I’m really excited to share the progress we’ve made in our living room today. This room has been a puzzle for me. I’m STILL in the process of imagining what I want it to be… but it’s also one of my favorite spaces for so many reasons.
It’s the first room you see (beyond the entryway) when you walk into the house. It has turquoise color washed floors, beautiful vaulted ceilings and a giant window. Until this past week, it had zero furniture (except for the piano). I would stand in there often and just try to imagine all the different layouts we could do. But I knew that ultimately, the only way to REALLY imagine it was to get a few of the big pieces of furniture in there and build from there.
But first, a little time travel! Last May, our living room looked like this…
(See the full BEFORE post here.) I wish I could show you how it looked when we viewed it the first time (fully furnished) because the previous owners fit a LOT of furniture into the space. I’m glad we experienced it in that way because when we came in on closing day to an empty room, it felt much smaller.
It’s weird how furniture can make a room feel bigger OR smaller.
We lived with it empty for about four months, and I’m glad we did because now we have a much better idea of how we’ll use the space and what the flow of our daily lives is vs. having guests and entertaining… and we can design the room for both!
First let’s talk about those floors.
I have ZERO regrets about this choice. It makes the room so custom and special, and now we get to decorate with all neutrals, which I LOVE. I envision a lot of layered neutrals, whites and texture. I want it to feel super comfortable and cozy, but also bold and unique.
I feel like this house really is a fun way to explore different parts of my style. A lot of rooms are mid-century and Palm Springs inspired… lots of white, brass, marble, fluffy blankets, plants… I’d say that’s like 75% of the house. But then in a few rooms I get to explore different sides. The dining room is so much more Hollywood Regency and BOLDER than the rest of the house… a style that I love in small doses, but if every room were that style, it would be way too much. In this living room I feel like I can explore my more rustic side, which is inspired by my grandmother Corina. She loves Wyoming, farm life, and the southwest. One of her most prized possessions is a ranch oak sofa set that was inspired by something she saw in one of the Kennedy’s houses. She’s definitely my muse for this room, and I am excited to incorporate some elements with that inspiration.
OK, let’s talk about these sofas!
I knew I wanted light tan leather sofas. They are the perfect color to compliment the turquoise and really the only natural color of leather that I feel fits our vibe. We looked at lots of options and ended up choosing the Sven Charm Sofa from Bryght.
I first heard about Bryght because my friend Katie had just bought the same sofa (in black) for her home. I got to test it out at her house, and it was super comfy, so I was sold. I’m not totally against buying things online without seeing them in person (I’ve done a lot of that), but it’s always a BONUS when you can try it out in person.
I love that they are comfy (I will totally be taking a random Sunday afternoon nap there) and look worn in and a little aged. I like that because I feel like they will age well over time because that’s how they are supposed to look.
Something I noticed after stalking the Bryght Insta is that this sofa seemed to photograph as different colors in different lighting. And it’s TOTALLY true. I’ve already noticed that it can look much darker or lighter depending on the angles. As someone who is DAILY taking photos at home, I kind of love that.
From this angle, I still feel like the room looks awkward. This is what you see from the entryway. I want to put a cute table behind that sofa. On the hunt for something super light wood and a great shape!
Oh—and you can see the big window from here. We had it replaced, and it’s so pretty, fresh and OPEN now. Plus it doesn’t leak anymore—woohoo!
Over here there are a lot of to-dos on my list. Above this sofa I think I want to do some kind of large scale art piece or maybe a group of juju hats.
I’m not sure why, but I’ve been avoiding gallery walls so far. And the one I have is all black and white. I think I just did SO many in our last home I kind of want to try other things this time?
What would you do above the sofa here?
Other things—we’ll be shopping for a neutral rug, a coffee table and some other small pieces. Not in a huge rush, though. I also need to find a BIG, awesome pot for our cactus.
Last angle, over on this wall I am thinking a skinny side table and big round mirror are in order.
Whew! What a process! This is a FUN room to work on. I’m glad we have the chance to decorate it slowly.
