The Living Room: Before (Previous Owner)
Nearly 2 years ago, we moved into a new-to-us historic home, built in 1926. What sold us was the potential of the kitchen, which we ended up gutting and redesigning from the ground up. Since we shared about that kitchen reno with you, we’ve been sharing a bit more about the other rooms in our home that we’ve finished, like our office.
Next up: the living room. It was one of the first rooms that was close to “done” in the house. Above are before and after shots, and below are a few design tips that we learned in the process:
- Match the furniture to the room size. As you can see in the “before” shot, the previous owner had a large sectional sofa that took up most of the room. We traded it out for a couch and two chairs, which lightened up the space immensely. The sitting area is rather small and awkward shaped, but we’ve made the best of the space with the smaller furniture. We’re still looking for a few very small side tables to set drinks on.
- Lighten up – literally. It depends on the look you’re going for, but lightening paint and furniture colors can do wonders for a room. Instead of the dark brown curtains and sofa and beige wall paint in the “before” photo, we went for a very light gray wall, white curtains, and a medium gray sofa. The effect was again, incredibly lightening and made us feel tangibly warmer toward our new space.
- Feng shui is real. If you can tell in the “before” shot, some shelving units were hung to the right of the fireplace, blocking the space between the fireplace and the edge of the room. Removing the shelves lightened up the space even more, allowing for free, uninhibited space and removal of clutter.
- Plants make it. Our room was incomplete until Alex’s mom gifted us with a rubber tree plant. We absolutely love its funky vibe and the way it brings life to the room.
- Texturize. That may not be a word, but bringing in various textures is key to making a room visually appealing and seemingly “cozy”. We love our fuzzy throw over the chair, and the lambskin on the ottoman (named Lambie, a gift from my sister).
- Mix old and new. Decorating rooms can cost an arm and a leg, and we’re very sensitive to price. We love shopping for antiques, so we’ve mixed in antique with new items for an eclectic vibe. Plus, antiques can be much cheaper! The yellow chair was $10 at an antique store, the wooden chest of drawers by the front door was free (an antique gift from Alex’s uncle), and the globe was $15.
- Consider trading coffee table for ottoman. We spent ages looking for the perfect coffee table, to no avail. Since we mainly used our previous coffee table as a combination foot rest / junk accumulator, we decided to go for an ottoman instead. It’s much cozier, perfect for our main purpose (foot rest), and we also have a little tray for drinks.
- Contrast shapes. Our sofa and ottoman are fairly boxy, so we worked to find contrasting shapes to offset them, like the round mirror, globe light, and diamond-shaped chair (a surprise gift from Alex’s mom, who found it by secretly lurking on our Pinterest board).
- Personalize. We added a few photographs on canvas to personalize the space; the large canvas is a photo Alex took while we were vacationing in Paris, and the smaller canvas has a photo from our wedding.
- Be patient. It takes a long time to acquire pieces that you feel are personally meaningful and right for a space. While it’s easy to want to just buy “something” to fit the space, we’re glad we took the extra time to make sure we truly liked the elements in our room.
In terms of renovations, the living room was one of the easiest rooms in the house; we simply painted the walls and fireplace and had the floors refinished. We hired a professional at the last minute for the floors, as we were nervous Alex would ruin them trying on his own, and we’re so glad we did!
We hope these design tips are helpful if you’re in the midst of a home reno; and if not, we know most everyone loves good before and after shots (we do, at least)!
More On Our House Reno
Kitchen Reno
Office Reno
This looks incredible, especially as compared to the previous owner’s decor. It’s amazing what clean, angular furniture can do to open up a space! I love the little cabinet by the front door especially.
Jill
Thank you so much! Yes, we love that cabinet too – it’s an antique that Alex’s uncle gave us for our wedding. Such a lovely gift that we’ve had in apartments and houses throughout our marriage :)
It’s beautiful! What makes it perfect, for me, is the piano. It says music, and home, and beauty. It’s perfect there.
Yes! I’m a pianist so when we bought a house, I bought a piano :) (We actually got it on Craig’s List!)
I love the light space you were able to create. Hard to believe it’s the same place. Beautiful!
Thank you so much! Yes, when I look at the before photos, I feel the same way! It was a hard road to get there, but worth it :)
What a transformation! Simple, classy, and welcoming. Love that plant too!
Thank you! Yes, the plant is my favorite too. I was admiring it at my mother in law’s place and she gave it to me — so sweet!
Your new living room looks amazing. It’s very calming… great color choices with the greys and whites with yellow and gold accents. Relaxing with a touch of elegance! I adore the circles that you brought in to balance the shapes and I’m a huge fan of texture for added interest and to support an uncomplicated color theme. That set of wooden drawers near your front door is beautiful too! Is Uncle Alex looking to adopt? ;)
We, too, have an odd shaped living room. As a compromise, we chose a darker-than-I’d-like sofa but the next time around we will be going lighter!! I’m a big fan of ottomans as coffee tables. This way, there’s extra seating if needed or you can put a tray on top and it’s an instant place to put drinks or appetizers. I’m still looking for good side coffee tables for our room too and I’d rather have our old stuff than buy new stuff that I don’t love. Creating a great room takes time… we’ve lived in our home for 10 years and we still have our living room left. It’s the only room really left to go. It’s been the hardest because I also teach yoga in that room so having anything like a big area rug or furniture that has to move when I have my class is a pain in the butt. So I continue to have patience and know that it will all come together. Eventually. Ha!
Thank you so much, Lisa! Yes, it does take so long to come up with a design that seems personal and inviting. I’m sure it will all come together for your living room too! And I’m not sure if Alex’s uncle is looking to adopt – haha! He is an auctioneer and is always finding interesting pieces :)
Where could I find that bookshelf? It is so unique! I love it.
We actually registered for it at Target and got it as a wedding gift 8 years ago! Here is a similar one though (ours is dark brown): http://www.target.com/p/furniture-of-america-highpoint-contoured-bookcase-black/-/A-13941976#prodSlot=_1_51
You guys did a great job to this room!! So full of light and gorgeous! :)
Thank you so much, Amy!
IT’S SO CUTE! i love the furriness and the brightness and THREE SONJAS! wow, that’s so cool.
Thank you! Three Sonja’s is much too many and I didn’t want to post that photo, but since Alex already created it, I did. There’s nothing worse than seeing yourself three times in a photo!
I’m totally in love with your house + aesthetic.
Thank you, Kasey! That means a lot coming from you, since I truly admire your aesthetic (what I see of it through your blog and Instagram)!
Can I come live with you guys? I love your design sense in the home, and these are really great tips.
Yes, please! We have an open guest room! :)