I’ve gotten several requests to do home posts, and wanted to share a few favorite finds so far as well as a super easy pillowcase tutorial (coming soon!). Our space is very small and much of it is still in progress from renovations, adorned with luxurious cardboard boxes, rubble and paint swatches. We want a home that is bright, comfy and functional but just haven’t been able to devote much time to it yet. We do love to entertain guests, so the first area that finally saw a little progress is our living “corner”…
Although I was all emo parting with the old sofa thing that’s served us since Nick’s college apartment, this linen couch has to be my favorite element of the update. I wanted a slightly old-fashioned design with tufting and textured fabric, and Nick’s only request was “nap-friendly and not too girly.” Most couches we looked at were too wide for a small space, while loveseats were tight for two adults to sprawl out comfortably. I stumbled across this cute sofa by Home Decorators Collection that seemed to meet all of our needs, and was a bargain compared to other options we looked at! And FYI, just noticed they have free shipping for the holidays which is huge as it’s usually $150+ for pieces like this.
We were wary of buying a large furniture item sight unseen, so took advantage of a Chicago trip and trekked out to a HDC showroom (found inside a Home Depot). They didn’t have this exact couch, but we were pleased enough with the similar items to take the leap of faith and order online. Here are two other styles that we “tested” before going with the Watkins – I felt like Goldilocks and the three chairs:
Gordon Tufted Loveseat – 66″ wide (also comes in 91″ sofa or side chair)
A coffee table with storage was also a must. We were donating appliances at a Habitat for Humanity “Restore” store and were giddy to spot this rustic cedar trunk in pristine condition – quite the upgrade from our cardboard boxes left over from moving! If you like such trunks, check your local Craigslist since I regularly see similar options on there.
Another great thing about making your own pillows is leftover scraps of fabric for coordinating small touches. I might’ve gone a little overboard with making a placemat, vase thingy, and a bow tie for Nick at his request ; ) This gold tray is plastic and shiny in-person, but when tempered using other textures like wood or fabric it looked nice. I can’t find it online but got it from the holiday section in store. If you’re tray searching, Target is a gold mine!
Hi Phoebe – I think it was TJ Max!
Hi there – thank you for your kind words! It's always exciting redecorating so I hope you have fun with the process. You might be thinking of another blogger though regarding the links…I haven't heard of yellow brick home before and don't remember sharing home blogs since I don't really follow any – sorry!
And whoops yet another extra question: did you get any shopping coupon by any chance. The shipping cost is as high as the cost of the tree! (I'm also in Boston.)
Thanks for the response. I forgot to also ask what pot size you need in diameter and height. And where to find those pots at a reasonable price. Thanks again!
I just moved into my own little place and was looking to purchase an Ikea couch (really love yours Jean! sadly, it's out of my budget 🙁 lol). Can you ladies tell me the name of the Ikea couch you are discussing? Thanks!
Nope, since it's on the underside I wasn't too worried about cracking or anything. The wood screws that came with the under mount rack just went straight into the wood.
Hi Jean, I love your attention towards each and every small detail while upgrading your home. You are truly inspiring to many including me. I am in middle of making some changes to my home decor also so having idea's is great.
I vaguely remember in one of your past blogs where a follower posted almost 10 links for other home blogs which I am not able to find anymore. Would you please redirect me to the post date or repost the bloh home links for reference. I just remember one of the blogs as http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/. Much appreciated. AK
I love the lemon tree. Where is the planter is from? (unless that's the one it came with). Congrats on your new place and making it feel like home! 🙂 – Phoebe
Aww, I can definitely relate to your anecdote. We also had old behind new for weeks as it awaited its craigslist sale, and I couldn't bear to not sit on it too : ) We use the trunk to store manuals and instruction booklets that come with all the crap we buy…since when you need it you can never find that stuff! A Talladega nights DVD sounds much more fun and exciting, though!
Hi Marissa – unfortunately I don't see anything that can help identify more info : / I asked the person when we bought it if they knew any more about the story or brand or where it was donated from, but nada. You can try searching trunk, wood trunk, etc. on craigslist as my friends have bought and sold similar items on there, although I know craigslist is a total hit or miss marketplace and can differ widely from city to city.
Hi Chin! I'm not very familiar with that style of jacket, to be honest with you! Barbour is very popular here in the Northeast so when I do see that style, it almost always turns out to be Barbour. When I have more time later I can take a look online and try to find some similar options for you.
Hello – I was pretty indifferent between those two colors! I think initially I preferred oat heather since it's a more muted neutral, but in the end went with winter white since it looks nice with holiday outfits.
