Our Living Room | House Tour for Fall

When we moved back in our house after the addition and renovation (details here), this room of our house, the front more formal living room, remained mostly the same as it was.  We kept the same furniture we had had since our first home, almost ten years ago.  That furniture had moved with us from our first house, to Concord, Mass, back to Kansas City again.  We lived on that furniture for those first 5 years, since it was the only place to sit in our home before the addition.  We had meals on it, watched tv, there were still spilled chocolate milk stains on it from when Emma was little... and then there was Mr. Darcy.  Mr. had claimed the chair in front of the window as his own.  We called it the Mr. Darcy Dirtball Chair.  It was dirty.  It had a hole worn in the arm from where he perches on it all day and barks at passersby.  It was also the first thing people saw when they came in our home - the Dirtball Chair.  Lovely.  

After 10 years, both the sofa and the dirtball chair needed to move on.  I loved the scale of the old sofa, so I wanted to make sure to mimic that - but I also wanted it to feel elegant since this is our more formal room.  Comfort was very high on the list, too.  We like this to be a room that we really relax in - no TV, but reading books and magazines and drinking coffee/tea in front of the fire.  This is the only woodturning fireplace in our home, so we sort of center the room around that use.  We have picnic dinners in here on special occasions, we play board games on the floor and we put our feet up here on chilly Saturday mornings - all in front of the fire.  And, of course this is where the Christmas Tree will be in a couple of months.  My point is, it is an elegant room, but I really wanted us to use the room, so it must be very comfortable.

I've shared all of the links and resources throughout this post, but they'll also be listed at the end.  Let me know if I've forgotten something, as I'm sure I will. 

Paint : Benjamin Moore Carringon Beige

This room is painted Benjamin Moore Carrington Beige - the Walls in Flat and the Trim in Satin.  I love tone-on-tone painted walls and woodwork, this room is a great example of how subtly sophisticated it can look.  It is the perfect warm neutral.  It isn't white, it isn't cream, it isn't beige, it isn't grey.  It is just warm.

Wool Rug

We have had this wool rug since we moved into the house pre-renovation 7 years ago.  We love it.  It is huge (11x13, I think?), 100% wool and beautiful muted neutral colors.  I love that there is actually some color in the rug, but it isn't distracting or too bold - very pretty natural rusts, slate and beige with a sandy linen background.  I'm considering getting the runner for our upstairs hallway, too.

Price : The bonus of this rug is that is very inexpensive!  This large one is around $700-900.  It is still available here, Our Wool Rug.

Purchasing a new sofa was the biggest change of the room.  Our old one was huge and it really suit the scale of this room.  I wanted a big, deep sofa that would be great for reading, naps and handle a big group for family gatherings.  I love the rolled arms, I love the slipcovered look that dresses this room down just a touch and I love the bench seat.  

Camel Velvet Bench Sofa

Specs : Grand Scale 91" Sofa with Bench Seat with a Camel Velvet Slipcover

People often ask me about what size pillows I use and how I arrange them.  This is my basic formula for this large sofa: 

2 x Large Pillows (Harvest Flower Pillows here)

2 x Large Pillows (Green Dahlia here) 

1 x Rectangle Accent

I buy all of the inserts at Ikea.  They fit my pillow covers perfectly - in fact we design them around these sizes so they are a perfect fit. 

My Large Pillows = Ikea 26" Insert, $10

My Medium Pillows = Ikea 20" Insert, $6

My Rectangle Pillows = Ikea 26x16" Insert, $7

I change the covers out every season with Pillow Covers from my store.  Here is a photo from last season to show how just swapping out the pillows can really transform the look and feel of the entire room.

Velvet Sofa : Camel Velvet Bench Sofa

Bench : Upholstered Bench/Ottoman

Lamps : Glass & Brass Lamp

Shop All of the Pillows in my collection, here >

I really wanted a pair of pretty, shapely chairs for the front window.  My plan is to put a game table between them so we have a comfy place to sit and play games in front of the fire  on cold winter nights.  Right now, I have them without a slipcover, just the natural creamy muslin that comes upholstered on them.  

I love the graphic Gold Dahlia Pillow Covers.  This is a Medium Pillow, which is the perfect accent size.  They were great on dining tables or mudroom benches, too - just just for upholstered furniture. 

Pillow : Gold Dahlia Pillow Covers

Chairs : Custom Chair, $1,800

Gold Dahlia Pillow Covers

In the background of this photo, you'll see my Rustic Garden Pots, which have been recently restocked.  I've potted them with topiary... that I'm still trying to keep alive.

This chest was a Christmas gift from Mike a couple of years ago.  I had picked it out and put it on my wish list for a while before he surprised me with it.  In it, we keep all of our Christmas specials - ornaments, keepsakes, Christmas cards, nativity scenes.   It is essentially our Christmas Chest.  I love that our very special things don't live in a plastic (maybe wet?!) bin in the basement.  Also limiting our collection of special Christmas things to what fits in this chest keeps me from buying too much each year - just a couple of very special things to add.

Now, in this photo you'll see how this Antique Chest evolves each season, too.  I try to keep something alive or growing in this spot.  It is sort of my seasonal showpiece.  Just updating this are every couple of weeks makes our home feel fresh.  I won't use the word "vignette" (insert eye roll) ... but if there was one of those in our house, it would be here : )

Candle : Heirloom Pumpkin Candle

Vases : Large Glass Vases

Vases : Large Glass Vases

Basket Tray : Rattan Basket Tray Set 

Pillows : Green Dahlia Pillow Covers

Pillows : Harvest Flower

Pillows : Green Dahlia Pillow Covers

This corner by the fireplace is sort of the forgotten corner.  It has a new chair, so I'm working on spiffing it up a little.  This classic wing has a windowpane slip that I love.  I am working with Tessa to help me reconfigure the space with a new lamp, footstool and some prints.  I'll keep you posted. 

