Our Living Room Update---My Happy Place!
This post was a collaboration with American Furniture Warehouse. Thank-you for supporting the sponsors that help keep Momma Society going. :)
Our living room is the heart of our home—it’s where Brody and Isla play, where JD and I cuddle up and watch cheesy tv shows and where we all hangout when guests are over. With as much use as the room gets, it has somehow remained a collection of hand-me-downs, thrift store finds, DIY projects etc. Last year, we refreshed Brody’s room, created a little master bedroom sanctuary for ourselves, and gave Isla an adorable nursery, yet somehow our living room--the room we spend the most time in, had yet to feel homey.
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With Isla just weeks away from crawling, we knew we were going to need some adjustments to make the space more livable. While we were at it, we wanted to finally make the room feel like it reflect us—our style, our life.
There were 3 things I wanted this facelift to accomplish—feel bigger, feel brighter and not feel like a toy store exploded. We wanted to stick to a small budget for the updates, which would mean keeping a few of the bigger pieces (rug and couch) and use our budget on accent pieces to make our living room truly feel like home sweet home.
I partnered with a really great furniture company in Arizona and Colorado called American Furniture Warehouse for many of the updates. They have a HUGE warehouse near us with everything from décor to furniture to electronics. American Furniture Warehouse really focuses on having options of any budget and any style. As a midcentury modern furniture lovers, I was so excited they had some many options that fit our style. They also have a really extensive website that came in handy as I pre-selected items I wanted to check out before going to the warehouse.
One of the things I really love about shopping there is that they do not have pushy salespeople. I’ve been to so many furniture stores that do and it always makes me feel uncomfortable—especially when I am just browsing. At American Furniture Warehouse there are salespeople everywhere happy to help, but they let you do your thing until you are ready for them. Martini at the Gilbert location, was our wingman on our shopping visit. I came in with screen shots of pieces I wanted to check out from online and he helped us find them all and gave us our space to make decisions—if you know me, you know it can take me a while to decide! Thank goodness for Instagram polls :)
PS You can follow along on our shopping trip under the “Home” highlight tab on my Instagram profile.
My very favorite new addition to the space are the two Mara Gray Accent Chairs that replaced our old crotchety recliner. They are comfortable and really encompass our style. Plus, they are a steal! As an ode to our home state of Arizona, I could not pass up the cactus vase I found in the décor section at AFW. It is such a fun piece---guests always comment on it. We added an antique garden stool between the accent chairs as a great place to set cell phone/pacifier etc.
To create the illusion of more space, we decided to nix a coffee table for now. A morrocan pouf we brought back from our trip to Morocco a few years ago now makes the perfect multi-purpose piece in our living room. Sometimes it serves as my desk when I am sitting on the floor working while Isla plays. Other times, it is the perfect footstool for the couch or accent chairs. And let’s be real, sometimes it is a jungle gym for Brody. I love that we can easily push it out of the way to make more space.
To continue with the Moroccan accents, I was so excited to find the White Chevron Sequin Pillows at American Furniture Warehouse. They remind me so much of the Moroccan wedding blankets we saw in the Souks of Marrakech. The little silver sequins reflect light beautifully.
Another one of my favorite new pieces is the Salerno Silver Leaner Mirror, which we added to the tv wall. It is positioned to reflect one of the windows in our living room and has really added a lot of light to our space! It has also become my favorite spot for selfies with the kiddos these days. We used heavy duty safety straps to secure the frame (and our tv) to the wall, so no matter how hard the kids pull it is not going anywhere.
A lot of you recommended I add a plant in that corner and I am so glad we did! Our fiddle leaf tree brings me a lot of joy and Brody loves watering it every morning. Finger’s crossed he has a stronger green thumb than me!
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On the tv wall we also updated the tv stand and oh my do I love it! Here is a little picture of our tv stand situation before the update---a thrift store find that my dad and I repainted when I was in college. It is so not my style at this point in life. I loved that we were able to find a midcentury modern inspired London Sideboard to use as a tv stand and bonus points for it having lots of storage space to hide all of those kid items that are usually strewn across the living room. I bought two sets of these accent boxes to organize everything inside. The little chalkboard spot for labeling them has been a big help!
Other fun accents we added were two peony art prints from Etsy. Peonies bring such cheer and these peony prints are no different. The artist we order them from has a gorgeous collection. Thanks to the tip of an instagram follower, you can print them on lustre paper at Costco for $10 each.
One of the akward parts of our space is the big opening between the living room and the kitchen. I always struggle with whether or not to put things on the ledge. When I saw the beautiful blue ceramic vase, I knew it would be the perfect detail to fill that spot.
And Isla’s favorite addition? The faux fur throw we picked up at American Furniture Warehouse. Seriously, it is the softest blanket I have ever felt. We lay it on the floor almost every day to use as a play mat. At night time, it is my favorite place to cuddle.
With a few additions and tweaks to our living room, it finally feels like us. I walk into the door and it gives me all of the good vibes. It’s funcational for life with two little ones, yet I feel like it is sophistacted enough that adults can hang out in here and not feel like they are in kiddy land. My happy place!
SOURCES:
Accent Chairs / Pillows /TV Stand / Leaning Mirror / Couch (similar)/ Rug (old)/ Throw / Art Prints / Cactus Vase (AFW in store) / Garden Stool (vintage) / Chalkboard
