My main goal for this room is to create a warm, livable place for our family to relax, play, and entertain. The TV is in here, and most of the toys are stored in the bookshelves in the dining room or in the credenza/TV stand. SO, lots of Lego building, more TV watching than I would prefer, and after dinner wrestling happens in this room. It needs to be a place that can stand up to our everyday mania, but also be a place where Seth and I can relax at the end of the day.
Here’s what’s already set
We bought a new rug! I wanted to switch out the slate blue rug in here before for something that would warm up the room. I was set on getting a Persian rug, and looked for a long time. This room needs a large rug, though, and I just couldn’t find one big enough, in a pattern I liked, that wasn’t ridiculously expensive. Maybe one day I’ll splurge on the perfect vintage rug, but not while we’re living in a rental.
Obviously Tucker is just as thrilled about the new rug as I am.
We had the West Elm Marquis Rug at our home in NC, but the new owners bought it from us when we moved. I’ve missed it since we left. So I brought another one home with me! West Elm was having a huge sale a few weeks back, and I snagged this one for 30% off. Reunited and it feels so good (you’re welcome for getting that song stuck in your head.)
99% of the furniture stays the same. Our coffee table, side tables, and credenza/TV stand are all good vintage pieces that work well in the space. While the Ikea Expedit shelving unit doesn’t totally fit aesthetically or spatially, it’s just too darn functional at this point to do get rid of it. Maybe I’ll figure out another option for that corner in the future, but for now I’m happy with it.
The couches are from Rowe Furniture, are a simple classic design, and the fabric holds up to whatever comes its way. You can seriously wipe anything off these babies and the fabric looks brand new. Are they what I would choose if I were starting from scratch? No. The sizes don’t totally fit in this space, but that’s just what happens when you buy furniture for one house and end up moving it into another. They’ve also stood up to the nightly post-dinner wrestle fest remarkably well.
I do want to either move or sell the hutch in the corner by the fireplace. It just doesn’t fit the style in here, and is too big for that corner.
Here’s what we still need to figure out:
Overall, I’m going for a neutral backdrop and adding color in through artwork, books, pillows, and textiles. As of now, the color palate includes slate grey in the couches, warm wood tones in the furniture, pops of red/pink/coral, black accents, and natural greenery. Plus, whatever colors show up in books and toys.
Fireplace
The picture above is a reminder of what we’re working with here. I’ve decided to paint it. We haven’t asked the landlord if he’s OK with us painting it, but anything has got to be better than it currently is, right?? I’m leaning more toward white, but I also found some pictures of beautiful black painted fireplaces. White might be an easier sell with the landlord. I definitely want to paint the brass piece above the firebox a matte black.
I’m enlisting Seth to make me a simple wood mantel. We’ve thrown around the idea of making something to just slide onto the current brick mantel. We can use some sort of adhesive, and then remove it when we move.
Storage
I want to add wood storage to the right side of the fireplace. We actually do have a fire going a good amount during the winter (we had one last night!), so the storage would be functional. I got Seth a welder for his birthday a few years back, so I’m hoping to have him put it to good use making some sort of black metal wood storage piece.
Because I’m taking out the corner hutch, I’d like to add some closed storage to the left side. I still need a place to store cloth napkins, candles, random serving pieces, etc…Maybe a shallow Fauxdenza? I’m coming for you, Ikea As-Is Section! On the hunt for some upper cabinets.
Artwork and Accessories
I still haven’t figure out the perfect art piece for above the fireplace. I ran across a picture of a beautiful vintage stained glass window and was inspired to find something similar to fill that large space.
Then again, I can also see a massive natural photograph fitting well up there.
One of our favorite things to do is hang out below the branches of a massive oak tree at the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. It would be amazing to take a picture of its canopy and blow it up for that space.
This isn’t Russian Ridge, I don’t even think that’s an oak tree, but you can tell my son has a thing for massive trees.
Something is off with the gallery wall to the right of the fireplace…I love the pictures, but I still need to work with it a bit.
Finally, I need to change out the curtains to a solid color. We currently have these. Ikea’s Aina curtains are my favorite right now because the price is amazing and the nubby texture makes them seem not so cheap.
And then accessories of course! I’m hoping to just use a lot of what I already have, but I’d like to get some new pillows to add color and some new throws as well.
Obviously, lots of work to do in here décor-wise! Any ideas for what kind of art I should put above the fireplace?
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