day. The actual soft spot for everyone to land. So make choices that will serve you and your family well for the season you’re in now and you won’t regret it :)

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How To Create A Home You Love - Living Room Edition