When I'm stuck emotionally, I redecorate. But not for the reason most think. Sure I love the pretty space in the end, but it's so much more than that for me.
Design is healing.
It's medicinal.
It's therapy.
When I'm stressed, my brain wants comfort. It wants peace. And redecorating can provide both.
Following suit like my office redesign (you can read about that here), I wanted this space to feel less cluttered + soothing to the eye. I needed simplicity which meant removing everything + starting again.
When we toured the house, the former owners used this space as their formal living room. Ahem.
Nothing against that, except that we aren't formal at all.
At. All.
So I made an executive decision + created a cozy family room instead.
One of the other big changes we made in this room (aside from adding shiplap to the walls) was to open up the staircase wall. It was all sheet rocked in + the only way to access the stairs was to go around through the dining room. The wall was just begging to be opened up, + we were happy to make its dreams come true. And oh what a difference it made. The light now oozes from every which way + it's super convenient to have two options of using the stairs.
My favorite thing about this room is the vaulted ceiling. One day we'll add some faux beams, but until then, I'm content with the in-between.
Here are a couple before pictures of the room:
Because this room isn't very large, + with a family of 5, I had to be creative with the seating. Originally, the couch + chaise came together as a set. But after redoing my office, I had an extra couch that I wanted to incorporate for more seating. So I separated the couch/chaise + added my office couch to create a sectional. Do the fabrics match? Nope. Can you tell they aren't the same couch? Yep. But as I'm learning to let go of other's expectations, I'm finding that because it totally works for our family, it's gonna stay + it will look like a rockstar :)
I wanted comfy. I wanted cozy. I wanted all white :) So I added layer after layer, texture after texture, pillow after pillow to elevate the couches + to ease my perfectionist enneagram 1ness with all the spills + stains from 3 teenagers.
If you've been following along on my instagram stories, you'll see that I finished the massive art piece above the couch. Once sporting a 1990's style, this piece was transformed with a little paint + joint compound. Not bad for $30!
Still left for the room is a picture light that will hover above the art. But all in all, my heart is full of joy that I can look around the room, cozy up on the couch + feel peace knowing this:
I didn't break the bank to finish this room. (Seriously. Besides the couch/chaise, the rug, the tree, chandelier + some decor, everything else was thrifted, garbage picked or given to me.)
Everything has a purpose + a place. (Isn't it frustrating to shop + find items you like only to get home + not have a place to put them??)
This room is beautiful AND functional. (Gone are the days where a room just looks pretty or is only functional. Best of both worlds here.)
Oh the beauty of becoming…. or…. seeing the beauty in the in-between. What a journey this has been!
Next up, a dining room redesign :)
Love, Audra
