Guys, it’s finallllly complete! My living room is looking fabulous and ready for the Fall!

I call this new look a hybrid of California and PNW inspiration sprinkled with elements of the ocean and mountains.

Read on if you want the step by step design process I went through to get here. And heads up, this took 6 months to curate. Was it worth it? Definitely!

 

Sofa as the Anchor

I get asked a lot about where or how to start designing a space. Well here it is! A step by step process from beginning to end.

I always start with the sofa. Whether it’s an existing sofa or a new one to consider, this sets the tone for the rest of the room. I find that it’s much easier to match a rug to a large piece of furniture instead of the other way around.

The grey West Elm sofa has been in the family room since last spring. So this room has been empty for quite some time.

I’ve never owned a buttery cognac sofa before. And I decided this was as good a time as any to try it!

When the Sixpenny Arlo Sofa in Paragon leather Solar Citrine was delivered, my whole family swooned! We all clamored on top of each other to try it.

I can honestly say it is the perfect lounging comfortable sofa that  every living room needs.

The seating depth is perfect. Not too shallow where you feel like you are at a doctor’s office waiting for an appointment. And not so deep that you feel like you are being swallowed up into oblivion.

My eldest daughter loves to read here. It’s so cute to see her curled up on the sofa soaking up every word in her favorite novel. That’s what great quality furniture is for!

Creating cozy memories for us in our haven. Am I right?

 

Once I nailed down the design of the sofa, I had to think placement. As you can see, I had the sofa along the side wall for more open space.

However the down side was that the left side of this space felt awkward.

It didn’t fit two side by side chairs. It ran into our front door entryway. If I moved the two chairs back under the window, it was too far from the sofa and it felt disjointed.

So placing the sofa under the window and having two side chairs facing it directly opposite made much more sense!

Once I confirmed the sofa under the window, the rest of the furniture placement was easy. A square coffee table and two side chairs opposite of the large sofa made complete sense!

Now it was time to find the side chairs.

Accent Chairs make the difference

If you think for one second that accent chairs are an afterthought then think again!

Accent chairs can easily steal the show. These sleek chairs from Eclectic Goods definitely make a statement. The black makes the room pop as I decided to paint the room white.

 

Before I had the room split into white in the dining room and greige in the living room. To be honest, I was sentimental for the greige but I knew it had to be white for cohesiveness. This space is dark and white walls really were the only answer to brighten the room up.

Add the very modern and unique Article floor lamp and your reading corner or sitting area is leveled up to top designer status.

 

The most impressive part of the Article Leap lamp is the copper neck. I love mixing metals in a room, it warms things up without being too matchy matchy.

Again with the lampshade, the pops of black dotted throughout this space helps contrast the white walls.

Ok so once the major furniture was decided, I moved onto smaller furniture. Basically my design process visually looked like an inverted pyramid.  From the top it starts with the large furniture to smaller furniture, then the rug and accents and lighting.

Rug Obsession

If you know me well, I have a bit of problem with rugs. I love them a little too much. Mmmhm. I really do. The rug really anchors the room. Because the sofa had a orange-y hue, it eliminated certain colors such as yellow or pastels. Darker hues are a better suited contrast.

So off to Pinterest I went. Many hours later, I found this Rejuvenation Adair wool rug, it immediately caught my eye because I knew it would look equally great with the citrine sofa and black leather accent chairs.

The bold pattern is a show stopper. What I love the most about it is that it reminds of a modern scandinavian cabin feel. The mood is a bit dark and brooding which gives it depth and maturity.

A side note about this 100% Sardinian wool fiber rug (cos I love dishing to you the real deal about each item in my home) is that there is NO shedding. I have had many wool rugs that would shed so much. And it’s beyond annoying! Sweeping constantly and with our dark floors, it showed up right away.

This rug is extremely soft underfoot, not scratchy like most. An even bigger surprise was the Rejuvenation jute rug I layered underneath. It’s super soft as well! I love jute but it’s the worst when it feels like you’re stepping on rough hay.

 

Something that I am quite well known for on Instagram are my layered rugs and I was ecstatic to bring that look back into the living room. I really missed it when it was empty for so long.

Also, the neutral jute rug quells the bold pattern a bit and the room still feels cozy.

Side wall accents

Next up was that big empty wall? I swear it’s been the bain of my existence for awhile now. When the sofa was underneath it, it was a long wall so it was hard to create a sense of coziness.

I’ve seen designer skinny consoles and thought it would be a great idea but most of my budget went towards other things already. So, what’s a girl to do? Check Target of course! And guys, this score might be my best yet!

This black skinny modern console looks exactly like designer ones but was $66. Yes! $66 compared to $289 and up! All I did was use my Red card with an additional 5% off sale price and promo code then picked it up in store!

 

Accent Decor and Accessories

Now onto the fun stuff! Once I had a very distinct theme, the time came to layer, layer, layer. In this category, my decorating philosophy is more is more. And that can be tricky.

I have by nature an anxious personality so I find myself wanting to fill up every space and forgetting that negative space is A GOOD THING.

But my advice for you is to just go with it! Fill it up to the brim and then edit down. Being too cautious doesn’t create the opportunity for a unique look.

Dare to be bold in your designs at home my friend! There’s nothing to lose when you can always pare it down or start another look. That is OK in my design book. After all, Rome wasn’t built in one day.

How the heck do you expect your design style to be perfect the first time around?

Don’t forget to take a peek at the shop my home round up down below for easy links to the accessories you want!

New Look New Season

My kids started school today and that marks the beginning of a new season for me. Even though in  the heat will stick around in Southern California for another couple of months, all the fall festivities will begin. So I find the new living room look quite complementary to the new season.

I hope you find great inspiration in this post. As always, drop me a line and let me know. I love talking to you!

Happy Day!