With fall settling in, and our major projects behind us (remodel and wedding!), I’ve been dying to get to some mini home updates that have been on my list forever! Rather than jump into another big project, like a total room overhaul, I’ve decided that fall is going to be ALL about finishing off little spaces in the house that have been neglected, and making any minor updates to some of the rooms I’ve ‘finished’ in the past. (Rooms are never really finished are they!?)
First up: our living room.
Some of you may remember this space from the One Room Challenge we did about a year ago. We completely revamped this space and did it all in six weeks. While it was a great way to finally get the room done, we made some decisions that we’re based on how quickly items could ship vs. what we really loved and what quality we were getting. And while I love our current sofa, my husband does not feel the same way. He hates how deep it is (never heard a man complain about that) and while it would certainly last us a few more years, we decided it’s time to invest in something we’ll love for another decade or two!
So, now, I’m ready to swap a few things out! But I need your help to do so because – as always – when it comes to making decisions in my own home, I’m useless! I’ve gotten things down to the basics but I need to decide on our sofa, chair and storage color…
We’re 99% sure of the sofa we are going to go with (from Room & Board – more on that soon!), but I’m having a horrible time deciding on color! Maybe this is why I’ve stuck with shades of white for so many years. I’ve edited the photo to show these samples at their truest tones, and would love your thoughts. Of course I’m more attracted to the lighter color, but love the idea of something rich and dark too.
Top: Vance Cloud | Middle: Delamont Cloud | Bottom: Dawson Grey
They are all really greys with undertones of green or blue. I’m trying to push myself out of super neutral and into barely-there color. It takes baby steps, right? Below, I’ve put together six different configurations using Vance Cloud and Dawson Grey because I didn’t feel like torturing you or myself with more options than that. These will give you a general idea of what we’re going for and where I’m struggling!
This layout includes some items we already have (the entryway table, sconces, media console, rug and storage) with some new additions (both chairs, hopefully that ikea storage cabinet up top on the left if I can ever get my hands on one, lighter curtains, and the coffee table).
So here’s my deal with the green: I love it, but it is SO Pacific Northwest. And, with all the yellow oak we have in our flooring and in some of our furniture pieces, I’m worried I’m going to suddenly feel like I’m back in my parent’s house from the 90’s. It’s also the reason I’ve moved more towards the dark wood that feels less mid-century modern, but let’s play devil’s advocate…
Same configuration, different wood tones. Here – in both the chair and the storage – I’ve swapped out darker charcoal for walnut. It certainly warms things up, but has less contrast. Thoughts – the cream colored chair on the right could be swapped for something more colorful in any one of these scenarios. I just popped it in here as a placeholder for now. Maybe even something with a little pattern?
Last one with the green sofa. In this case, swapping the fabric lounge chair on the left chair for the leather version. I do think it helps balance out the warm woods, buuuuut… it’s starting to feel a little masculine and meh to me.
Now moving into the options with the lighter fabric on the sofa! If we go in this direction I think I’d swap the pale grey linen curtainsfor this subtle seafoam grey color just to mix things up a bit! (Both are from Barn & Willow.) The coffee table that we’ve been looking at also comes in this cool dark grey-blue tone that might work with this sofa… or it might be too similar. I’m trying to get a swatch sent to me so I can decide! Funny enough, all the warm woods and leather don’t bother me quite as much here when we switch into blue tones!
This one is the same as above but back to the lighter grey coffee table. Sooooo neutral which makes me love it. We could also do this scenario with the leather chair being white fabric.
And last but not least, the back to the darker charcoal wood finishes. I’m really tempted to work with what we’ve already got as far as storage goes, so keeping the darker storage piece we have instead of purchasing a whole new one would be really nice. And I like the contrast. But is it too heavy and dark? Also, for those of you asking, if you head over to the One Room Challenge post about our living room, you’ll see all the sources for the items in the first photo!
Ok guys, I’m counting on you to lend some advice here! What are your thoughts on each of these pieces? Any other suggestions that you’d make? Remember, this doesn’t even take into account accessories and artwork which will help bring more color into the space too!
Next up we’re planning on repainting the dining room, updating the bathroom, and perking up the hallways, so stay tuned for more updates from all our little fall makeovers! Let’s hope I can get them all done before the holidays (yes, I just said holidays).
