Rearranging the Family Room and Bringing on Fall!

It’s officially Fall, my friends! We felt it for about 24 hours here in Maryland this week, and now it’s like 90 again. But since the calendar told me Fall is here, I went ahead and got out the bins the other day.

I feel pretty boring as a blogger, because every Fall is pretty much the same deal. Same orange pillows come out of storage, same throw blankets strewn about, pumpkins, yummy candles: check and check. But what IS different from last year is the furniture placement! Woohoo maybe I’m not so boring after all! 😉

Charlie would like to give you a tour! (And the stink eye, apparently. He is NOT impressed when I get the camera out…)

Let’s look at last year first:

and the year before that (looking into the nook)

Same placement those two years: ever since the wall came down, the grey chairs have flanked that spot that separated the two rooms. It’s a long room now, and those kinda brought in the conversation/tv/hang out family room part, and the back was the little nook.

Then, in January, after Christmas decor came down, I got a wild hair and decided to swap out the tv and sofa. Chairs and loveseat stayed put.

And NOW, I thought it might be fun to do another switcheroo. I’ve always been curious how the loveseat would look if we had it in the middle of the room?

Yes, I know, the whole purpose of tearing down that wall a couple years ago was to make the room BIGGER, not shrink it down, but I had to give it a shot and know for sure what it looked like. Liz doesn’t sleep well when she gets an idea.

Here’s what I want to say to all of you right now – because when I posted that I was rearranging things on Instagram the other day, some of you said you get scared to try something new with your home – DON’T BE! What’s the worst case scenario – you have to move it back? Well, yeah, that’s a pain, but no biggie. Best case scenario? You and your family LOVE the new change, and it breathes new life into your space. And that’s exactly what happened the other day – my husband and kids were obsessed with this new vibe in here. The hubs loved it so much that he gave me a round of applause when he saw it! They kept saying all night long, “I just LOVE it in here now!” Isn’t that the best? What more could I ask for, than my family feeling happy in their home? That’s what I strive for every day – yes, it brings me so much joy to decorate, but the best part is making this house a home for them.

The new setup does take away the whole open feel, but we decided for fall and winter, it’s crazy cozy this way, and feels good. So we’re gonna go with it for a while. Can always move it all back when we want it to feel open and airy in here again.

Wanna see??

I love it this way! Who knew?!

Didn’t really know what to do on this little wall under the clock, so just stuck the ottomans there for easy access to bring either into the nook or family room for seating (or feet resting!)

The little nook hasn’t really been Fall-ified much, other than a few pillows, and I’ll probably bring back the shag rug that we use in the cooler months, and we’re currently using it for Charlie’s zone:

I swear, he does use this, despite the constant photos of him on the couch and our bed! 😉

The photos might be a little deceiving – there’s actually plenty of room on this side to walk around the couch so we can get to the nook and the cloffice:

I like having the chairs close together too – they look nicer as a pair, I think.

I love to bring out my favorite Fall photos and display them in frames – it’s an easy way to get festive. Plus, I get to see these cute little faces!

Another tip – sometimes it’s not in the budget to go swapping out your entire color scheme every season, year after year – but you CAN do different things with what you have. These stems have always been in a white pitcher, but I grabbed a galvanized bucket to try out this year, and I like it!

I hope this inspires you to try something new – start small if you want – maybe swap some lamps or accent tables? I’ve had a lot of fails over the years and had to switch things back about a zillion times, but when it works…it’s the best! And the most budget friendly way I can think of to make a space feel totally new. And let me know how it works out!

Happy decorating:)

Comments

  1. Yes! Love it!

  2. How gorgeous and soo homey feeling. Where did you get your pillows and throws?

  3. It looks fantastic!!!

  4. What color paint is on the walls ? Everything looks beautiful !

  5. Beautiful! It still looks open to me…but spaces are more defined. Love it!

  6. Elizabeth says:

    Love, love, love the room this way!

  7. Laura Leonard says:

    I just got bamboo shades for my livingroom. I’ve wanted them for years! The front window faces the street and I can’t help but notice all the strings on the outside when I’m walking up to my door! I’m not sure what to do.. . On the one hand it’s what I’ve wanted forever and I LOVE the look inside, in the other, it just looks messy from outside. Help!!

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