Creating my dream living room
Everyone has that one room they feel defines their home. Some people take great pride in their kitchen space and believe it is the heart of the home… that's what real estate appraisers believe anyway. Some people believe the bedroom is the sanctuary and most important space, and some even believe that bathrooms make the home. Now me, I believe the living room is the heart of the home. It’s where we spend the majority of our time, thus its name - living room. It’s the most lived in space in the home - is it not?
Now, I’ve always been a fan of home… but now it means more to me than it ever has. Since the pandemic hit and we’ve all been advised to spend the majority of our time at home, I’ve been dreaming about my perfect living room. With that, I’ve worked my tail off to create a living room where I feel centered, like I’m on vacation, and in a magazine at the same time. I’ve dreamt of a place where I can be relaxed and inspired.
A dream or reality?
I had decided it was time to make this dream a reality. I began by spending long hours going through photos I took when we visited Europe: Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Dusseldorf, and Rome. I scoured Pinterest for inspiration, and even listened to music to help me imagine the energy of the room I’d be creating. I found myself playing Sade and old Parisian songs over and over again, and then it hit me… I’ll choose one item, and design my entire living room around this one piece. This piece would need to embody my vision for our living room space as a whole. I needed this piece to say, coastal, Parisian, vacation, sophisticated, and hygge.
My sofa as a focal point
From the very moment I saw my sofa and ottoman, I knew we belonged together. With its down-filled cushions and bed-like depth, it called to me. I walked over, and fell into it. This sofa had been the coziest and softest thing I’d encountered in quite some time… it was almost as if it hugged me as I disappeared into it. This sofa and ottoman was everything I’d been looking for: coastal, Parisian, vacation, sophisticated, and hygge. It was love at first sight. The only thing was, I had to wait 12 weeks to get it, but patience is a virtue right? Well, 12 weeks came and went, and my sofa arrived to our home a few days ago. To be quite honest, I can’t stop looking at it. She’s a real beauty.
The rug of my dreams
I spotted this vintage area rug on Etsy about six months ago, and before you all ask, the shop has been closed (I know, so sad). The seller was amazing (she was friendly and her turnaround was extremely quick). For these reasons, I went a little crazy with purchasing the majority of her vintage rugs and ended up putting them all in storage. I knew I’d be able to grab these beauties one day, and that they’d play a major role in some of my home designs. I fell in love with vintage rugs years ago, and the love for them has only grown 10 times over.
Vignettes
Now you all know how much I love a good vignette (I live for them). So it’s only right that I’d create a few throughout this space. I purchased my candle tapers from Jo and June, and found the rest of my items during a few thrift runs. I love mixing old with new, and thrifting gives me the opportunity to grab items that have story and at a reasonable cost. The babies breath is dried, and something I move around the house periodically. I was also happy I could incorporate the DIY end table I made a few months back (I love the texture this piece provides to the space). I wanted to bring in a few abstract items, and my coffee table and gold floor lamp were a good fit. Last, but most certainly not least are my pampas grass, drapes, rod, ring clips, and throw blanket and pillows. They really help to ground the space, and also provide much texture. Just a few more items, and my dream living room will be complete.
Just a few more items, and my dream living room is complete
We’ve only been in our new apartment for three weeks, and I’d say the space is coming along well. We do however need a few other items to complete our living room. I’ve been sourcing paintings to go above the sofa, in addition to wall sconces (plugin sconces preferably, which has made the sconce hunt a bit more tricky). I’m excited to to show the final reveal of the living room (whenever that is), but it does beckon the question, is a living room ever complete?