It was only a little over a year ago that I first published pictures of our home on my blog. It was my second-ever blog post, in fact! I was proud of the way we had taken our rental and turned it into our own masculine mix of eclectic décor and furnishings that showcased our personalities and our travels from around the world.
Over the course of the past year, our tastes have evolved. The more I looked at our living room, the more I craved a few small improvements.
We ended up flipping the layout of the room, and were able to work in a few new signature pieces in the process.
First, we love to entertain. Most commonly, this consists of an impromptu Saturday or Sunday afternoon of snacking and wining with whichever friends choose to stop by. Come on, knock on our door!
Other times, it’s a planned event, like drinks before or after dinner with friends, a birthday celebration, or hosting guests from out of town. Regardless of the occasion, we wanted to create a more open flow between the kitchen, dining nook, and living room area with the hope of adding some seating and table surfaces throughout.
Second, we wanted to give the living room a little bit more polish. We wanted to retain the room’s layered, comfortable, masculine appeal while adding a few sleeker, more modern elements to elevate the space. We kept our well-loved larger pieces of furniture, removed some clutter that had accumulated, and re-accessorized with shiny metallic accents.
At the same time, we also incorporated a few more fun pops to brighten up the space, most notably using bright orange to bring in personality and color throughout.
We were even able to mix in a few hits of greenery (deliberately focused on succulents that are easy to keep alive with minimal upkeep). Reminder to self: should probably water those today.
The lesson learned? When you’re craving a change, take the time to experiment and reinvent. We love our living and entertaining space more than ever before after just a few simple improvements to modernize the room and create better spatial relations.
-JS
Photos by Rouxby Photography