Today I want to take you on a flashback journey through how (and why) our living room has evolved over the last four years.
You might recall this spring I got a new striped couch which I love (after giving my mom the leather one) and finally had made a decision on chairs.
Well, GOOD NEWS …. the chairs and rest of the furniture arrived (LOVE IT ALL!) so I’ve been getting photos and a post ready to show you.
Being intentional, taking your time and knowing the thought process behind all design decisions (whether you’re using what you have or buying new) will lead to a room you really love now and in the future, too.
In light of the newest phase in the evolution of this room (which I will share here soon) I thought it would be fun to first show you how this room has evolved over time (and tell you a funny story at the end about what happened this morning).
Changes are not always about making a room “better” or more “perfect” but making it work for your family and enjoying it in every season. Slow decorating, using what you have and considering the needs of a family has always been a part of my design process. I hope I model this concept and process well because I truly believe it works!
First Year (Fall 2021-Fall 2022)
In this photo you’ll see the furniture we had when we moved in. It all came with the house (minus a floor lamp, ottoman and a few accessories). Buying the home furnished helped us to simplify our move, downsize, and preserve our creative energy for a time when we were ready to make changes.
We knew eventually we’d get our own furniture, but not until we lived here long enough to know what we needed or wanted. There was no rush, it was cozy and comfy!
Starting with what was here gave us time to settle in—and to figure out what we truly wanted. We weren’t in a hurry to buy new things, we were able to pay attention to how the room felt– to the lighting in the rooms, our daily rhythms and traffic patterns, how the space felt when it was just us—and when others were here.
And all the while…we were living. Unpacking, adjusting, settling into a new place.
Living should be a part of the design process. When you give yourself time, your home teaches you what you actually need—so you can make better design decisions when the time is right.
We felt at home here from the beginning (and every future step of the way), but we looked forward to many years of making it ours.
We were content with small changes, all while life moved forward:
Wedding planning. Hosting family. Making memories.
Second Year (Fall 2022-Fall 2023)
In the second year of living here, we started to experiment a little and explore what we wanted our style here to feel like.
We shopped our home to try things we had and brought in a large rug we bought for our previous home.
I found an inexpensive slipcover for the chairs to give it a fresh but still comfy and beachy look.
We experimented with the simplest changes first, while exploring other ideas for the future.
And even without major furniture investments, it started to feel more like us.
We also were using all of our creativity and funds to plan the upcoming renovation on our home which would begin just after the start of the year in 2023, so using what we had made the most sense.
Right before Christmas 2022 we decided that while I really liked the look and comfort of the slipcovered chairs, we wanted a different shape of chair to create more breathing room particular when we had a Christmas tree around the holidays. The simplest way to test something out is to use what you have, or find affordable stand ins.
I’m always glad when I take the time to experiment with what I have first. This is why I say living should be a part of the design process, take time to test things out and experiment as much as possible!
At the start of the new year in 2023 we began our kitchen renovation. We moved the kitchen to the back of the house and the dining room to the middle and added the Tiny Cottage! It was a wild year.
So many changes were happening in adjoining spaces and in the living room. We got new paint and flooring and trimmed out the opening between the rooms, so by late fall of 2023, our backdrops in the room felt fresh!
Since we had the opportunity after the renovation to try a different furniture arrangement (there used to be a kitchen peninsula between the living room and former kitchen, which dictated where the couch had to go) we brought down our leather couch.
I wasn’t planning on using the leather loveseat here, but it worked and made the room feel pulled together The only purchase we made to finish the living room at that time was a new rug! The blue slipcovered sofa went upstairs to the Snug. I love to use what I have when possible!
Our vintage art (found in our English Tudor many years ago) was hung above the fireplace, we brought down the well loved teal ottoman which we had as long as the leather sofa, added some bamboo shades and made our home SO cozy just in time for the holidays! It felt like home.
Third Year (Fall 2023-Fall 2024)
Even though we still planned to get new furniture at some point, we were still not in a rush.
We lived with this cozy mood for the whole year but added a few new to us pieces, like a vintage washstand we use as an end table.
Meanwhile, we were enjoying life and welcoming two grandbabies, but also had a rough summer saying goodbye to our beloved Jack.
We also added our puppy Finnegan to the family in Fall 2024, so I was actually very glad we didn’t buy just buy furniture :).
Spoiler alert, real life is where your most practical, meaningful design decisions and creativity comes from, not Pinterest :).
Fourth Year (Fall 2024 – now!)
Right after Christmas 2024 we had the idea to try our leather sofa in my parents’ Tiny Cottage. My mom liked it and so did I! We loved having the the Pottery Barn leather sofa in several of our homes over the past decade or so, it is a beautiful couch and has served us very well, but I was happy to give it to her. I loved that she would get to enjoy it and we got to keep it in our home! WIN WIN! (This is the chair version of the leather loveseat).
Again, real life is the best decision maker — giving the couch to my mom inspired us to finally make decisions on a new direction for this room. I loved what it had been, but change keeps life fresh and a home feeling like a reflection of YOU so I was ready.
The start of the year we finally made furnishing this room a priority.
We began thinking more intentionally and reflecting on how the room worked for us in the past and what we wanted going forward. We bought a loveseat with down-filled seat cushions for comfort, but opted out of back cushions for a more tailored look.
As I keep saying, life inspires so many design decisions. Since our dogs like to perch on the back of the couch, rather than cushions we decided to use removable accent pillows for their comfort 🙂 and so the couch back wouldn’t get so squished! That’s one of the things we loved about the leather couch, a smooth back.
We also chose pet friendly fabrics, since we had enjoyed the leather for ease of care.
We LOVE our new loveseat, it’s so fresh, cozy and the perfect size for our space.
We also ordered new chairs, ottomans and a rug, which brings us to TODAY!
They have all arrived and I love them. I’m working on taking photos to share the new pieces we got, but first here’s a funny story.
I decided on a whim early this morning to rearrange the new furniture a little differently than I had originally planned, and much to my surprise and my family’s, I love it and they do, too. 🙂
Those of you who have followed along closely with the decisions and evolution of our living room over the past four years might be surprised too, but I have to say again–I’m SO glad I don’t rush decorating or get too stuck on “how things have to be”.
I never regret letting “real life” guide my decisions (and this is why I LOVE my Room Recipe Method — it has six essential room ingredients and key formulas within them that always keep us on track with our decorating priorities. It helps us to continue loving our home in every season and each step of the way.)
Stay tuned for my living room update post soon!