Eight months ago we made the hard decision to move from our FINALLY finished multi level, suburban, gut job of a home to an out dated, mid century modern, back split bungalow on the outskirts of town. We wanted to simplify. We wanted to downsize. We didn’t want to be spread out within our home anymore – we wanted to be together. We wanted to be in a home with our children, on the same floor, passing each other in the hallways, crowding around the dining room table together and finding ourselves hanging out in the same living room every evening together. We wanted a family space to share as a family. Secretly though, I also longed for a pretty, maintenance free space to also double as a room where we could happily host our annual parties with family and friends.
We knew that by downsizing our liveable square footage would be compromised. To make the move work for us we would need to fill the space with hard working furniture that was both pretty and hearty. Kind of like your favorite dessert. Yeah, you know the one!
With three kids, a dog and a gaggle of chickens, our furniture is lived on and loved on. It is the place where nothing can be too precious. Our furniture needs to be able to stand up to rough housing and pillow fights, and the occasional coffee spill. We are also constantly improving our new home with projects which sometimes take us into the wee hours of the morning; which means our surfaces often get piled up with hard working tools that should have gotten tucked to sleep in the garage. We are a family that strives to forgive fast and we need our furniture to follow suit. We believe that items that fill a busy families’ space need to be able to stand up to everything a family throws at it. For us that means saws, balls and the occasional flying chicken.
When furnishing our newly renovated open concept space we chose to flank the room with two matching sofas. We decided to opt out of the traditional family room sectional because we wanted to utilize our view of our city’s air strip that is right outside our living room window. Yes, our two little boys LOVE it here. Also, two sofas are better than one, and who can deny the beauty of a tufted sofa!? I immediately was smitten with the Leon’s Auden sofas because of how comfortable they are and how equally regal they are. Also because I totally know our three children will end up hanging off the back of each sofa and no back cushions means no damage done. I also love that they are a beautiful oatmeal tone that aren’t quite white sofas, but are pretty close. All the design loving Mamas KNOW.
In case movie nights around here expand to inviting the whole middle school over, we added a pair of slipper chairs to our room. The Candace accent chairs have a classic shape and can easily be pulled in and out of our room. I am obsessed with the little bit of sheen they have! Their fabric also adds a touch of adult sophistication to our space even when the kids are jumping off of them.
We knew that an indestructible coffee table was a must for our space. Our boys use our coffee table as a rocket launch pad and they aren’t the only guilty culprits; we have been known to forget late night snacks on our coffee table along side our tools after a well past midnight DIY project. We knew that a table that looks better over time was key for my sanity and would encourage the kid’s art loving ways. The Pinebrook coffee table is made from distressed wood which is perfect for hiding the blemishes our children’s art supplies, constant scribbling and snack messes leave behind. It is made from a hearty wood and has an uplifted wood grain and boasts iron legs, riveted details and can be moved around on it’s oversized castors. It is a piece that can live with a family and be better for it.
I love that. Please pass the crayons so I can give it an A+.
To finish off the space we added some Pinebrook end tables that can conceal anything the kids decide to stuff in it. A drawer and a door? Yes. Please. For an open concept space, concealed storage is an absolute must. This is a piece of furniture where the kids can stuff away the toys you asked them to take to their rooms three days ago or the place they can house that caterpillar they snuck home after your weekend hike through the woods. I am convinced that “out of mind and out of sight” is Mom language for fabulous functioning furniture – in my opinion.
Our space has come along way from outdated pink walls, carpet and draperies. But more than that, we have come a long way in the last eight months. Since making this big transition to move our family and to tackling an extreme fixer upper, we realize now, more than ever, that home is meant to be lived in, not just looked at. Finally, our space can reflect that.
Our living room is a hard working room. It’s the unofficial gathering place. It is the space where we host family movie night and subsequent popcorn fights, where we do homework and curl up with stacks of library books, where we celebrate the end of the week with pizza and snuggles and where we contentedly put our feet up, put our coffee cup down and throw our worries aside. It truly is a comfortable space that is now designed for real life.
BUYING GUIDE:
*Mercury glass vase available in store*
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