Living Room

One of my favorite spaces to relax is the living room! This was one of the easiest rooms to remodel. One of my goals for this room was to create a relaxing, comfy space to watch Netflix and put my feet up.

This room was one of the least expensive parts of the renovation. I still want to change the gas fireplace down the line, but I’m very happy with the way this room feels and looks. I’ll break it all down below…

Details:

When I bought the home:
The living room had a very prominent fireplace mantel. The carpet was about 30 years old, the windows and door had fabric crochet vertical blinds, and the walls had some minor water damage near the patio door.

The Plan:
Remove the mantle, add new stucco around the fireplace, remove the blinds, resurface the drywall, paint the walls and ceiling, add audio/video components into the wall, replace the windows and doors, and replace the floor.

Additions to the living room:
- Floors: Wide-plank wood oak from ADM Flooring (color: Sunset)
- Rug: CB2 x Goop
- Wall decor (above sofa): CB2
- TV: Sony A9G
- Coffee Table: Crate and Barrel. Similar
- Black circle tray: Sold Out. Similar
- Vase: Crate and Barrel
- Coffee table coasters: Commune
- Coffee table match holder: Etsy
- Matches: Target
- White marble candle holder: CB2
- Leather ottomans: CB2
- Indoor brown plant pot: IKEA
- Indoor black plant pot: Target
- White tall vase: Target
- Black stool: Target
- Corner chair: Restoration Hardware
- Corner chair pillows: Lulu and Georgia x Sarah Sherman Samuel, Target
- Lamps: IKEA similar
- Lamp shades: IKEA
- Sofa: Vintage
- Sofa pillows: Anthropologie (Joanna Gaines)
- Windows: Milgard (Style Line)
- Roller Shades: 3 Day Blinds (Color: Serene White, Manhattan valance: 2” slat painted snow, internal motorization)
- Paint: Benjamin Moore (Simply White in matte finish)
- Teal glass floor vases: Target, Target
- Sofa side tables: Direct from Mexico
- Plants: Armstrong Garden Centers, Pigment (air plants), and Native Poppy (fresh flowers)
- Lantern: Target
- Pampas grass: foraged by me & sprayed with hair spray
- Interior stylist: Natalie Griffo
- Wood floor install: Tim Wood (send me a note for his contact info)
- Contractor: DCC Construction (send me a note for his contact info)

Before:

Things I learned along the way:

My favorite thing about this room is that it’s perfect for watching movies. I love that it has tons of natural light and windows, and the patio door extends to the rose and veggie garden outside.

One of the most challenging parts of this room was the fireplace. I wanted to convert the fireplace into a gas insert (no logs), but I stopped short. I cleaned out the old logs and log holder, added a new log holder and real wood. This fireplace won’t work with real wood (it’s not built for it). Eventually, I may add a modern mantle to protect the TV from the fireplace heat. Or I will replace the fireplace insert.

If the room was less narrow, I would not have put the TV above the fireplace, but I tried a few variations and there’s no better place for the TV. After watching TV for a few months, I actually love the location of the TV.

Since my home gets really good lighting in the afternoon, it’s hard to watch TV between 12pm-4pm. Since I don’t watch any daytime TV, I decided not to add black-out curtains/shades to the room.

I have TWO rugs for the living room. One rug is in my garage, and I love the texture, but the color blends a lot with the sofa.