Our Family Room

Happy Wednesday, friends! This has been an odd week to say the least. I feel like it’s my Monday. Isla and Ani were off school all last week due to the holiday and a snow day and this week I spent their time at school at Adalyn’s school for her 100th Day of School celebration. While I didn’t get any work accomplished, I had a great time. I always enjoy the opportunity to be in her classroom, amongst her friends.

Now I’m trying to catch my breath with an overflowing inbox, passion to create and need to complete a few projects. One of my many projects is our family room. I have somewhat of a vision for the space, but since the room is used infrequently, I haven’t really focused on it. Still, I thought I’d share how the family room has evolved to date with some photos I snapped over the weekend.

There’s still a lot to do in our family room, but let’s talk about what we have so far. We purchased the end table/trunk over 8 years ago. I’m not in love with it, but it does provide functional storage while the girls are little. The table is filled with dolls and their accessories. Though the piece doesn’t fit my taste, blending it with a natural rug softens it a little and makes it feel up-to-date.

The family room opens up the screened in porch – I can’t wait to open the french doors  again!

On the other side of the sofa I’ve stacked a couple of baskets for an informal end table that stores seasonal children’s books.

I use the antique wardrobe to store throws, pillows, candles and games when not in use. The windows are accented with bamboo blinds, but I hope to add drapes in the future as well.

The sofa and brass lamps were staples in the living room of our previous home, it’s that wall in between that I’m unsure of. I’ve contemplated everything from a large picture to an old vine. I just can’t seem to commit, so I’m going to wait.

I hung an antique wood panel I found in an antique store for a unique piece of art. I love the way that adds warmth to a room.

Don’t judge, but we still have our Christmas wreath out. I think I’m going to do a series of photos on the piano – in my free time.

This is a photo I took when we first looked at the house…

The family room receives a beautiful golden glow in the afternoon. I look forward to making it a room we use!

When we moved into our current home, very little of our existing furniture fit with the floor plan. This is our 4th home and with each we’ve purchased new pieces, inherited family heirlooms and well, ten years later our style, needs and budget have changed. Sometimes through time you end of with a collection of things you don’t really love. Can you relate?

We furnished our family room utilizing pieces we owned that fit – my grandmother’s wardrobe repurposed as a linen cabinet, my great-grandmother’s piano, our oversized sofa, a set of baskets, and two trunks. It’s eclectic, but pieces well together. However, I haven’t loved the trunks in years. I love that they provide additional storage {the girls call the coffee table trunk “the library”}, but even though they’re real wood, the finish makes them look fake and I prefer a softer, warmer aesthetic.

I think a lot of us have the mentality that we can’t purchase a piece at a time, but need to do a room at a time. I used to think that way myself, and sometimes still work that way, but why not design over time with the end result in mind? It’s fun, far less stressful and then you can find the right pieces along the way.

Well, one day I was reading my friend Melaine’s blog, My Sweet Savannah and saw the prettiest wood end table from Bellacor in her home. I had to have it. At the time I wasn’t sure if it would be for our future lake cottage, if it would work in our family room or if I might want to incorporate it into the living room, but I was enamored, so I pinned it. If you follow me on Pinterest you’ll see that I always have an array of projects going on, even if just in my head. It’s where I save my wish list. Sometimes things stay there for months, even years {like my pretty office light that will be hung next week}. But before I buy, I want to have a really firm idea of how I want the space to look and feel {and have the budget for it, of course}.

After a lot of thought, I decided the end table would fit beautifully into our family room. Your home should be a collection of things you love and this end table is it! I love the beautiful spindle legs, the soft, natural wood finish and the pretty woodwork on the top of the table. But what I really love about the table is that it peeks just above the sofa. An end table should be within 2″ of your sofa’s arm height, whether above or below. Given that this end table is in the corner of the room, I wanted a little peek of it from across the room, so it’s the perfect height.

When purchasing furniture, I look for real wood, not veneer, detail, color and a timeless, classic style. These pieces will tend to stay with you longer and transition from room to room or home to home well. Don’t be afraid to mix and match. An eclectic mix adds interest to your home. It’s okay to blend different woods and finishes, materials, and shapes. More than anything, go for the piece you love!

I hope you’re having a beautiful week!

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