kim's living room

I "met" Kim like I've met so many of you. In the spring of 2011 I was a first time momma and facing new challenges each day. I downloaded an app from The Bump that housed a forum for moms to ask and answer questions of each other. It was awesome. Since new moms are up at all hours of the day (and night), you could ask a question anytime and have a dozen responses within 20 minutes. A lot of the other moms started about this new-fanged app called "Instagram." I joined up and found Kim and have been following her ever since. 

Recently Kim reached out to me asking for help with her living room. She and her hubby had just finished remodeling their basement and moved all of the toys downstairs for their two little kiddos. The good news- less kid stuff in the main living room. The bad news- the room now looks kind of empty. Kim lives outside of Cincinnati, and I'm in Dallas, so we are designing via technology.

Here's how the room looks today.

Kim is basically a rock star. She's a mom of two and a full time oncology nurse. Her busy days haven't left much time for musing about design. She and the hubs are on a budget (aren't we all?), so she needed a plan that they could implement on over time. The final design needed to look amazing when it's eventually complete, but it needs to look good along the way as well.

The request: a mix of old and new, inexpensive without being cheap, durable, and kid friendly.  Kim's oldest daughter (an amazingly feisty, determined red head) sometimes requires the assistance of a walker to help her get around, so soft edges and plenty of clearance are a must. And her youngest is a typical toddler boy, bound and determined to destroy everything in his path. Yeah, I can relate to that. 

So, drum roll, here's what we ended up with. Sorry in advance that the photos aren't a bit bigger.  Blogger hates me and will NOT let me re-size them for some reason.

The first step was addressing the floor plan. The room is really large with a tall ceiling, which makes even the existing pair of overstuffed sofas look small. They are spread too far apart for coziness or conversation. The solution here is to create two major zones. The first is the true family and TV watching area with a sectional sofa, upholstered large ottoman-style coffee table, and floor poufs. Super kid friendly and inviting. Sectionals are great that way. They are just begging for you to curl up on them with a blanket. The second zone is for the grown ups. Two big armchairs for good conversation, good coffee, and curling up with a book.  And lastly, a catch all area by the front door for all the essentials you need a place for, like keys, shoes, and such. 

The large ceiling height makes the wall a pain in the rear to repaint, so we are working with the existing wall color. It plays nice with the fireplace, so that sealed the deal. I kept with a fairly neutral palette, focusing on textures, tonal patterns, and metallics for interest. This will help the space look great as Kim adds new pieces over time. 

Since the kids have a separate room to play in (destroy), we could make things a bit more "formal" up here. The sofa is a bit more tailored than the existing sofas. Still comfortable, not stuffy, but more grown up. The large rug under the sofa anchors the acting group to keep it from feeling like it's aimlessly floating in the room. A pair of inexpensive wing back chairs (another classic look) nest in the new seating area by the window. The deep indigo blue acts both as a neutral and a color, because indigo is just cool like that. 

Now for the fun stuff. More traditional pieces, like the media console, contrast with more contemporary elements like the metallic side table. And who can resist a gold star burst mirror!? Not me. The gold color is repeated in the window treatments, art, and accent pillows. 

The result?  Kim is thrilled, her husband approves (major victory), and now they have a road map they can roll out over time. 

Here's the info on where to buy. And by the way, none of these companies pay me to promote their stuff. They just have great stuff.

1. Hamilton library table, Home Decorators Collection
2. Velvet nail head curtains in horseradish, West Elm
3. Industrial empire bookcase, Home Decorators Collection
4. Britany garden stool, Home Decorators Collection
5. Strandmon chair and ottoman in vintage blue, IKEA
6. Barometer reading lamp, IKEA
7. Geodesic table lamp, West Elm
8. Sole mirror, Home Decorators Collection
9. Crewel stripes pillow cover, West Elm
10. Diamond dot crewel pillow cover, West Elm
11. Printed Essex ottoman, West Elm
12. Sylvan console table, Home Decorators Collection
13. Granger nesting tables, Pottery Barn
14. Hemnes media console, IKEA
15. Bubble knit pouf, West Elm
16. Carslile sectional, Pottery Barn
17. Chrysanthemum rug, Home Decorators Collection
18. All art, art.com
19. Accessories, West Elm

If you have a room that needs some inspiration and you'd like to be featured on the blog, drop an email to simplycraftedblog@gmail.com. These mood boards are a great and inexpensive way to get a design plan for a room or your whole house. 

A special thank you to Kim for letting me share this design with all of you!