Before + After: Cozying up our family room

Our home is full of mostly hand-me downs and a few heirlooms.

Our dining set is from my grandparents, where I spent all of my childhood holidays.

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Our slipcovered sofa was my parents during the 90’s and makes a great napping couch. Our playroom craft table we purchased from friends in Boston to use as our dining table when we bought our first house. The guest bed was mine as a child, and my mom’s before me, and will be one of my girls one day (maybe soon). The stories wrapped up in these pieces is a reminder to me of contentment, resourcefulness, and family.

I thought I’d share how I made some small changes to pull our family room together and make it work for now, until we save up for the some bigger ticket items - new flooring, new lighting, and a new sofa - down the road.

When we moved in, the only items in this room WE had purchased was the Pottery Barn coffee table, which has been a real work horse with drawers storing everything from diapers to the kids shoes + socks, providing a surface for party snacks and games, and our feet watching television.

BEFORE

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Since then we have:

  • Replaced the chair in the left corner that had questionable springs and tearing

  • Painted the walls (SW Snowfall)

  • Adjusted the layout for a better family movie night configuration

  • Painted the end table (SW bubble) and updated hardware

  • Painted brass fireplace cover black

  • Switched out table lamp for a floor lamp (cleared surface!)

  • Minimized decor on the mantle and bookshelves

  • Added draperies hung high and wide

AFTER

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If you look closely, the coffee table is scuffed up, the pillows are floppy, the built-ins need a paint job and there are coffee and drink stains on the carpet. But it’s cozy and colorful and calm and serves us well in a full season of raising kids, striving for intentionality and it’s freeing not to have to worry about “messing it up”. My kids love pulling out our annual family photo albums, reading on the couch most mornings. I love re-reading favorite books and filling the vases from the top shelf with flowers from the yard, starting my mornings on one corner of that old sofa, and having a landing spot for my kids artwork in the basket on the coffee table.

I love sharing before and afters, but even more encouragement towards contentment, gratitude and patience. We can enjoy pretty spaces, and move towards that without sacrificing what’s most important.

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