Formal Living Room Updates
We’ve officially lived with our “finished” or renovated formal living room for over a year now. I really wouldn’t change anything, which says a lot because that space sees a ton of use! I feel like our house has been in a state of flux these past few months. I’m moving everything out of my home office so we can begin demo, we’ve been shuffling things around to setup a temporary workspace, and we’ve also been trying to furnish our office building, as we’ve been spending a lot of time over there lately. Basically, our furniture has been shifting and we added a few new pieces to the mix recently- which ended up in our formal living room. It’s looking pretty different around here, so I figured an updated blog post was in order. Click through for all of the formal living room updates, to get the sources, and to see how it looks today!
Here’s a little reminder of where this space started before we renovated… you can see more before images and links to the process in my initial reveal post.
This room was pretty basic and boring. The scale and functionality were also lacking. We added the built-in for storage, swapped the flooring, the fireplace, and added millwork. It feels like a totally different room these days, and it’s honestly difficult to remember the way it looked when we moved in.
We use this living space often- more than I thought we would. It’s centrally located in the heart of our home on the main level, and gets a ton of traffic. It also bridges the kitchen and dining room with the backyard, so the dogs are constantly running in and out. Here’s your first peek at our new BLUE sofa…
Speaking of the dogs and the new sofa, I made sure to select durable, performance fabrics that will withstand life with our dogs… because let’s be real- they rule this house. They are allowed on the furniture and we enjoy snuggling them on the sofa & chairs, so it was important to make selections that will wear well over the years. I took the custom furniture route, and ordered the sofa from Maiden Home. I’m actually working with them to share more on the customization process- so stay tuned for a detailed blog post this spring!
I fell in love with the Carmine sofa and ordered it in slate blue mohair- it’s basically my dream sofa! Mohair just might be my favorite material. I also love the rolled and pleated English arm with the clean welted lines. It feels tailored, is honestly very comfortable, and is holding up beautifully so far to Cash & Crosby. I really wanted a punch of blue in the living room to continue that cool palette from our kitchen. It makes the space flow nicely and feels more cohesive, in terms of the color palette.
After moving the previous sofa to our office and the old swivel chairs to another room in our house, the upstairs living room was essentially empty. I then ordered two new swivel chairs for the space- because that function is perfect for our floor plan. You can either swivel in toward the fire, or toward the sofa to hold a conversation. I will forever be a fan of swivel chairs for their versatility.
I landed on the Dune swivel chair in a performance linen and these might be *the most comfortable chairs* I’ve ever sat in (seriously). You just sink into them like a cloud! Emmett and I are both loving those and they feel more like a lounge chair in comparison to our previous swivels- something you could spend hours sitting in comfortably.
I should also mention, performance fabric is a godsend and necessity in our house. We have a white sofa in our basement, and now these white swivel chairs. I’m sure our friends & family think we’re crazy because the dogs have basically claimed our furniture, but the fabric is no match for their muddy paws. It comes right up because it doesn’t absorb. You can learn more about how I choose durable and performance fabrics in this blog post! Crosby clearly has a new favorite spot in our house… at first I tried to keep him off the chairs, but eventually gave up. He spends many hours sleeping there.
I also swapped out our area rug. You can read about that in this blog post– and see my 20+ options for this room. I’m feeling really happy with the way things came together once the new furniture arrived. It gave me the motivation to make some changes.
This room still feels very happy, bright, comfortable, and sophisticated- which are all of the things I had initially hoped for. I do like this color palette better than our previous version– because it feels more cohesive with our kitchen and dining room.
I finally made time to re-style our built-ins post holiday. They were beautiful for the Christmas season, but I was ready for a change. I added some new books, art, and as Emmett would say, “cluttered it up a little more.” Haha! I’m pretty sure he was kidding. I like a bookshelf styled with a LOT of books. Check out some of my shelf styling tips in this post, if you’re interested in achieving a similar aesthetic!
I also styled in some new favorites from our shop. I’m always amazed that small accessories can make a big difference in the overall look of a space. Sometimes if I’m trying to freshen a room or switch things up, it just takes 20 minutes of styling or switching things around.
My trusty, thrifted side tables are still around! Those nero marble tables that flank the sofa are HEAVY. They were a Facebook Marketplace find last year, as was our vintage Ethan Allen oval coffee table.
Lately, we’ve had snow on the ground and our fireplace has been working overtime. I’ve been bringing my laptop into this room to work near the fire in one of the comfy swivel chairs. This room suddenly feels brand new again and I’ve loved spending more time in here! If you’re considering a furniture shuffle or swapping things around in your house- I’d encourage you to go for it… especially if you could use a change of scenery!
I always get a lot of source questions, so I’m going to link everything in a roundup below.
Click directly on the items to be redirected to the source- or use the numbered links below the collage to shop…
01: beams // 02: round mirror // 03: sconces // 04: faux ficus tree // 05: limestone fireplace // 06: small stoneware pedestal // 07: zebra ottoman // 08: sheepskin rug // 09: black marble chain // 10: drapery fabric // 11: woven roman shade // 12: gallery lights // 13: white quartz coaster set // 14: tulip arrangement // 15: tiny glazed planter // 16: hand carved wood ball // 17: ribbed glass lantern // 18: floor lamp // 19: carmine sofa // 20: vintage ethan allen coffee table // 21: dune swivel chair // 22: area rug // 23: drip artwork // 24: door hardware // 25: alabaster table lamp // 26: demilune table // 27: DIY textural art // 28: herringbone hardwood floors // 29: round scallop ottoman // *not pictured: scalloped marble dish
Should we revisit one more before & after image prior to wrapping up this post up? I’m thinking yes! The other big transformation in this space was the fireplace- it used to look like this…
We removed the carpet, tile, and existing fireplace surround and replaced it with this limestone beauty. The insert is gas, so it can easily be turned on and off with a remote. It’s pretty convenient to be able to adjust the flame height, temperature, warmth, etc. Today it looks like this…
We also installed hardwoods, panel moulding, beams, and added a pair of sconces to the fireplace wall. I recently restyled the mantel and had some fun with repeating sphere shapes. I’ve been noticing modern, geometric forms lately and am fully on board that trend.
Did I miss anything? Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below! I’d be happy to chat about styling, our new furniture, or whatever you’re interested in talking about, when it comes to this space.
I’m feeling really good about this room as we head into my office renovation! It’s like the clam I needed before the (drywall dust) storm begins in another room. Hah! I’m envisioning we’re going to have some fireside Valentine’s Day cocktails right here, this weekend. Cheers to that! Have a good one, friends.
