This is the first in a “current state of” series about the various rooms in our house and how they look now that we’ve lived here for a few months. These are by no means “after” pictures, but we can call it progress. Eventually we will be ripping out the wall in between the dining area and kitchen and completely renovating the kitchen, so this is phase one of decorating the first floor.
It was incredibly difficult to photograph this room so don’t judge me too harshly on that front, I’m still learning how to use my DSLR.
The room is challenging in that it is long and pretty narrow, and it needs to accommodate both a living and a dining area. I used rugs and a buffet with shelving above to separate the spaces. The u-shaped seating area in the living area further separates the spaces and provides plenty of seating in the small space.
In terms of style, I’ve always wanted a home that feels classic and collected. I love when someone’s house not only speaks to their style but the life they’ve lived in it. My taste can run a little overly-feminine and I tried to be mindful of that while designing a space for a man too. Budget played a major role in some decisions, and I’ll get to more of that when I touch on the various pieces.
The living room rug is an 8×10 Safavieh rug from Wayfair. I searched high and low for a vintage rug for this space but just couldn’t find the right combination of color, size, and price so I finally gave up and started looking at new rugs. I selected this one because it has the vibrant colors you see in older rugs but trends a little more red/blue than some of the other colorful ethnic-style rugs on the market. It hides dirt really well and is stain-resistant, both of which are super important since this rug is right inside our main entry.
We went with the Ikea Stocksund sofa in Nolhaga grey-beige for the sofa and I would totally buy it again. It’s the perfect scale for our small space and I find it to be plenty comfortable. It also hides dog hair pretty well and is easy to clean with loose back and seat cushions.
I bought the navy blue velvet chair on One Kings Lane when they had a sale recently. It’s by Skyline Furniture and they sell a version of it at Target and Wayfair, but the upholstery choices seem to vary based on the vendor (One Kings Lane was the only vendor selling it in Navy Velvet). Honestly, the quality of the chair is not where I had hoped it would be. I didn’t expect very high quality but the seat cushion is so uncomfortable and I always feel like I’m falling forward in it. The fabric feels super cheap, but it’s holding up so far. It’s really too bad because I love the shape of the chair, but I definitely wouldn’t buy it again, at least not for a space that we use all the time.
The two chrome chairs were vintage purchases from Chartreuse & Co. (a barn sale in Frederick, Maryland). They are actually little larger than I’d like but since we’ve used them both with friends over I’m planning to keep them there. Wayyyy down the road I may put one in the eventual nursery because they have arms and rock like a rocking chair but take up very little space.
The “media stand” is a vintage piece I bought on Craigslist. I think it’s a buffet but I’m not really sure. I absolutely love the lines and the beautiful wood grain on it, and it fits on that wall perfectly. The coffee table is part of a set of marble-top tables I bought on Craigslist, finally ending my search for a marble coffee table after all these years. We are using the other two tables as nightstands in our bedroom. Eventually I would like to paint the base of the coffee table black or graphite, but I haven’t had a chance to get to it yet.
The buffet between the living and dining areas is also vintage from Craigslist. I would’ve put my gold Ikea Vittsjo unit in that spot but we really needed some closed storage for serving platters, bowls, cheeseboards, and other fun goodies we got as wedding presents. To visually divide the two spaces and provide a spot for some pretty things, we hung the Ikea shelves over the buffet.
The rug in the dining room is an indoor-outdoor rug from Target (no longer available). It was pretty affordable and we will probably go with something else when we redo the kitchen but it totally works for now. The table, which is actually table 2.0, was a steal of a find at Chartreuse and Company for $35. It fits the space SO MUCH better than our previous table and has two leafs stored in it to add some space when we entertain. The chairs are antiques from my grandparents’ house and I would actually like to get a set of four that match, but I am patiently waiting for the Craigslist gods to deliver me the perfect set (these chairs will then find other homes in the house or my parents’ house).
So that’s the living/dining room…for now at least. Stay tuned for more updates about the other spaces in the house!