It is all about using what you already have.
This is a story of One Sofa + Different Accessories = Two Different Looks.
See how YOU can keep your existing furniture and fill it out with carefully chosen accessories for a whole new look!
I had the pleasure to create this recent Postbox for a family of four who needed to take their finished basement from “full fledged boy zone” (her words!) to a space the entire family could enjoy. Their home and furnishings are very traditional, so she wanted to keep that look, but still create a place that was comfortable for grown-ups and children alike.
She already had a great set of furniture that she wanted to reuse in the space-a sectional sofa and coordinating loveseat. Some of my clients think they need to start from scratch to have a newly designed room…not so! Whether to save money, re-use a piece that you love, or simply not waste perfectly good furniture, tons of my clients have a few pieces they want to incorporate into their new design. In fact, her walls were already a neutral tan and had great carpet in the space, so why spend money and time switching those things out? I kept all of these elements as a base and filled out the look with the new accessories I chose for her.
Because so many of you are in the same situation of wanting to update a room while keeping your existing furniture, I wanted to show you how YOU can do it too! In both Versions I use the same furniture, but by switching up the accessories, it gives two different looks.
Here is Version #1:
There was one more small catch. Based on her Design Questionnaire and her Pinterest board, the homeowner wanted to incorporate blues and grays into a traditional looking living room. However, her sofas were a dark green, so I needed to find a way to bridge that gap.
So the first step was to find the perfect tie-in feature: a new rug.
A rug is a GREAT way to blend in different colors of furniture, if you can find a piece that incorporates all of the colors you have. A rug is large enough to tie everything together and make the space seem cohesive. I chose two different Pottery Barn rugs that both incorporated her dark sofa color with the lighter color palette she requested. Additionally, a heavily patterned rug like this will help hide stains…bonus! I’m a huge fan of Pottery Barn rugs, the quality is great, and I’ve owned mine for over 12 years.
Another way to change up a look is by your throw pillows. Throw pillows are inexpensive and easy to change out with changing style or season. For both versions I chose pillows with blues, grays, and creams, but with different looks. The homeowners can mix and match both versions and choose her favorites.
So, let’s see what the second version looked like, using her same sofa:
While she had her existing furniture, she did need a coffee table to tie everything together. Because she has two young boys I wanted to pick something that could withstand everything a little boy could throw at it…while looking beautiful in the process. I’m a HUGE fan of leather ottomans with kids:
They are easy to clean, simply wipe down. Small scratches can be buffed out. Best yet, if you have itty bittys in the house (think toddlers and young walkers) a soft ottoman is a great safety feature. Actually if you have any aged kiddos this is a great piece, my then five year son had a trip to the ER after falling into our wood coffee table, and now has a great Harry Potter like scar on his forehead!
And while a leather ottoman fit into her traditional design, I wanted to give her another option so in Version #2, I chose this oversized wood coffee table that already had some natural distressing to it. So when her sons scratch it (you know it’s going to happen!), it will just blend in!
And want to see what it will look like in REAL life? Here is Version in a 3D perspective that I created as part of her Postbox Package:
With young kids in the house, I’m always reluctant to put in TOO many accessories. You think you pick up their toys and dirty laundry a hundred times a day? Try putting a dozen knick knacks back in place after a playdate! So I wanted to streamline it for her….In each version I chose one tray with a few simple accessories to place on it (not shown on Version #1). She can put it out for guests, or simply pick up the tray and move the entire vignette out of the way in seconds when her boys want to create a fort with her coffee table.
Finally, as a bonus option, in Version #1 I suggested adding a decorative light fixture to amp up the glam factor. Her finished basement had plenty of can lights, but adding this light fixture will create a focal point that brings the basement up to the level of the rest of her home. An electrician can swap out an existing can light to this light easily.
Here is page #2 of her Mood Board to show a few more of the items I selected to round out the room:
For all of my clients I purposefully create two versions to not only give them double the choices, but they are created so they can mix and match them. These Mood Boards show that you can keep your furniture but still update your room simply with accessories and small furniture pieces.
Want to get your entire room in a box, mailed right to you?
Most of my clients know what they like, they just don’t know how to pull it all together. I walk you through the super simple three step process to get you the room of your dreams. You can have your dream room without ever leaving your home. To find out more about how the process works just check it out HERE or email me at kristin@postboxdesigns.com and I can answer all of your questions!
Let’s do this!
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