Welcome to my living room! This is easily one of my favorite rooms in our house. This is where we chill out at the end of the day (usually over beers and The Daily Show). One of the first things you are bound to notice is all my living rooms walls are black. Whoa, right? It took some time before I was able to pull the trigger on that decision, believe me. I remember telling Trey my plans (he didn't live with me yet), and he wondered (as did I) if it would make everything too dark and small. Like a cave. Most people think black will make a room look smaller. And I'm sure this is true sometimes, but because of some other features I added, the room ended up feeling taller/a little bigger. And the black is a bold statement, which I love. But first let me show you how things looked when I bought the house.
(Click to enlarge the image.)
As you can see, the living room featured a kind of yellow/tan color throughout. I had dark wood trim, popcorn ceilings and… well… not a lot of furniture. The one feature I loved and didn't change was the wood floors (they are actually wood laminate). But everything else I slowly began to change, as my budget would allow. I had the ceiling scraped and painted white. I was surprised by how much bigger this made the room feel. Painting all the walls black also makes everything else in the space really pop! I painted my front door and the door that leads to my backyard orange. Orange and black. Get into it. I also LOVE how the black wall proudly showcases my gallery wall.
Due to my bookshelf (more on that in a second), my fireplace no longer felt like much of a focal point. So I added stripes.
My favorite part: the bookshelf! And it has a library ladder! This fulfills all my childhood Beauty and the Beast fantasies (even if my bookshelf is about 1/100th as big as Belle's). I had this shelf and ladder custom built to fit my wall. It's perfect to house all our books, a few knick knacks, and our TV. I love having a TV in my living room, but it's always a challenge to find a stylish way to display it/not really display it. If that makes sense.
A few other details I love include the antler collection above my liquor cart (including my wedding guest book), my painted coffee table and side tables, fun throw pillows (I regularly change these from room to room, just to spice things up), and my vintage cowhide rug. I feel like my style is pretty eclectic and still changing quite a bit. This is my first home, and I always want to give myself the freedom to try new things and be adventurous in my choices. I believe your house should feel like you, no matter what's in style that year. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by! xo. Emma
Photos by: Janae Hardy
Source list: couch/Macy's, chair/Thrive Furniture, side tables, coffee table, wood basket, rug, bar cart, record player table, lamps/vintage, throw pillows/West Elm, curtains/Target, record player/UO, pendant light/Young House Love for Shades of Light, antlers/vintage + Etsy. Wall color: Dark Kettle Black (4011-2). Leave a comment if you're curious about something else. 🙂
Your decoration is really nice. Everyone has a dream to decorate their home in beautiful ways.
I love the blue boom box — I’ve never seen one like it! Where’s it from?
I still can’t get enough of your bookshelf.Having a Belle’s dream too.
I’m wondering where you got the photo of the different phases of the moon? Love it!
I really hope I can have a library wall one day.
Emma your home is absolutely beautiful!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Where is the moon phases print from and the mountains print? They entire room is lovely. I have been thinking about dark blue, practically navy, but haven’t made the commitment yet… one day! 🙂
Oh Emma, it’s beautiful! You’ve done such an incredible job.
Where is the white tray (on the bar) from?
You did a wonderful job and it all comes together so well. I also love the light fixture.
Emma, I am in LOVE with your Thrive chair. Which fabric did you choose ? The color looks more like Lucky Turquoise but the texture looks more like Key Margo Agua. Would love to know !
Xo Kaleen
The ladder is also a part of my library dream 😀
I love your living room. Like Mackenzie, I’m considering getting the very same couch from Macy’s. I read the reviews on it and a few people complained about the fabric lasting over time. Have you noticed pilling of the fabric? They don’t have it in stores near me so i would have to buy it sight unseen. Nervous to pull the trigger. Any thoughts?
Holy Smokes. As soon as i saw your first photo of your shelves and ladder- i immediately thought.. my beauty and the beast fantasies have come true in modern and real life 3D! HA! i just love it! amazing. i too love black walls and what an amazing way to make all your books and art POP! inspired!
Beautiful home! I was thinking about getting the same couch you have. The Clare. I read some bad reviews about it piling. Have you had that experience?
In a month I’ll be moving into a rental home and the living room is currently a strong glossy black color. The landlord said I can paint over it, and I want to keep it a black shade, just not the one that’s currently there. Yours looks more like a ‘soft black’, if that makes sense, and I think it would work better with my vintage furniture.
Can you tell us what brand/shade you chose?
I’m seriously jealous of your amazing living area!! The book case is a dream!!
Lulu xx
http://luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com
I love it. Can I ask which flat black paint you used?
Thank you
I’m in love with your phases of the moon print (and the rest of your living room, of course). Where did you find it?
Awesome! I love it, the black walls make the colors of everything pop, and ohmygods can I steal that book case?