My Long-Awaited Living Room Reveal

*While this post is not sponsored, some items were gifted to me. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that I love.

Remember the song ‘Seasons of Love’ from the musical RENT?

525,600 minutes. 
525,000 moments so dear. 
525,600 minutes. 
How do you measure a year living room makeover?  

Isn’t that how the song goes? Well that’s how I’m singing it because that’s how long it took me to complete this (what was supposed to be quick and easy) makeover. A whole freakin’ year! 525,600 minutes. Then add an additional 60 minutes two days to write this blog post (I hate being such a slow writer). But the day has finally come for me to reveal the space!

But before I do, I need to take you back 525,600 minutes + two days ago and show you what the space used to look like. Wait, let’s go even further back to what the space looked like when the hubs and I first moved in to this rental in 2017…. 2,102,400 minutes ago (someone may want to check my math).

Spring 2017

This is what the living room looked like when we first moved in. Yellow walls, beige OIL-BASED trim (if you’ve been following me on IG then you know the pain and suffering I’ve been going through to re-paint all the trim work), and ruffled curtains. It was love at first sight! I mean not the ruffled curtains, but the charm, the character, the fireplace, the huge window, wood floors, and so much more space than our previous rental. I had BIG dreams for this space, but a TINY wallet. And although I could have hit up a few big-box stores to get the space looking cute on a small budget, I was at an age/stage in my life where I wanted to furnish my home with quality, well-made pieces. So even though making over this space was a huge priority, I knew it would take some time for me to save up for all the furnishings.

At that time, what we could afford to do was paint. So we hired someone to paint the walls gray and moved in with our less than quality furniture and decor that was no longer my style, which I would describe as “hodge-podgey-farmhouse-chic”. And we lived with it looking this way until 525,600 minutes ago.

Spring 2020

Hate to take you guys back to the dreaded year of 2020, but here we go! Being forced to stay home seemed like the perfect time to tackle a few home projects and finally redesign the living room…or so I thought until I was hit with months upon months of furniture delays due to Covid (which is why it took so long to complete this makeover). However, at that time I thought I could have the whole room completed by Summer 2020. Ha!

“Organic Coastal” is how I often describe my aesthetic and I knew that was the feel I wanted this space to have. Light and airy, with earthy tones and textures, and a subtle coastal vibe. I always design based on how I want a room to “feel” versus look. Laid-back, casual, serene and sophisticated were a few other keywords that formulated the design plan.

When it came to furnishings, there was one piece that had been on my wishlist for a while. A white, slipcover sofa. But not just any white sofa, THIS ONE from Maiden Home. I first stumbled across Maiden Home a few years ago in my quest for quality, non-big box, furniture companies. I remember reading the Founder’s Note and completely resonating with her words…

“When designing my NYC home, I looked everywhere for timeless, quality pieces that I loved and would last. It was a search that left me frustrated; designer boutiques were out of reach, but big-box stores served up generic style. Unwilling to settle, I went straight to the source: North Carolina, where I found artisans crafting the incredible custom furniture I only dreamed of for my home. I made it my mission to bring their story and craft to consumers everywhere–at a price and speed never done before. Welcome to Maiden Home” – Nidhi

via Maiden Home

Designer boutiques out of reach and tired of generic big-box stores styles were exactly my sentiments, and Maiden Home solved that problem. They cut out the middle man of showrooms and boutiques, thus allowing you to get custom furniture at the fraction of the cost. On top of that, all their furniture is handmade in the USA, plus the company is woman-owned. I mean need I say more? I reached out to them and they were kind enough to partner with me on this Makeover. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Maiden Home!!

I worked with one of their design specialist, Hannah, to help me with my selections and ordering process. I tend to be a bit indecisive and second guess things when it comes to designing for myself, so it was nice to have Hannah’s expert advice and consult on each piece. She even provided a spacial plan so I could see how the pieces would fit in the space. Consulting and space planning is something I do all the time for my design clients, so having someone provide me with that type of quality customer service made the online furniture shopping experience so enjoyable, and made me even more confident that I had selected the right piece, size, fabric, etc for my home.

Winter 2020

Although the majority of the transformation would come from furnishings, there was one cosmetic update I wanted to make — give the fireplace a facelift. As you know, this house is a rental, so anytime I want to make permanent or structural updates I reach out to the landlord and put together a mock-up and budget for him to approve. He then either writes a check for the updates or deducts from our rent. Below is the Photoshop mock-up I sent him for the fireplace.

