Elegant Living Room Design: Part I
Hi guys! Welcome back to Postbox Designs, this is the place where you can sit in your PJs with a cup of coffee and let all of the design ideas come to you. In fact, since all I do in Online Interior Design, you better believe that sometimes I’m designing for my clients in my PJs with a cup of coffee in hand (or snacking on cookies if its after 2 PM). And there is a good chance I might have been in my yoga pants when I worked on this recent Elegant Living Room Makeover right here in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan!
There is a lot of good stuff to share, so I’m breaking it into two parts, and today I’m also going to share with you:
5 Ways to Re-Create this Elegant Living Room Design for Yourself
I always create two different mix-and-match designs for all of my clients, and for Part I I’m sharing Version #2 of this neutral and traditional living room design:
Step 1: Re-Create this Elegant Living Room Design
Choose a neutral, straight armed sofa
I always start my Living Room designs around the sofa.
I know, it will sound a lot more romantic to say I decorate a room around a single piece of meaningful artwork passed down five generations. And hey, if a client needs that, I’m happy to do so! But 99% of the time I start with the biggest piece in the room, and work from there. And for a Living Room design, if you can only splurge on one piece:
Splurge on your sofa.
It is going to get all of the use and abuse, not to mention it is most likely the largest piece of furniture in your Living Room design. I like sourcing great quality sofas from places like Pottery Barn, West Elm, Ballard Designs, and Crate and Barrel. I have found that neutral, mid-toned pieces work the best: they will work with just about any style and will stand the test of time. Light to mid-toned grays, tans, beiges, or even a navy all work as neutral sofa colors.
And I love using a straight armed sofa with comfy pillows because it creates a neutral, tailored look that is still uber-comfortable. Some of these beautiful modern sofas look picture perfect, but they feel like sitting on a rock (a really pretty rock). So instead look for cushions with some fluff, but still have a structured look to them. This gray sofa from Crate and Barrel comes in a myriad of colors and the quality of the sofa is going to ensure it lasts forever.
Step 2: Re-Create this Elegant Living Room Design
Mix High and Lows
Remember Step 1 about splurging on your sofa? We paired this more expensive Crate and Barrel sofa layered with some budget-friendly gems. We sourced Target’s Project 62 and Opalhouse lines with both of these chairs (#2 and #12). Fun fact: This recliner (#12) is actually a baby glider from Target! These curtains (#10), striped pillow (#6) and floor lamp (#11) are also Target finds.
Step 3: Re-Create this Elegant Living Room Design
Learn How to Style a Coffee Table
There are some tricks to remember when styling a coffee table in your Living Room. I pulled out the items I used to style this coffee table and put them all in a Mood Board for ya (see above), use these items, or similar, to re-create this look.
Start with a tray: It is easy to corral items in a tray, then simply lift it off your table when you want a clear space
Add a tall item to add some height: We used this faux orchid plant (from Pottery Barn), or you could additionally use this tall white vase (H&M Home)
Add some greenery: My client specifically requested a cloche (Target), and we paired it up with this sweet gold potted succulent from CB2 under it
Use a stack of books: Use a stack of books you already down (raid your library and remove the dust jackets off your hardbacks) to help elevate smaller items
Add something whimsical: I loved this small gold elephant sculpture (Target) because it made me smile
Coffee Table: And for the coffee table itself, here is a tip if you have small kids: Use a coffee table with an easy to clean surface, like this Target white coffee table. Another option is to use a table with distressed woods to help minimize nicks and scratches
Step 4: Re-Create this Elegant Living Room Design
Create a Gallery Wall Full of Neutral Colors
My client requested an elegant, traditional living room design with some pops of modern elements. The way we filled up her wall over a sofa is with a Gallery Wall. For a neutral look, stick with a palette of whites, blacks, grays, and subdued colors (check out her Gallery Wall below)! If you want a similar look, we filled hers up with black and white family photos, botanical pencil sketches, and black and white maps. Hers came from a curated collection of items found on Etsy, that were digital downloads. Use a mix of frame sizes at staggered heights to fill up any blank wall of your Living Room.
Step 5: Re-Create this Elegant Living Room Design
Mix and Match Your Materials
No one wants that matchy-matchy “I bought everything as a set in the furniture store at once” type of look. So the easiest way is to mix up your finishes. In this elegant Living Room we still kept her furniture R-E-A-L because this Mama has small children at home. Because of her young kiddos, we started with a rustic wood coffee table (#4) , but glammed it up with these marble and gold side tables (#21). They are completely different styles, but they work in the space together. We further mixed in these black metal nesting tables (#7) to keep the modern look going. To keep everything cohesive, we kept repeating the same color scheme of these gold, white, and black tones throughout the room. And that helps pull together the different styles of these tables.
Elegant Living Room Design Makeover-Get It For Yourself
So there you go, Part I of this elegant and traditional Living Room Makeover. If seeing this room makeover made you realize that you have a room in your house that needs some special loving, I would love to work with you! While some interior design companies dabble in E-Design, it is ALL I do. After getting to know you, I create two different mix-and-match designs for you. Then I create all of the drawings and goodies you need, such as your Mood Boards, Shopping Lists, Floor Plans, and even material samples and package it all up in a Postbox. Then I mail your room-inside-a-box right to you, so you have everything you need to pull together your custom designed space on your time and budget. You can check out How It Works or drop me an email at kristin@postboxdesigns.com to chat more!
Want to See Even More Living Room Designs?
If you loved this elegant Living Room Makeover, here are some more Postbox Designs Living Room Makeovers to check out!
Modern Coastal Living Room Makeover: Part I & II
Rustic Farmhouse Living Room: 2 Ways
See the Before & Afters of this Modern Boho Living Room Makeover
Overwhelmed and Not Sure Where to Start?
I know I gave you a bunch of ideas of how to re-create today’s Living Room design. But I have one more source to share with you! I created this free download called the “10 Starter Pieces for Your Home”-they are all neutral, classic pieces that will lay the foundation of good design in your home. Once you fill your room with some classic main pieces, you can start to fill it in with fun accessories. Start from the beginning friends and you will be glad you did. You can find this design freebie (as well as dozens of others!) in my Free Resource Library.
Yes, I Want My Free Guide!
Already a member of the Library? You can log in with your password right HERE
And be sure to come back here in a few days for Part II of this Living Room Design Makeover!
Cheers,
Kristin
Ivory says
Fabulous tips, I love them, and already using them in my home. Thanks!
PostboxDesigns says
Yah! Thank-you so much for the kind words, and I’m so glad to hear that! That was a really fun project for a great young family 🙂