By the way, I’m about to start sharing ROOM TOURS! I made a schedule for all of 2016, and I’ll be sharing about one room a month. There are quite a few that are already very close to being ready. I’m glad I have my sharing schedule to keep me motivated throughout the year… thanks to YOU guys! Haha!
Have a great day! xx- Elsie
Credits//Author and Photography: Elsie Larson. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess Actions.
It is looking good! Not my house, I know, but in the last photo, instead of a skinny table under the round mirror, I would love to see a rustic wood floating shelf. Hm hm.
I love love LOVE the flooring <3
i think matching couches always look more elegant facing each other with a coffee table in between them and allow for socializing over cocktails and snacks really well when entertaining. just a suggestion and a way to not be looking at the back of the couch from the entryway. I also LOVE the floors.
First off, what a lovely job you’ve done with such a beautiful and open space. It still seems so big even after the furniture (which is quite a feat !)
Secondly, that floor! I’ve never seen a turquoise floor before, it’s unreal.
I design fringe tapestries of all different colors and sizes…I feel like this would be the perfect boho chic touch to the room. They range from really bright colors to more neutral tones. You can checkout the full range here (http://shop.crafturday.com/collections/fringe-hangings) if you’re interested. I think it would fill a lot of the space above the sofa without being constricting! That’s the beauty of fringe. It’s so flowy and free.
xo,
Vanessa
Obsessing over those floors matched with the leather sofa <3
I’ve been so excited to see the update on this space! Its gorgeousss! The floors and the sofas are really making magic together! As for above the sofa, I’d be looking for textile art! Can’t wait to see more 🙂
LOVE those turquoise floors! And I second the fiber art, or a giant painting with lots of texture for the wall. If you need something made from blue fabric or grey paper with lots of texture and some color, have a look at my website, I think the sizes of some of my work would fit really well: www.ninaearley.com
Looking forward to seeing the rest of the transformations!
N
It looks great! And what a wonderful window!
Have you tried to pull the sofa that is up against the wall a little bit out? Even like 4 inches would give the room quite a bit more airiness. I might have something against furniture being too pushed up against walls though, but try it 🙂
I adore this room, but you know what I reckon would look amazing above that couch? A massive print of water in a gold gilt frame. I have a friend with one and for some reason due to the quality of the water in the print or maybe it’s the frame it looks like a window or a tv (but in a – hey is that water moving?? way rather than oh god, there’s a tv way). It’s so relaxing and I think it would complement the floors and the couches beautifully.
Man, I love this room.
Love this so far!
www.tusksandtails.com
Looks like it’s coming along beautifully, but I expected nothing less. Those floors make my heart smile!
http://thequirklife.com/
This is why I follow you girls, I love the risks you take in your homes. And how could I not follow a blog named a Beautiful Mess? I have 10 children so I have practice at seeing beauty amidst the mess.
What about swapping the corners that the plants and the piano are in? Or could one of the sofas fit on the wall between the french doors and the bar cart so the 2 sofas would face each other? I agree there’s something a little funny about the layout when you look in from the door, but it’s all really lovely.
I would put a textile piece over the sofa – a tapestry, macrame, or something like this:
http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-tassel-wall-hanging/
My parents have a couple of large scale ecuadoran tapestry pieces that look just amazing on the wall.
Okay… how in the heck are you going to repot that huge cactus?! lol
Love the floor with your giant cactus! The natural lighting coming in is a dream. I can envision this room more like the lobby of the Parker in Palm Springs. With a floor like that, I think channeling more Jonathan Adler is a must! 🙂
Love the cactus!
http://soldenochedecocrochet.blogspot.com.ar/
I’d opt for the art. Partly because I love large scale art and partly because even though juju hats are gorgeous, they’re someone else’s cultural and religious wear. I also like the idea above of large-scale fiber/macrame wall art.
I am sure you will find something amazing to put above your couch. Here is a painter friend I have and she does lovely work. She is in galleries in San Francisco but for you here is her work online http://gisellegautreau.com/oil-paintings/
I think that would be awesome if they could plant the cactus in it!