The first thing I wanted to do was remove the dated brass screen. I also wanted to remove the scallop detail at the top of the bookcase and the janky accordion cabinet doors. I know some of you guys on IG were opposed to this because you thought it was a “charming detail”, but it just wasn’t the type of charm and character I was looking for. Another thing I proposed to do was add a 1/2 inch facing to the front of the shelves to make them look a little bit thicker/ more substantial, which would make them feel much more balanced with the heftiness of the mantle. And lastly, remove the cabinet door on the left side and outfit the cabinet for log storage.

Oh, and when I referenced the pain and suffering I was going through with re-painting all the trim in our house, THIS is what I was talking about. All the trim in our house has peeling paint because the person who previously painted put latex paint over oil based paint without properly prepping the surface. FYI- when you put latex paint over oil based paint without properly prepping the surface, over time the paint will start to peel off. So I had to scrape all the peeling paint off the fire place, and prep it the right way, before repainting it. Have you ever seen a “progress” pic that looks worse than the before pic lol? But as they say, sometimes things look worse, before they look better… And boy does it get better! Keep reading…

(Here’s an IGTV video I made on how to check if the walls/trim are oil based paint and how to properly prep the surface for latex paint. You’re welcome :-))

I guess I should also mention that in addition to updating the fireplace, I also made a very last-minute decision to paint the walls white. Although the gray walls were a nice neutral backdrop, every inspiration image of living rooms that I loved had white walls, so I repainted the walls my go-to white, Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.

By this time, it was 2021, and although my beloved Maiden Home sofa & chair had arrived, I was still waiting on furniture deliveries from other companies that I will leave nameless due to poor customer service ::rolls eyes::

But after a year of trying to pull this space together, the day have final come!

Spring 2021 (present day)

Here she is! My “Organic Coastal” living room. I think she nails all my keywords — light and airy, causal, serene, and a lil’bit coastal. Let’s talk about some of the key players in the room. First and foremost, The Maiden Home Dune Sofa!!

You guys have seen her on the gram and love her just as much as I do. I mean, what’s not to love about her? The sleek and modern, yet classic shilouette, the flange detail, the bench cushion –she CUTE! I’ve always wanted a white sofa, but I knew it had to be a slipcover (because pets… and husband). The fact that I can just throw this baby in the wash if/when it gets dirty, definitely takes the neurosis out of having a white sofa. The color is “bone” performance textured linen. But it also comes in several other neutral and gray hues, if whites not your thing.

Of course, ordering furniture online can be risky because you don’t get a chance test things out for comfort, but I’m happy to report that she is as comfortable as she is cute! I kept reading reviews that exclaimed it felt like you’re sitting on a cloud, and I really wanted to find another way to describe its comfort level, but honestly, that is the best way to describe it. “Cloud-like”. The cushions are wrapped in down feathers (hence the cloud feeling), and they never go flat! You just have to fluff them every so often and they’ll regain their shape.

I paired the sofa, with The Perry chair. As a lover of neutral/all white spaces, I knew I would have to incorporate lots of texture or else the room would just fall flat. So I opted for the performance boucle fabric… which is very popular right now, and very cozy! Also, Maiden Home offers free fabric swatches, so I could be confident about my fabric choices. You can also select different wood finishes. I choose the driftwood legs…and by “I”, I mean my design specialist Hannah because all the wood finishes were so beautiful I could not make a decision. The light wood tone coincides with my organic coastal vibes and doesn’t clash with my (orangey) wood floors. Thank you, Hannah!

(I also did a fun little interview with Maiden Home that you can check out here.)

I love the petite silhouette of the chair. The living room is a nice size, but not very big, and we also have an upright piano on the other side of the room that takes up a lot of physical and visual space, so the petite scale keeps the room feeling spacious.

Another way I kept the space feeling more open and airy is with this glass coffee table. Initially I wanted a wood table for a more causal look, but with the heftiness of the fireplace, and the large black piano (not pictured), I felt like another solid (wood) object would start to make the room feel visually heavy, so I opted for a glass table to keep sightlines open, which helps the space feel more open.

I’m so happy with how the fireplace turned out. The open log storage definitely adds a nice organic element to this “organic coastal” living room. And functionality-wise, having the logs visible and easily accessible makes me want to use the fireplace everyday…except its Spring time now. So maybe next Winter.

Also, my husband surprised me with The Frame TV. I’ve been wanting one for a while. Especially because the fireplace is a huge focal point, and having a big black box hanging over that elegant mantle would be such an eyesore. So having your TV double as artwork is a photographer/designer dream. Thanks, babe!

