Remember this post where I shared the mood board of my design ideas for our living room?! Well today I’m excited to share with you a progress post of where we’re at. I’ve drawn inspiration from the decorating ideas of Havenly and they got me thinking about a few of my own tips. I love showcasing artwork throughout my home and mixing and matching items that I’ve antiqued over the years so the room feels collected while also telling the story of us at the same time.

We have been in our home now for a little over a month and let me tell you, this transition was so much easier for us than when we were first moving into our apartment (as far as decorating goes, the house learning curve has been steep). Below is what our apartment living room looked like when it was done the way I liked it. My goal with our house was to make one room feel done as fast as possible so we would at least feel like we had one room that felt like home. We started with the living room because it’s the room you walk into when you enter the front door and it’s the center of the home. Going from house to home can seem very overwhelming since there is so much we still need to furnish but there are a few things to keep in mind to make the process easier and make it feel like your space. 

from house to home

• Mix and match artwork from different artists that compliment each other

• Showcase your favorite photos of your favorite people

• Mix old and new together

• Use books as decor items

• Add greenery (or faux flowers)

I love having an art filled home. I think adding artwork to your walls instantly gives the space character and you can tell a lot about a person by the type of artwork they gravitate towards. I always start with the art and build the room around it. When it comes to furniture, I gravitate towards neutral pieces with clean lines that I know I will love for years to come. I try to stay away from really trendy items and super bright colors that won’t mix and match well. I bring in color with the artwork, candles, and plants. These items are easy to switch up over time and instantly give your room a different feel versus buying new big ticket items.

One thing I’ve learned is new isn’t better by any means. Some of my favorite items in our living room we have aquired for free from family members or I’ve antiqued for cheap. I found that gorgeous gold vintage mirror for under $100 and it is one of my favorite pieces ever. Mixing old and new gives a collected feel to the space and is a great conversation starter when you have guests in your home. 

I love adding to a space and watching it develop as time goes on. It’s fun to see how a space can evolve over the months or years. I have big plans for this room to paint a line drawing on this wall where the dresser is but first we have been patching up some nail holes and painting for now. We just dove head first into painting our sunroom and I severely underestimated how long that would take us so I’m excited to take a little break after that is finished. It’s been kind of crazy over here running my business during the day, going to work, and doing home projects at night. I’ve most certainly fallen down the rabbit hole of the DIY Pinterest world. I’m excited to share this process with you as we go. I’m really not a DIY-er at ALL so it will be a bit of an experiment. If you want to follow along with our daily progress, you can follow me on Instagram at @queenikathleeni where I’ll be sharing some behind the scenes on my stories.

As you can see, nothing in this room came from the same place. It is a unique mixture of things that were gifted, antiqued, or made by people that are special to us. I love this room because the items serve as a reminder of how blessed we are to have such amazing people in our lives. They aren’t just things without meaning taking up space. 

What tips do you have to make a house feel like a home? I would love to hear what you have in your home that is most special to you.

xo,

Katie