Main Living Area
Executive summary: We use this room more than any other, so I (re)designed it to maximize form and function to create a space that I love spending time in.
You would think that with only one bedroom and 800 square feet to play with, I would quickly be “done” with designing our home, but not so. Leave it to me to question every object in every room. When we moved in, we had a different configuration (which I might write another post about someday), but after living with that setup for half a year, I changed it to maximize the sense of space in here, following a few design principles:
Opt for leggy furniture (i.e., with open space underneath) to promote a feeling of airiness. Plus, I think it lets the light travel through our unit better.
Block the windows as little as possible. We only have one source of natural light in here, so it’s important to maximize it.
Create a visual (and physical) separation between the living area and the sleeping area.
Keep the big pieces (e.g., couch) neutral, adding color through accessories and art, so I can easily switch things up if they’re not working for some reason.
Couch: Article | Floor lamp: Amazon | Garden stool: Amazon | Sunburst mirrors: Amazon | Rugs: Lowe’s | Pillow inserts: Crate & Barrel | Pillow covers: Pottery Barn (blue stripes), Amazon (faux fur), Crate & Barrel (flowers) | Baskets: Target | Cabinet: IKEA Regissor | Bed frame: IKEA Bjorksnas | Duvet cover: Crate & Barrel | Sheets and pillowcases: Costco, Parachute | Gray throw: Costco | Framed picture: Minted | Wall hoop hanging: DIY | Outdoor table and chairs: Target
To that end, I’ve stuck with some of the choices I made initially (before we’d even moved in, as I planned ahead) but swapped some other things out as our needs became more clear. What’s stayed the same is the sofa and bed placement. Those big pieces anchor the room and define the living and sleeping spaces. I had thought about getting a bed with built-in drawers underneath, but then decided it would look too heavy in here. I went for the opposite instead – high clearance under the bed so it looks as airy as possible. I always have the option of stashing things under the bed if I need the storage space, but so far, the only thing that’s ever lived down there is our folding patio furniture. (We could store the small table and chairs outside, but we’re rarely on our balcony, and I prefer to keep everything clean indoors when not in use).
One note on the rug – you’ll see I inverted the “usual recommendations” around layering rugs. Usually, people put down a larger natural fiber rug (e.g., jute, sisal), then add a smaller decorative rug on top (e.g., vintage Persian, cowhide). For me, I was trying to work with what I have – the jute rug is from our last place, and I like it, so I wanted to find a home for it here. The rug is too small for this living room, and its color is too close to the carpet’s. So I found a larger colorful rug to go underneath, that just exactly fits in the space we have (a very happy coincidence), then laid the jute rug on top. I think it’s a smart and simple solution, as the larger rug likes to bunch up, but the heavier weight of the jute rug on top holds it flat, and subdues the colors in the bigger rug (which I found too orange for our palette, TBH).
The white cabinet that divides the sofa from the bed contains all the folded clothes that my husband and I possess, with room to spare for bathrobes, an extra towel, etc. Since we look at the backside of this cabinet every time we’re in bed, I applied peel & stick wallpaper to liven it up. It’s like a half wall to our “bedroom.” To add more height to this divider while maintaining a light and airy feel, I put baskets on top of the cabinet (as opposed to getting a taller cabinet that blocks light and sight lines) that serve as our hampers.
Peel & stick paper: Amazon
On the other side of the room is our desk area and the kids’ table. I used to have this desk farther from the window, but I found that I wanted to be closer to the great outdoors when I sat here for many hours a day staring at my laptop or making endless work calls. As for the kids’ table, I confess that this is mostly a prop right now, as my son has sat here exactly once for an activity. He prefers to play on the floor, so he has no need for this table. My daughter is a baby whose favorite pastime is drooling, so obviously she won’t be ready for this setup for months or years yet. For now, this is actually where we change her diaper with the portable changing mat, which we lay on the floor by the chairs, and fold up when we’re done. That’ll have to do.
Desk: Target | Chair: Target | Leaning ladder: Yamazaki Home | Throw blanket: Amazon | Wall clock: IKEA | Clipboards: Target | Gold tray: West Elm | Filing cabinet: IKEA Micke | Lamp: HomeGoods | Kids table: IKEA Sundvik | Kids chairs: Melissa & Doug | Picture ledge: IKEA Mosslanda | Framed pictures: Minted
I really enjoy my home, regardless of the size. To me, this place is bright, comfortable, functional, and full of things I love to look at. Keeping it tidy is a breeze, even when the kids dump their toys all over the floor. When people come over, they say “this looks like a model home.” That’s the highest compliment they could pay me, given my immense (and immensely strange) love of touring model homes! But I don’t have to work hard to keep it that way, so I don’t feel phony at all; this isn’t styled out for a shoot. I don’t say any of this to brag – I say it to make the point that when a space is designed to suit your needs, it practically maintains itself. And hopefully it soothes your soul when you look around, and you can breathe a sigh of “I’m home.”