And look at these shelves! I feel like a real design blogger now — hashtag SHELFIE! I’m still working on my shelf styling game, but can we take a moment to acknowledge the #GlowUp! Most of the items are from local boutiques, Target and Homegoods. But I can’t wait to curate them with more loved and found items from antique shops, travels, keep-sakes etc.

When it comes to designing, I like to mix old and new. In my opinion, if you want your space to have soul and character, you must bring in some vintage. So let’s talk about this vintage rug! I could dedicate a whole blog post to vintage rugs…and I actually plan to do that soon because I am absolutely obsessed with them. They’re truly like artwork for your floors. Thank goodness I’m not rich because I’m sure all I would do is hoard invest in vintage rugs.

This beauty is from Passerine Home, a vintage rug shop in Washington D.C., and owned by the kindest girl-boss, Georgia. She is currently sourcing the perfect rug for this space for me, and let me borrow this rug for the shoot. It’s a Persian Sereband, semi-antique from the early 1920’s. I may have cried a little bit when I had to return it. But good news for you, its going to be available in her online shop this week! Her rugs sell fast, so RUN don’t walk if you’re interested.

Speaking of vintage rugs, the ottomans are also one of kind, made from a vintage kilim rug. Found them on Etsy.

Another one of my favorite things about this room are the windows. They are so big and let in so much natural light, and I knew I wanted beautiful curtains to flank either side. Everhem was another fabulous company that I discovered on my quest for quality. Also women-owned. Perhaps my mission should be to furnish my home with quality pieces from women-owned companies because I am 3 for 3! Similar to what Maiden Home is doing in custom furniture, Everhem is doing in the custom window treatment arena. They have cut out the middle man and simplified the process, making custom window treatments more accessible and affordable for you and me. And everything is handmade in California.

This was my first time ordering custom drapery. I usually just purchase ready-made because there’s so many nuances to customizing drapery– endless fabric options, knowing what type of lining, and sheers, and pleats, and measurements, and rod length, and finding a workroom to make them etc. etc. etc). It just seemed intimidating…until Everhem came around. They’ve streamlined it all into a simple five step process on their website. I went with the 100% linen, tailored pleat, in the color limestone, and their matte black curved rod.

Adding window treatments is one of the best ways to make a space look and feel more elevated and layered. Just envision how flat and dimensionless this space would feel without them. Sure the room may still look nice, but the curtains add that finishing touch, in my opinion! And there is a BIG difference in overall quality and appearance of ready-made/store-bought vs custom curtains, as you can see in the pic below. Again, it’s all about that “glow up”, folks.

As you can see, I was not kidding when I said I want nothing but QUALITY in my home when it comes to the major furnishing pieces. And no, that doesn’t mean everything has to be custom made. Nor does it mean that I won’t still incorporate pieces from big-box stores, because I’m all about mixing high and low, and my wallet is still TINY, so even the “low-end” feels high to me sometimes, lol. But, what it DOES mean is that I’m being extremely intentional, knowledgeable, and thoughtful about the companies I buy from. There are so many amazing new start-ups that are revolutionizing the way we shop for our homes and making quality goods more accessible. I always felt like there was a gap in the market– it was either spend an arm and a leg for custom or opt for the more budget-friendly big-box brands that everyone and their mama will have in their home. But companies like Maiden Home and Everhem are filling that void and elevating the direct-to-consumer options and experience. #LevelUp

So there ya have it! I know this reveal feels a little short and sweet, and that’s because I’m actually not 100% done with this space yet. Sure it’s “done” in the sense of it being furnished and decorated, but it’s not “complete”. There’s still things that I want/saving for (specifically a vintage leather lounge chair, if you’ve seen one let me know), and so I know this space will continue to evolve. If there’s one thing I’ve learned its that no matter the amount of money you have, designing a home that looks and feels exactly the way you want it to takes time. And although 525,600 minutes is plenty of time to design a room, I don’t want my home to just be “well-designed”. I want it to be unique, and curated with meaningful things, and feel collected, and lived-in, and that takes longer than a year. Heck, it may take a lifetime. But minute by minute, with each passing day, I’ll get a little bit closer to curating a home (and a life) that I love.

xx, Key

P.S. I’m working a Source Guide that will allow you to easily shop the items you see in my living room/home. In the meantime, if you want to know where something is from, let me know in the comments below.