Here is our living room — the place we gather to read and relax. It has taken us awhile to properly finish this room because it is an oddly-shaped room, quite long and difficult to figure out! We used to have some gaudy 90’s-style stained glass windows on either side of the mantle, which made it difficult to hang art next to. Once we replaced them with regular 9-pane windows, we chose a piece of art that we both loved (an Ed Freeman print). Choosing art was not easy, as apparently Andrew and I have very different taste in art! I wanted a painting, he wanted something less textured, so we finally agreed that a photograph was the way to go.
I love the colors in this print — they bring out the blues of the couch and our deep blue dining room, and also compliment the pinks of the pottery and pillows we have lying around.
The console table holds blocks and Pokemon cards on the bottom, prettier items and photography on the top.
It took so many years to come to terms with our space! We were all trying to squeeze onto one beautiful antique couch (which I loved, but became terribly uncomfortable over the years). We finally ordered one we would all fit onto. Having the space for all of us to sprawl out together has made such a huge difference! Plus, the back and arms of this couch are wide enough (and sturdy enough) for the boys to lie down on. Milo often reads along the long edge under the windows, and there’s still room for everyone to sit under him!
Andrew chose some artwork from the amazing tattoo artists who did his floral chest piece. I think it fits beautifully in our living room!
Pillowcase came from Turkey. I found it on Etsy. The Mongolian sheep fur pillow behind that is extraordinarily soft and plush. It’s nice to cuddle up with when it’s cold out!
My friend Elisha gave me the above hanging globe planter for my last birthday. I had a beautiful air plant in it, but we don’t get enough light in our living room, so it did not make it. I decided to try some of these vines instead, which can handle little light. They seem to like it there, as they have grown quite a bit over the past few weeks! 
On the console table, we have a collection of found wood from various trips, plus our fun “come hither” hand, a gift from Andrew’s brother Billy. It makes me smile every time I see it.
The vintage wooden oval mirror I snagged at a local antique shop is one focal point of the room. I have always been searching for one, and finally found it for a real steal. I love the delicate carvings along the top.
Fresh flowers make a huge difference, and we almost always have some flowers or greenery in here. My friend Maggie dropped by and brought me these beautiful peonies from her garden. They cheer up the whole room, and I love how the pink looks with our navy couch!
This fiddle leaf fig plant is only making a temporary appearance during the summertime. I had just given it a shower before moving it downstairs (yes, a literal shower, in the tub). I will move it outside onto our front porch for a month or so before it becomes too hot, then it will go back upstairs where the light is best.
Lighting in this room is immensely important; though we have west-facing windows and south-facing windows, the south-facing side is met with a large overhang for our front porch, meaning a lot of that lovely light is blocked. Our living room can become quite dark during the winter and on rainy days. I found this large arc floor lamp to arch up and over the back corner of our couch and I love it. It provides a warm, bright light perfect for reading (the drum shade has a bottom to it which helps diffuse the light gently).
And there you have it! Have a wonderful weekend. I’m so excited to have my boys home for the summer with me. Bring on the adventures!
Beautiful room, Lauren – I love the couch. It looks perfect in there. And blue is my favorite color – love the blue on the wall in the room beyond. We have a white couch in our living room, but that room will expand into the dining room once our addition is done, and I want a complementary couch in blue. We’ll probably have to do a custom size, but I’d love something very similar in style to yours.
Our middle rooms suffers from the same sort of lack of natural light – but getting everything else white and bright helps. I love the light in the photos you took. Have a great summer with the boys – we have one more week, but the countdown is on!
It looks amazing! Can you provide a link for your rug? I really want something lighter in our living room, but sippy cups killed our last light rug
Where did you get the couch, if I may ask?
Just beautiful. You have put a lot of time and thought into your space. It seems very inviting!
Can we discuss your sofa for a minute?
I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect sofa for a long time. I love that this sectional doesn’t feel modern. Did you buy it new? What’s it covered in and how is that holding up with kids? I keep thinking that I want to do leather because it wipes off but that gets really pricey , hence the reason we’re making do with some floral crazy old lady sofas.
I LOOOOOOVE the sectional. The whole room looks great!
Yes! We can talk about the couch!
