When we were (re)building our house there was one room that I struggled to figure out what it’s purpose would be. Even in the initial stages of designing and drawing up the plans, we struggled to figure out a function for this room. Since it’s right off the formal dining room I just started calling it the formal living area. I had intentions of putting a large buffet or china cabinet on the big blank wall and then a couple of chairs on the opposite wall but could never convince hubby that it would work. When we moved in, I finally convinced hubby to buy a couple of chairs and a rug and we ended up calling it a sitting area. But we still had that large blank wall and no ideas.
So for the past couple of years I have been searching for inspiration and ideas for what I could do with our once living room turned formal living area. Because we expanded our kitchen, it made the space smaller and more narrow than it was before. This made an already difficult space even more difficult as far as space planning. Since we have been back in this house (3 years now), there have been no less than 4 different furniture arrangements.
Brainstorming
After 2 years of playing around with the furniture we did have and scouring the Internets for inspiration and ideas, I came across Thrifty Decor Chick’s dining room turned library and a light bulb went off! I had seen her room transformation before but I hadn’t been focused on our formal living area at the time. We tend to go to this area of the house when we want to get away from the noise of the TV or rowdy kids. I often found myself retreating to this area to read or hop on social media for a bit so turning this space into a library seemed like the perfect solution.
I initially loved the idea of built-in book cases but after much discussion with hubby, he convinced me the room was too narrow and the expense would be too much. This led me to keep researching but at least now I had a specific idea in mind to research! Since then I have been I have been gathering ideas and below is what I’ve come up with so far. If you follow me on Instagram, you will recognize some of these pieces as I already have them. (Some of the links below are affiliate links).
Wall Lamp | Cabinet | Linen Chair | Jute Rug | Paisley/Floral Rug | Navy Chair |
Corbels | Pillow | Plant | Throw Blanket | Sea Grass Basket
Stay Tuned!!
