Living room design and decor ideas for an updated modern farmhouse style living room. If you’re stuck in a design rut, give these design tips a try!
Our Living Room Design
I’m so excited to finally show you our updated living room/family room! This living room makeover has been years in the making and I wasn’t sure that it would ever be completed. We updated the fireplace and mantel about 4 years ago, painted out the oak baseboards and added some chunky moulding around the windows. And then everything kind of stalled and design paralysis hit.
Do you know the feeling? Design paralysis is that state when you can’t seem to make any decisions. And the longer you go without making decisions, the harder it is to move froward. Sometimes you just need to push yourself to take that first step.
Well, we finally did it and I’m so happy that it’s all finished up! We use this room SO much more now as a family – I’m really surprised how much we’re in there now. Creating a cozy spot for everyone to gather is pretty much the main point of a family room so I’d say mission accomplished!
Tips to help you move past design paralysis.
If you have a room that you’d like to update but don’t know where to start, try these tips to help you move forward with your design. My biggest recommendation is to keep an open mind. Getting stuck in design ruts or a specific layout without looking at other options first can really limit your options. Here we go…
Be open to new layout designs.
The biggest hurdle I had when designing our family room was the furniture layout. We’ve lived here for almost 18 years and have always had the exact same layout. Last summer I got some layout ideas from Modsy and it really opened up a lot of different design plans for the space that I hadn’t thought about. {You can see some of the different plans HERE.} If you’re unsure where to start, try moving your furniture around – even if you don’t think it will work. You never know until you try!
I’ve always wanted a sectional but never thought that one would work in our family room. After seeing the Modsy designs, we pushed our old sofas together and tried them in different positions around the room. I’m so glad we gave it a try because I love it now!
Choose your furniture wisely.
The furniture is likely going to be your biggest investment and will have the largest impact on the look and function of your space. Focus on the largest furniture choices first and then start adding in the smaller pieces. Be sure to measure your space before going shopping. You might even want to roughly map out your room if you’re more of a visual person. Once you find an item you like, use painter’s tape to mark out where the furniture pieces will go in the room so you can make sure you like the scale of your choices.
I literally spent months looking for the perfect sofa and we’ve been really happy with this one from Ashley Home Store. It’s super comfy, cleans up well {we do have three dogs!}, and was a good price point compared to my other top runners. If there’s one thing to take your time on, it’s choosing the right sofa!
Our other big piece of furniture was a new television stand. Our old TV was a huge box television that we purchased when we first we moved into the house. A lot has changed over 18 years technology-wise so I was sure happy to see that old TV go! I debated about mounting the television over the mantel, but in the end, we decided to switch it to the other side of the room and get a television stand.
Find an inspiration piece that you love.
I found this framed canvas at Homesense and I loved the colors and feeling of the artwork. It ended up being the colors that I based the room on – pretty blues, soft greens, and sand colors.
Add your favorite decor pieces.
My favorite part of designing a room is all of the little decor items. They’re really what makes the space yours. If you’re re-doing a space, I highly recommend taking all of the decor items out of the room and then evaluating each one before your put it back. Choose to keep only items that you love that fit the space. Don’t get stuck in ruts and feeling like you have to keep something. If you always put an item in the same spot, try moving it around to see if it might work better somewhere else. Keeping an open mind can open up a lot of different decor options!
I was probably moving items around for at least a month before deciding on what I was going to keep in the space. And, let’s be honest, I pretty much am always moving things around anyways so who knows how long they will stay this way. lol!
I hope you’ve enjoyed the little tour and it’s inspired you to get going on your own design paralysis in whatever space you’re working on!
Shop the Room
If you’re interested in sources for the room, I’ve listed some of the bigger items for you. Just let me know if you have questions about anything else.
Sectional – Ashley Furniture
Television Stand – Decor Steals
Galvanized Table – Decor Steals
Stump Side Table – The Cross
Wall Basket – Pottery Barn
Clock – Pier 1
Hanging Plant Holder – CLT Home Foliage
Pillows – Urban Barn and HomeSense
I absolutely love your living room. It’s so clean, airy and cozy- all at the same time. I look forward to owning my own home and really putting myself into the decor. You have done a great job.
Thanks so much Ashley! You can always put your own decorating touch on any space – even if you don’t own!
As always, your decorating style is my absolute favorite and I’ve definitely copied and purchased several of your items. I would like to know where you bought your throw rug, under your couch and table, and a larger picture, if possible. And where you bought the fireplace logs. Thanks so much!
The throw rug was from HomeSense (or HomeGoods in the states). It took a little while of checking to find one I liked but they are such a good price point there! The logs are just faux logs that came with the fireplace. P.S. You have the same name as me – my maiden name was Williams too. 🙂
I love your living room. I really like your wood sign “Every family has a story to tell.” Do you know where I can find one?
I got it from Decor Steals. It’s a daily deal site but I just checked the website and they still have it listed as one of their extended steals (just hurry if you want it as it says it’s almost sold out). If you google “Decor Steals Every family has a story” it should come up!