We really wanted something substantial that also worked with the dimensions of our room (i.e. fits under the windowsill or flush with it) but wasn’t too clunky. This really limited us, as most of what we looked at was just cheaply made or didn’t fit into our space. After looking at tons of IKEA, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, etc. couches, we decided to splurge on an Anthropologie couch. Every time I went into a store, I tried out their furniture and was always so impressed with the quality and aesthetics, and though expensive, decided it was worth it. It was our first new couch purchase other than Ikea stuff.
It’s made of linen and is holding up well to the kids. The fabric is super soft but also wipes clean with just a rag and water. Of course, we’ll find out over the years how it holds up!
Ours is the Linen Kettleby Left Sectional in Navy:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-furniture-sofa/A34823419.jsp#/
But they also have some other amazing colors — and LOTS of them. I was leaning towards the bordeaux or even the daffodil. The daffodil would have been a nightmare (too light, to easy to stain) and we had a family vote, so of course, having all boys in the house we ended up with blue! I’m really happy with it. It’s exceptionally comfortable too!
If you’re looking for a similar style but something smaller, check out the Linen Lyre Chesterfield Grand Sofa:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-furniture-sofa/33999624.jsp#/
I also love the shape of the Linen Cadwyn Sofa, which I think looks best in the conifer green color (which would really pop in a neutral room or a deep blue room!:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-furniture-sofa/36248185.jsp#/
And the rug is the Chunky Braided Wool rug in oatmeal from Restoration Hardware:
https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?link=ChunkyBraidedWool&categoryId=cat1990089
I have a love/hate relationship with this rug! Just a warning, it sheds like CRAZY and we did not know that going in. It is like having a long-haired dog in the house. It is a very soft, thick, plush rug which everyone loves to sit and lie down on, but the shedding is a big drawback. I’d say the shedding has gone down over the last few months, but it was pretty significant at first. Also, it’s not easy to clean; it’s like a big chunky sweater, not something you can vacuum easily!
I love it! All the little details are so lovely and feminine (without being floral). Such a wonderful room, I’m sure it feels great to have it all so pulled together. We recently made a similar choice to go for a very expensive couch… I got a lot of advice to wait until the kids were older, etc. But after watching cheaper couches age poorly, it just felt like the right choice to pick something that would last. A couch gets so much use, might as well make it great!
Thanks for sharing your space!
I was afraid you were going to provide that link. My mom has the same rug and has the same shedding/cleaning problems. I basically want this rug, but synthetic. It does look so beautiful in person. Maybe after we are done with sippy cups?!?!?
So bright, thoughtful, and I love pops of color! The placement of art is so great, too! Wondering where you got your console table. I am looking for one like that in our foyer. I love the under shelf!
We have a problem with our den area because Joe has a projector, and it screens on a wall, so that wall will always need to be bare…make HUGE limits on the art and things in the room. I’m still working on it.
Annie, I got the console table at a secondhand shop, but I’m pretty sure it’s this one from World Market:
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/aiden-console-table.do?
It’s not the best quality, but it does the trick!
I love your living room, so many beautiful plants x
I’m sorry if someone already asked this question and you answered it but where did you find those lovely building blocks of natural wood/branches it looks like? Thanks!
Margaret — we got them from Natural Earth Farm:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/99523370/tree-branch-blocks-natural-building?utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-toys_and_games-toys-other_osa&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_item=0&utm_ag=30041230932&gclid=CKb5tfbBk80CFQkNaQody44OFQ
They also sell a really cute toddler branch stacking toy:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/56875682/toddler-branch-stacker-natural-toy?ref=shop_home_active_10
I also found these, which look similar:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/243784999/forest-blocks-wood-blocks-building?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=natural%20birch%20building%20blocks&ref=sr_gallery_3
Thank you so much! I just purchased the first link set for my two year old son. Thrilled for him to get them!
Happy to help! I hope he loves them!
Hi Lauren,
Did you make (not sure what to call it!) the hanging branch terrarium-type holder? It’s stunning!
Hi Margaret,
Yes, I made the branch terrarium thing from ornaments that were a gift from a friend, and a branch found on a hike! Thank you for your kind words!