You saw a little glimpse of the living room last week, and now it’s time for the official walk through. The living room is in the front of the house and is right off the entry. It opens up into the dining room that sits behind it. It has two large windows and gets great light.

The room is on the small side. It’s only 14.5 ft x 11.25 ft. Below is the picture from the realtor listing, so this is a pretty accurate representation of what it looked like when we bought the house. I think the picture gives the illusion that it’s larger than it really is.

Major elements (carpeting, trim, etc.) have not changed, but adding in furniture and decor has helped the room feel more like us. When I was working out the floor plan, I knew I wanted this room to feel intimate with all the seating facing each other. I tried a couple of different floor plans, but landed on having a loveseat and two chairs.

The chairs flank the window and I knew we needed a table between them but the height of the table was really important. It needed to be short, so that it didn’t block the view. I remember searching for months and finally found a table at HomeGoods. This room also has no overhead lighting, so I needed to add a few lighting sources. The floor lamp behind the chair is the main lighting and really illuminates the entire room. It also has a dimmer, so it can easily be adjusted if needed.

Behind the love seat is an old console table that I’ve had since 2010. The wood is dark and I occasionally think about painting it so it fits in with “light and airy” feeling of the room, but part of me likes it. The console table has a shelf on the bottom with two large baskets that stores my son’s crafts supplies (among other things). On top of the console table is a lamp for more lighting and a collection of family pictures. I don’t typically love having a large number of things on a table because it can be distracting, but a few years ago I saw a tour of Kate Spade’s apartment on Youtube and she had a table of nothing but family pictures. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I decided to give a try. I do love it–mostly because this is one of the few places in the house with family pictures. I smile every time I visit the table.

The coffee table in this room (okay, maybe I should title this post: Jenny Loves to Discuss Tables) is round and has a gray washed finished. The round table really works for this small space and we use it all the time to play games. I don’t love the gray color (the tone is a little cooler than I thought when I purchased it online), but everything else about it is perfect. Maybe one day I’ll try to sand it down.

The chairs and love seat were purchased from HomeGoods and I love each of them. None of them match but they all have a similar tone and transitional design, so they work well together.

The chair closest to the entry (below) is actually a lazy boy recliner. My husband loves a recliner and I really liked the club chair look of this one, so it seemed like a great compromise. It doesn’t get used much as a recliner. I’m, surprisingly(!), the one who will bust it out to lounge and relax. I think because it’s more on the petite side and put in a corner, it’s not as inviting for my husband.

The view of the loveseat was a little more challenging to get straight on, so we did the best we could. The loveseat is probably my favorite piece in the room. It’s deep and has removable cushions (a necessity for me). It’s comfortable and stylish.

When you first enter the house, you get a glimpse of the living room on the left. The sight lines are nice from this point of view and the DIY XL Art is a big focal point.

Most of the major pieces of this room are in place (furniture, rug and now art), but there are still some other big changes that need to happen along with a handful of small ones. The major changes include changing out the carpet for hardwood floors, upgrading the trim to thicker and bulkier pieces, and possibly opening up the wall and exposing the staircase (not sure if this is even possible, but a girl can dream). The little things include changing out the outlet/switchplate covers, hanging the curtains higher (and hemming them if needed), replacing the blinds with a roman shade, adding some color by replacing the pillow covers, adding a tray and replacing some frames on the console table.

In many ways this room is exactly what I like. It’s neutral and comfortable. When I’m in it, I’m happy and relaxed. I know it’s not the most adventurous or design-heavy room, but this room just feels right.