We keep fire kindling in this antique crock, a gift from my Mother-in-Law.  Right now it is newspapers, later in the season it will be pinecones and sticks we gather on walks.

To the right of the sofa is another forgotten corner that you don't get to see very often.  I found this lovely antique writing table with barely twist legs at a local antique store.  We keep our extra dining chairs in here and pull them in when we need them.

This table usually collects invitations, thank you notes, special gifts and little treasures.  I love the collection of frames I keep here, too.  I think family photos work best in tabletop frames vs. on the wall, and this is my little area where I can keep favorites and update each season. 

Candle : Heirloom Pumpkin Candle

 

Resources : 

Rug : Wool Rug (also comes in a runner I love Wool Rug Runner)

Paint : Benjamin Moore Carringon Beige

Rug : Wool Rug (also comes in a runner I love Wool Rug Runner)

Drapes : Ivory Linen Cotton Drapes, 84"

Lamps : Glass & Brass Lamp

Chairs : Custom Chair, $1,800

Velvet Sofa : Camel Velvet Bench Sofa

Frames : Gold Leaf Frames & Botanicals

Bench : Upholstered Bench/Ottoman

Basket : Log Basket

Pillows : Gold Dahlia Pillow Covers

Pillows : Green Dahlia Pillow Covers

Pillows : Harvest Flower

Pillow Inserts : Down Pillow Inserts

Vases : Large Glass Vases

Pots : Rustic Garden Pots

Tour the rest of our home, here.

Shop all of my home essentials and collections, here.

Pre-Spring House Tour | Kitchen & Hearth

Last week I did a little Pre-Spring freshening around our house.  I can't bring myself to write "winter" but that is definitely the season we're still in, as I sit here looking at icicles outside of the window.  No, this is the pre-spring tour of our home.  My spring bulbs I'm forcing on our counter are sprouting up, feeling very promising.  I've switched out all of our pink velvet pillows from Valentine's Day.  Now they are covered in my favorite, classic Navy Block Prints.  

If you are new here, you can find all of the resources for our kitchen, here.  For this post, I'll focus on what is new for this Pre-Spring Tour.

This is such a hard angle to capture in our home, but one of my favorites.  I love the big chunky island, with the lanterns above, and all of the windows.  I've replaced my antique "warm" rug that I use during the Holidays with a fresh sisal runner for the warmers seasons.  

I replaced our velvet pillow covers with these classic navy block prints in two patterns.  

Navy Block Print Pillows, here >

I use two Large (22") on the ends, then one Medium (20") and one Rectangle, mixing and matching Navy Hydrangea Print, and Navy Privet Berry Print Covers.

Navy Hydrangea Print, and Navy Privet Berry Print Covers

I have the new Narrow Antique Mat Boards in my Gold Frames with the new Classic Botanical Prints.  I love the dominance of the mat, and the smaller print.  These are the 14x11" frames.

I'm debating altering the square ottoman.  I don't love the color any longer.  I would like to have it reconfigured to have one solid cushion on top for which I could have a slipcover made.  

Thoughts?  Maybe a small stripe or check?  The medium brown just isn't doing it for me!

From the kitchen to the mudroom.

Another sign that winter is still around.  I'm considering moving this to the school house (our new project, read about it here!)- it seems more appropriate there.

Love watching these bulbs sprout up - hoping they have enough energy to bloom.

The cookie jar is full with the new Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies I made.

Pale Pink Hyacinth that are making the entire house smell like Spring : )

Shop the Classic Home Collection, here >

Welcome to Our "Fall-ized" Home

Welcome to our "Fall-ized" home.  I added sprigs of bittersweet to a simple wreath that always hangs on our door.  The deep red-orange color of these berries has really attracted me this season, so I've used it several places in our home to create a bright pop of color against our mostly neutral palette.

The second pop of orange is the linen pillow I made for the sofa.

I've recently made a couple of new purchases for this room from a Barbara Cosgrove sample sale.  Barbara is from Kansas City and her daughter happens to be one our neighbors. 

I purchased this fabulously simple and elegant brass table.  I won't tell you what a steal-of-a-deal it was... but let's just say I couldn't have purchased a knockoff from Target any cheaper.

My second purchase was this pair of lamps.  Barbara helped me select these based on a photo I showed her of my living room.  I love the larger scale - my old ones look ity-bity in comparison.  She said the most common mistake is using shades that are too small.



I love a cozy sofa full of pillows.

I made this pillow with a half yard of "pumpkin" linen I purchased from Nell Hills.



These are a fun new addition to the store for for Halloween.

Here are some of the pumpkins Emma picked last weekend.  We have quite the collection of small pumpkins - she loved that she could carry them all by herself.  Isn't that stem fabulous?

My third purchase from the sale - I'm obsessed with this pair of artichoke lamps. 

I put them on the mantle for now, but I'd love to have them on a console table at some point. 



Here is a view of the room coming back from the dining room.



And the room complete with a peek at Emma's shopping cart in the corner and her lamb chair.

The dining room sporting another pop of the deep orange.

 Our boots.

 
Just outside the dining room on the side porch - I've moved my herbs from the garden to make them more easily accessible.

I love this framed print of our wedding day - Mike had it done (picked it out all by himself) for our first anniversary.

The view upon entering our bedroom.

Another orange linen pillow - this one embroidered with our monogram.

Thanks for taking my little tour - Happy Fall decorating!