I couldn't help it. That's what we call it.
Since basically all of my recent home posts on here have been nursery-related, I thought we'd take a break today and talk about a completely different space. Probably the space we used the absolute most (now, anyway) in the entire house... Our family room.
When we bought the house, this room was one of my favorite spaces. Still is. We started with our furniture from our last house. Some pieces looked a bit small in here...
After this photo (taken a little over a year ago), we swapped out some chairs, lamps, added some sheer curtains, etc. It was for sure pretty, but not the coziest. The furniture didn't exactly say, "You come here to me.. NO, no... You come here to me."
But to save us some time and chit chat and just get to the good stuff, this is where we are now...
This is seriously my favorite room now. The biggest change, the big, soft Belgian linen sectional came about because of practicality. I find that all of the big changes that come about in our house are never usually because we're just ready for a change, but rather because of function. When you live somewhere (or with certain furniture) for a while, you figure out what works and what doesn't. You figure out that instead of relaxing on the couch during the day when you need a comfy place to sit (and perhaps write a blog post), you're sitting for hours at the hard kitchen table a couple feet away. Probably a sign that you need to make a change.
When we would relax in here on Saturdays to watch football, we would fight over the chair facing the tv (or try to smush ourselves into it). I love that we have so much space now to cuddle up and lounge and really enjoy our family room.
I've always said I was a fan of leather furniture... still am. We have it all throughout our basement. There are a couple reasons why we didn't go with it in a larger sectional though. It's durable and easily wiped clean, but it's not the most comfortable to me. Skin sticks to it in the summer time and because it doesn't breathe, you can easily get hot and sweaty. I wanted something cozy and soft that would breathe.
We lived with our leather couch and chair for years and while it was pretty and we liked it, it just wasn't working in this space. Life's too short, ya know? To me, I feel like a family room should be a cozy space with lots of soft seating and most of all, comfortable. So I started the search for a comfy, well-made, slipcovered sectional and happened upon the perfect one at a local furniture store. We're so in love with this room now!
The shape of the sectional "sections" off the room much better and makes the large, lofty space much cozier. I chose one with a chaise (and I'm SO glad I did) mainly because Brad really wanted one, but it also saves your coffee table from dirty feet. Plus, I love that Brad and I can easily cuddle up together on it when we watch tv. We couldn't do that before. It's the little things...
Speaking of the coffee table, since there was SO much linen fabric going on in this room with the sectional and tufted chairs (which we already had for a while now, and ended up working perfectly with the new sectional), I decided we needed something a little smaller, lighter, and more airy. This little oval glass table from
Pier 1 takes up a lot less visual (and actual) space than the large tufted one we used to have in here. The room needed a mix of different materials so the glass and metal really helped to balance everything out. I still want to add some of my pretty books to the lower level of it. It's really sturdy and well-made too, which is a big deal for a coffee table, which is a piece of furniture we actually use a lot.
Can't you just hear it saying, "You come here to me..."??
The lamps are just some that I've had for years and years with some mix and match shades. Not sure I'm in love with them, but that's something I'll probably change in the future if I find something I like better. Or, I may do what I always do and swap around some that we have in other places of the house. I always say, shop what you've got!
I mentioned that the slipcovered furniture (rather than upholstered) was really important to me. I love that if something gets spilled or stained, I can just throw the one piece's slipcover into the wash. I also love that the color visually appears to be lighter piece of furniture in the room, but the actual color is a linen-stone-gray. So it won't show every little thing or appear dingy like white or light cream furniture can. Anyway, I just love it and we couldn't be happier with it!
A few more changes...
First off, the hand made, one of a kind bench behind the sofa...
It couldn't be more perfect for this area! I considered a sofa table, which would mean moving the antique library table from in front of the windows behind the sofa, because to add another similar piece would be overkill. We moved it behind the couch and it just wasn't right. I really wanted to keep the open feeling behind the couch and not obstruct the whole view into the room with the knick-knacks on the table or with lamps. It would be silly to have a table there and have it be bare, you know? So I had the bench idea... All of the ones we already had were majorly too small. I remembered seeing this one at the furniture store where I purchased the couch from and went back for it. It's super long and narrow. Perfect for behind the couch. Plus, I love that it's well-made and one-of-a-kind.
And finally, the curtains...
If you remember, I had previously added some sheer white panels to this space because I didn't want to obstruct any of the view and keep the light and airy feeling in the room. Well, that was great, but over time, I realized that what the room actually needed was some balance. So I had been on the look out for the perfect ones for a while that were not only the right color, but also the right fabric.
Oh, and while these were definitely more expensive than the $20 sheers I had up before (which because of that, I didn't mind replacing), they were a great price for the quality and something I can definitely justify because of how much they add to the room.
They're textured Dupioni Silk in a beautiful taupe-silver shade. The room has so much warm cream and ivory shades going on that the cooler taupe-silver balances everything out and the material adds a ton of texture. I got them from
Overstock and these are in a 120" length.
I love the view now from the kitchen...
I just love how everything is coming together. I feel like we started off on a great foot in this house when we moved in about a year and a half ago because we already had so much furniture from the last house, but I really believe that you have to make your house your home. The way I see it, houses are expensive. Too expensive to not be happy and totally comfortable in certain spaces. Of course, there's lots of cosmetic things we'd love to change and completely overhaul (we've got big plans in the future for areas like bathrooms and kitchens and the backyard), but you have to take your time and see how spaces are really used and what you really need. Those spaces are functional for now, so we're definitely not in a hurry. For spaces like a family room that you use a lot, really think out your furniture before you buy something and realize that what works in one home, may not work in another. Also, most importantly, don't just go for something solely on looks. Of course you should love it (I love the look of our room so much better now), but most importantly, consider the comfort and function of the pieces you buy.
I could go on and on, but basically, we're obsessed with this sectional and this room in general now. Definitely much more family friendly. :)
I should be back next week with another nursery update! I hope you all have a wonderful week!!
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