Our New Living Room - Reveal!

I can’t believe that I am just now sharing this space! As most rooms in our house, it is not totally done. There are a few ongoing challenges that we face because we rent (i.e. hiding the wires around the television) and some things that I would certainly do differently if we owned (have custom built-ins and whitewash that brick, for starters!). It is also hard for me to invest too much in furniture for a rental (hence that black table that I wish were something way nicer) but we chose to spend our money on a nice sofa, a kickass television and a few quality pieces of art.

That said, with the holidays gone and the Christmas décor shoved away in our storage unit, I am feeling pretty good about our living room. It’s hard to tell from the pictures but the room is actually somewhat narrow (roughly 14’ x 20’) and is cut off from the kitchen.

Side note – can you imagine how beautiful it would look if that wall with the gallery frames was opened up with an island?!

When we moved in the walls were a horrid brown, the place felt dingy and the previous renters had trashed a good bit of it. With a lot of TLC and a fresh coat of paint, we were able to bring this beauty somewhat back to life. The brownstone was built in the late 1800s and the charm is thriving – the beautiful hardwoods, the massive Northern facing windows with insane natural light and the intricate molding through are its best features. I always dream of how I would renovate if we owned the unit but for now I’m working with what I’ve got.

Essentially, we needed this space for three main functions: a place to eat / host dinner parties, an area to watch television / lounge and somewhere to store our ever-growing wine collection. With two adults and a little bulldog, we are constantly in and out with stuff everywhere. Providing adequate storage yet keeping the space comfortable was key. Though it’s not perfect, I am pleased with what we’ve done with the space: