Living Room Refresh
Unpopular opinion: I’m over the farmhouse trend. Ah, hear me out before you write me off. I’m currently sitting in our living room, which is very much “farmhouse.” So don’t take this personally. Trends come and go, and for me…it’s time for this one to go.
A few exceptions: 1. You live on a farm. Or at least on a big piece of land and the exterior of your home is of the farmhouse-style. 2. A kitchen table. A long, farmhouse kitchen table is always a good idea.
But otherwise, the Gaines family (love them so) and Target, killed farmhouse for me when they mass produced it on a million and one different levels. This happened with the chevron pattern a few years back. A classic pattern was mass produced on rugs and dresses and now chevron burns my eyes.
Now stick with me – y’all know I love to be dramatic when I write, so please don’t walk around your home and start throwing things away. Farmhouse can be done right – it just needs to be toned down and modernized.
Belso Home Studio
With all that said, I’m taking my living room modern with the help of my friends at Belso Home Studio. Belso Home is a design studio in downtown Alpharetta. Situated in the heart of a suburb that’s become comfortable with all things farmhouse – they’ve introduced the perfect mix of classic and modern. You can’t walk through their studio without falling in love.
I met owners, Kelly and Julia, a few months ago and we just clicked. You know when you make those friends or build those work relationships and the skies part and angels sing? Well, this is how it went down. And so I asked them to come into my home and make magic happen.
I know what you’re thinking, “Interiors are supposed to be your thing. Why did you need help?”
Candidly, I had become too close to the space. I needed outsiders to bring their expertise and fresh ideas. And three heads are better than one.
As a quick reminder, this is what it looks like today.
Living Room Design Must-Haves
And these are the goals for the refreshed space:
- Updated seating arrangement + furniture layout that is more conversational (vs. one large sectional), without sacrificing comfort
- Add warmth through window treatments, rug
- Flow with existing spaces in open-concept layout (e.g. our black and white foyer, kitchen)
- Update wall decor with more modern pieces, add texture
Without giving too much away, here are some rough sketches of where we’re headed. You can see in the layout below, we’ll remain a sectional family (hello, we have three children), but add conversational seating with two chairs.
We’ll swap the four farmhouse prints for two oversized pieces of neutral art that bring texture. Overall, the space will remain consistent with my love of all things black and white.
Here’s a little peek at our selections.
And a look at our artwork and chairs.
And finally, we’ll replace the wall planters with oversized frames of our three biggest accomplishments.
Mock-ups never show the details that make a space so stunning…so stay tuned as we transform and reveal this space in the weeks to come. In the meantime, pop into Belso Home if you’re in the Atlanta-area. You can also take a peek at their curated collection online and follow them on Instagram.
And pssst. Because I’m bad at secrets. I’m working with them on something VERY exciting (outside of our living room) that I’ll be sharing this spring.