You haven’t seen in this room for a long time, and there are some changes. Why? It brings me great joy to rearrange and style my home to reflect my family’s personality and style. It was a hobby turned into a business, and as with all creative entrepreneurs who are also accidental hobbyists, you have less time to spend doing the things that you enjoy (i.e. I style my own home. It’s been a lot of fun to play around in my “spare” time and without any deadlines.

It’s true that nothing is ever completely finished, because your style and needs change. But I never felt the same reaction to this room as I do when I walk into my mountain house. It’s possible that nothing is ever completely done, as your tastes and needs change, but this room never made me feel the same way I did when I walked into the living area of the Mountain House. It’s because I wanted to showcase it.

Here is , where we began as you may know, nearly 3 years ago.

The rug and couch combination is what makes it so traditional and warm. It’s layered, interesting, and full of personality.

There are times I wish I’d kept the rug and replaced the couch with something more contemporary. Maybe the rug was blamed for being too busy. This rug may have only needed a neutral, modern sofa to be able to move it. It was sold years ago, and now someone is enjoying it.

One of the chairs went to the last Feel Good Fast Makeover and one is now in the living room at the mountain house.

The Coffee Table is now in the mountain home and it’s actually perfect there.

I still have that chaise in my collection because it’s so beautiful. I dream of reupholstering the fabric with a dark color and adding the same colored fringe. The original fabric is about 150 years old, so the piece is in a bad state and requires total restoration. However, I am willing to spend money on it because it has a special quality. My best friend now has a blue demilune in her entryway and it looks super cute.

In I tried to add more color in this version (some brighter colors in the shelves, art and artwork).

It was a mess. My cats destroyed it. We had to mow it each time we took a photo. It’s in my garage, with a large chunk intact. I may cut it into a smaller carpet or have it bound to the exact shape and size of the play nook that is in the bay window…dunno.

This is the most recent version that I have tried and shown you:

This sofa, which was custom made by Clad Home, looked too small in the room. The in this space didn’t really make me scream with excitement, and I wanted to make it feel more “cooler”.

When I look back at my previous work, past living room, I always see that one, and I think ahh, this room was so beautiful.

The design was light, simple and yet interesting.

When we replaced the Article Sectional with the vintage version, I thought, “Maybe I should try this back in LA.” Maybe THIS is the answer…a modern, simple sectional. So I did…

It’s been a while since I changed the look of my room. Last week, I bought this rug from HD Buttercup. It was soft and simple, but also very pretty. It was a “memo”, which means I borrowed it to try it in my space before committing. We all loved it. It’s thick and soft, not shag. It’s not a shag, but it’s thick and so soft. I’ll find a link to buy it. (HD Buttercup has only a few rugs listed on their site and was unwilling to work with us to get a link to it…and I told them about the blog.) I believe this looks similar.

The sectional rug on the sectional could use more contrast.

The black lamps come from target. (The task lamp is from Leanne Ford’s collection, but it has been discontinued for some time. However, the standing one is still available click here).

The room is quiet and light, and it’s easy to add color. The pillows (from Target Here, Here, and Here) right now are neutral but again, SO easy to swap. It’s actually pretty good. It’s easy to clean and the 4-year-old and 6-year old are less gross than before. When we feel like we want to be the best parents possible, we will put down a large towel on Saturday mornings so that they can watch cartoons and eat waffles topped with jam.

The rug is a very colorful one. We had it treated with Fiber care but time will tell how well that worked (it works like a silicone treatment to repel stains). The rug was $280 for 10×14 but it should be worth it. We are doing what the majority of people do, which is to remove our shoes )…

Okay. These are the chairs we have had from midcenturyLA for six months. David, the owner of our favorite vintage shop, sent me photos with the message “I could get a delivery man to bring them right over now to memo”, and I said yes on a Saturday. As we were trying them out with friends that day, it was clear they were SO SIMPLE and COMFORTABLE. Everyone wanted to sit on them.

The vintage trunk is still a favorite, as are my wooden magazine holders from the flea markets, and the majority of the artwork. The double shaded lamp is my new favorite. It’s from CB2.

The mixed materials and tone of wood I thought worked better here. This piece was used as a nightstand in our surprise makeover in Utah. We loved it. It feels classic but modern with the leather pulls and woven drawers.

The rest of the vignette is mostly the same: art by Kirillbergart; lamp by Lostine; and sculpture by Melinda Forster (from the flea-market). Guys, I like it.

Circa Lighting provided sconces to replace the ones above the built-ins. The sconces were moved to the playroom. However, if you pay attention, you will see a metal plate under the sconce. This is because the hole in the junction box for the sconce was larger than the new one. We still have to hire someone to patch it up and make it smaller.

The shag carpet comes from Article and is always moving around my house. And the pouf I have had for years from Lulu & Georgia.

I love the piece of artwork by Colin Glasgow that is above my fireplace. I have styled it out to be neutral, but still filled. Some days I want more color and less clutter, and other days I prefer more.

It’s impossible to be objective when you look at the room in person or in pictures. I love everything, but there are certain things that I would save from a blaze. I have pinned so many images of my dream couch for this room. I have a chaise-sectional and love it. It has to be something that will make you gasp, but it also needs to be comfortable. This combination is hard to find. I don’t have to do anything but I love to dream.

Tomorrow (if I manage to write it on time, eek), I will tell you what sofas I almost purchased, and what my general thoughts are about “what’s going on in my head”. (I may even bring in , the color red).

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Should I style this room more? It’s close. I can feel it. I love it. Why is this room more difficult to design than my bedroom, which we completed three years ago? It has to be a family-friendly room that is also comfortable.