LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER

We recently gave our living room a total over haul (?), I think that's how the saying goes! We spend the most time in this room, so it only made since we finally show it some love & attention after 3 years of moving in! The TV used to hang over the mantle and we had two couches facing each other on opposite sides of the room. It felt tight and cluttered, especially when we got on the floor to play with the girls and our horse of a puppy. We moved the TV to one of the sides of the room and went with one couch and chair on the opposite side! I absolutely love the new set up and how open it feels.

Our couch (with chaise) and chair are the from the Ektorp collection from IKEA. After a ton of research, reading review after review and visiting multiple local furniture stores this seemed like the best option for us. We LOVE them. Best bang for our buck and they are practical when having two kids. The slipcover comes right off, easy to wash and throw right back on! They also have multiple different colors in the slipcovers, so if my indecisiveness ever creeps in it's an easy change.

Throw pillows are my weakness. One reason we decided to really invest in this room was due to the clutter. There was SO much in such a TEENY space. So the "less is more" theory was really something I was shooting for, but anyone who knows me knows having ONLY these five pillows on my couch was quite a feat. I just couldn't decide and they were all so pretty. The lumbar pillow is from Anthropologie and the grey gingham pillows are from IKEA, which I snagged before they went out of stock.

Clay has bitter feelings about our coffee table. The past two (yes, I said that.. two coffee tables in 4 years of marriage, it's fine) we have had, Clay built. We cherished those and they are both in new homes now being loved on by people we know. So, when I approached him about buying this one he was hesitant. But I didn't give him much of choice, I loved it. It's smaller and completely open for storage underneath which we needed. Our inspiration was one I found from West Elm, but I ended up finding this one from Amazon a little more affordable and faster shipping. Not to mention the company had SUPERB customer service and went above and beyond to help a problem we ran into during the delivery. The cushions underneath can be pulled out and used as floor pillows if we are having a group of people over. I love hosting and our living room being filled with people and conversations, so it was important for me to make sure there was enough seating. We snagged those from the new Hearth and Hand with Magnolia line at Target.    

For rug options, I knew I wanted to layer a larger more durable rug underneath a smaller shag, cozy rug. It took me hours searching Overstook, Target and Rugs USA to finally find the jute rug that we wanted. We ended up finding this one at Rugs USA and it is the perfect size and really great quality. We found the layered rug at Rugs USA as well. While we both love the look of these two rugs paired together, we are less than pleased with the shag rug. It sheds worse than a dog. It's terrible and the fibers are now in every room of our house. We've kept it, but will definitely not be purchasing another wool rug anytime soon. 

This blanket ladder isn't anything new, but I couldn't leave it out because I love it so much. This was one of those "diamond in the rough" finds when we first moved into this house. I told Clay my vision for what I wanted in that corner and he came home, no joke two days later and said, "Is this what you were talking about, babe?" And it was exactly what I had pictured in my mind! The blankets we've collected over time from Target and TJ Maxx. 

One of the things I was most scared about moving the TV off the mantle was actually having to decorate it. Mantles intimidate me and I can never seem to get them right. I'm still not in love with this little arrangement, so any ideas or pieces of art you can see in this space-- send them my way!

Thank you for allowing me to pretend to be an interior decorator and share this room with you! We are so glad we finally took the time and resources to re-invest in this room! Next up... our backyard!!