After 10 Years of a Mostly Empty Living Room, This Space is Getting Some COLOR!

As many of you parents may resonate with, my client this week shared how they'd lived in the house for ten years now, and with two young girls, time simply got away from them!

I hear this story a lot, and it's nothing to feel sad about—you focus on the things that matter to you MOST, and sometimes, house stuff just isn't at the top of the list.

With the girls now six and nine, and having decided that they would definitely be staying in this house since they bought it when the market was super buyer friendly, it was time for my clients to put some focus on their space. Namely, the living room and the primary bedroom.

The Living Room Space Before & Style Inspiration

The living room was fairly sparse, though tidy, when I arrived. A single blue recliner sofa sat opposite a fireplace and two windows, along with a single side table, and two side chairs.

My client said they used to have a coffee table, which was now in their lower level, and she'd liked the functionality of that.

Nothing in the space needed to stay, except there was one large piece of art that my client still liked that could be used if we desired.

We both liked the color ways in the art, so that felt like a good jumping off point for our design.

The aforementioned artwork!

My client hoped for something a little more fun and with lots more COLOR. Below is a smattering from her Pinterest board. She specifically liked the blues and greens, the texture, and the contrast of the leather tones.

She said she was not, however, a pillow person, so we planned to keep those to a minimum.

My client was also particularly excited about the idea of a chaise lounger, and I am always happy to oblige that request!

Other desires for the space included:

• Storage for books, toys, and blankets

• Lighting! There was currently zero soft lighting in the space

• Curtains for softness

• A home for a future record player

The Living Room Layout Plan

The living room was very much a pass-through space, with the front entry at the top right of this image, stairs to the basement on the upper left, a transition to the dinning room on the lower left, and a hallway to the primary bedroom on the right side.

I wanted to give my them plenty of space behind the sofa for a comfortable walkway, so we placed our center sofa at 42" from the stairway. On the single large wall on the right side of the layout image, we planned for a large console which would live below the existing canvas.

On each side of the canvas, we'd use wall mounted lamps that plug in so there wouldn't be need for wiring. The console is where the future record player would live as well.

The sofa would sit opposite the fireplace with a large round coffee table or ottoman, and on either side of the fireplace would live a small accent chair and a chaise lounger. We'd add in a few small accent tables for drinks, books, etc., a floor lamp for more soft lighting, and a blanket basket for blankie storage.

We designated a couple places for greenery, and I also added a narrow bench in the entryway, as well as a lamp on an existing entry table. This would provide them with warm lighting on all sides of the main living room space.

The Living Room Furniture Plan with Loads of Color

We went throughs several iterations and options during our session, but these three best capture what our overall plan will be.

A bright velvet sofa would steal the show and tie in perfectly with the existing artwork, which really served as a jumping off point for the whole design. We loved the idea of a leather ottoman, though I gave her an example with a coffee table as well.

We tried out a few different side table combinations, though all styles that would work well on carpeting and with energetic kids romping about.

The floor lamp, console, and blanket basket brought in some much desired texture, and the wall sconces brought in the added metal element as well.

The above version showcases a coffee table instead of an ottoman. The marble top was a nice tie-in to the kitchen countertops in the adjacent room.

While my client isn't a "pillow person", we did select three very intentional pillows and a throw blanket that would help bring some cohesion to the color palette.

Lastly, below showcases another side table option, and a version with the sconces in brass instead of black:

I'd say we definitely brought some color to this living room design! You can shop the full furniture plan here, and below are a few additional items not included in the collection:

• Living Room Curtains (Color: Rust Brown, 100" Long) 

• Living Room Curtain Hardware (Two 48-86" length)

• Bedroom Curtains for Bedroom (Color: Elm; 96" OR 108" in depending on whether you want them to pool or not) 

• Living Room Curtain Hardware (Two 72-144" length)

A Few Details in the Primary Bedroom

With the remaining half hour of our session, we focused on a few details in the primary suite.

My client need a bed frame (currently they had just a mattress on a simple box spring frame), new side tables, wall mounted lamps to maximize space, blackout curtains, and a few additional accessories.

Keeping with the blues and greens, we pulled some small scale blue bedside tables (there was very limited space on the headboard wall), and paired those with two different options for a brass wall mount lamp.

I chose a taupe-y blackout curtain in a velvet fabric, and chose two options for a large miorrors that would go on a wall that was currently empty. Lastly, I chose a new accent chair to replace and existing one that was a bit tired.

I also suggested taking her curtains up just below the ceiling line and mounting the hardware a good 12" outside of the window trim, which will make the ceiling look taller and the window look larger because the curtains wont hang in front of the windows.

The below option showcased a more traditional/transitional lighting option with an antiqued silver mirror. At the end, I think we both prefered the second option!

Which version to you prefer? Share in the comments below!

The Wrap Up

All in all, this space came together beautifully! And the best part? We were able to create this entire design, which my clients could then execute on their own timing, all in a single 5-hour session.

I find that setting aside this focused, limited amount of time helps my clients to get really clear on their desires and come to our session very prepared. It also lends to quicker decision making, along with coming up with some very creative solutions.

My clients left this session with a fully customized design plan.

This included the style boards for each room to showcase how the pieces will work together, along with PDFs of the layouts so they know how to set everything up when they arrive, as well as links to the individual items where they are able to source the items I've suggested.

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