Natural Seating
We’ve lived in our home for over three years now and we’ve officially done at least something to every room in the house, even if it’s just painting the walls. I’m definitely someone that decorates by buying what they love and not worrying about it matching too much, which is fun for me because I can constantly refresh our home by moving pieces from one room to another - most of home works together.
Now that we’re more settled in our space, however, the one room that just wasn’t sitting right with me was our living room. I knew we’d been transitioning the room seemingly monthly for the last few years (hodge podge when we moved in, then baby stuff, now half playroom…) but it’s relatively consistent now and still wasn’t feeling right. I finally had an epiphany that it was feeling too formal. I LOVE our vintage end tables and the large vintage mirror over our fireplace but I hadn’t toned the rest of the room down to a place that felt easy and comfortable. We don’t have a TV in this room by choice (we love to sit in here and talk!) so it takes a little extra effort to frame the space as a NON-formal living room. One of the things we love most about our home is that we use every single room - so it was worth the effort to “loosen up” this room a bit!
Phase 1 was replacing our dark, formal wooden coffee table with this light, kid-friendly round one. Phase 2 was swapping out our throw pillows for softer, more neutral options (I’ve got my eye on this one too)! These changes made a huge impact in the space and it instantly felt brighter and more comfortable, but it felt like it needed a few additional natural elements.
That lead to phase 3, adding in this natural rattan chair from Serena & Lily along with the coordinating white cushion. It comes in Nell’s size too (so tempting…)! We added our favorite throw (also love this textured cotton one) and next I’d like to add a simple but sturdy side table like this one (or this petite martini table). This little update does double duty, as it nicely frames out the living room and creates separation from Nell’s play space, which previously just flowed right into the room. I’d like to further define that space by hanging this pendant light centered over Nell’s play table (using this wireless trick from Nesting with Grace!).
Lastly, we completed our 3+ year search for artwork above the sofa with this soft, coastal piece by Ally Shepard Art. My mom actually just hemmed our curtains for the room, so once those are installed as well as the pendant this room will be officially done, marking it the third fully completed room in our home (Nell’s nursery and the office are the other two). We’re definitely taking our time making this our home but we like to enjoy the process and really live with design choices for awhile. I’ve already starting messing around with the guest room and master bedroom - not sure which I will tackle next!
Shop my other natural seating favorites below!
Thank you to Serena & Lily for partnering on this post.