Hi there – mine is the 3-4 years. I wanted lemons already and their (very helpful, btw) customer service suggested 3-4 years. I've had it for maybe 6 months and it still looks the same in height and bushiness…it's a dwarf tree so my understanding is it won't get taller (hopefully!). As a warning though as with all plants, these trees are susceptible to disease and need proper attention, care, watering, etc…we've had a few issues already like disease and over/under watering but it's been a learning trip with lots of questions for their customer service!
Hi Shenu : ) They are real roses. Congrats on your new home purchase!!
Hmm..maybe we have low expectations / high tolerance for less comfortable stuff, but we were very happy with the old Ikea couch! Had lots of naps on there and guests did too.
Hi Jean which lemon tree size did you choose? 2-3 or 3-4 years or bigger? And how tall and bushy was the one you got? Thanks.
My favorite part of this is when you said you approached decorating your home like you approach outfits. Adorable. 🙂
hi jean! could you please let me know which color cropped ann taylor sweater you ordered? trying to decide between the winter white and oat heather.
I love this! Jean I've been following you for years. I love this post, but I was trying to get your advice for Barbour style jackets, and I couldn't comment on your military jacket blog post from a few years ago. Could you recommend any jacket brands or styles that are similar to these but not >$400 like the barbour style. Doesn't have to be extensive, just a few comments, Thank you!!!
http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size;=l&tid;=68596338
http://content.nordstrom.com/imagegallery/store/product/large/18/_7217918.jpg
Lovely!! xx
Marveling-Mind☀
Love home decor posts!
I am in love with the trunk turned coffee table, and am now on a hunt for one. Does yours happen to have any identifying information (name, numbers, etc) that could help me with my hunt. Thanks!
aaamazing! It looks so chic <3
xo
http://www.evesbreeze.blogspot.com
I love the finished area Jean! It looks so simple and sophisticated…perfect! Oh, and I'm definitely ordering a mini lemon tree!
xoxo,
Andrea
http://www.andreaeveryday.com
Goldilocks & the three chairs! Hahahaha. You did a magnificent job with decorating. I adore the little sunglasses in the cake display. Little touches like that really warm up a space. :] // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲
Love the bar cart! You have a very beautiful living room:)
x
Fiona THEDASHINGRIDER.com
My husband also stipulated that I wasn't allowed to decorate our home with anything too "girly". I managed to sneak in some purple pillows but otherwise everything else is fairly gender neutral. 🙂
Jemily Life
love the new living room!
xoxo
Mady
thegirlfromthemirror.blogspot.com
Jean, the "after" looks terrific! I adore the sofa and the the chest turned coffee table. The white rug over wood floor looks really fancy and nice. =)
amadea | misskristani.com
Wow, it's great! I love the chic table<3
Shall We Sasa
you have down an amazing job with the space Jean. It looks beautiful and relaxing, truly your own.
http://www.racheldinh.com
Aw! I can relate to your emo-ness regarding the old sofa. My boyfriend and I went through the same thing when we upgraded to a better sofa. However, we weren't expecting to get a new one so soon and ended up pushing the old sofa behind the new one (and took turns sitting in each one bc TWO sofas) until it was sold on craigslist. To say we were attached would be an understatement. However, the decor looks very personalized and fitting to your style and I love the trunk. What do you store in it? Hopefully a big comfy blanket and a Talladega Nights DVD. 🙂
Great post! We're also decorating our condo so it's neat to see what someone else is doing. I'd never heard of HDC before–will have to check them out. I'm a huge fan of the tufted look too. We bought a tufted couch from Crate and Barrel a few years ago and are the hunt for several tufted leather club chairs for in front of the fire place.
I absolutely love that chest! What a great find.
Style by Joules
Gorgeous photos! So cool to see your space. Your sense of style definitely translates into your home decor 🙂
Your living space is lovely! I love the couch and just every single thing featured! I can't wait to see more home decor, I'm always looking for inspiration.
what a beautiful home!!
Love your new living space area. The couch is beautiful and the threshold bar cart is stunning. It all fits so well together! You have an amazing sense of style. 😉
X
Miri
http://currentlywearing.com
It turned out perfectly!
Love this post….!!! Moving to our new house soon 🙂 More decorating tips please!I want to focus on the living room and bed room first!Are the white roses from ikea too?
Shenu
The couch deliberation photos are too funny! I'm off to buy a lemon tree (no clue you could grow those indoors!) or maybe a lime tree…
Great post! I have wondered about under mount storage on the bar cart! Did you use a drill to prep the holes?
The linen couch looks really comfortable and the design is quite elegant too, what a great buy! Love the bow print dress, it looks really cute and pretty!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.wordpress.com
Exciting! Your living room looks pretty. That is awesome that you stumbled upon that trunk. I am looking forward to the pillow tutorial. I have a bunch of pillow inserts that need covering. 🙂
LOVE this couch and what you did with this space.
http://www.eyelikefashion.com
Aha… you really looked like you loved that couch 🙂 Don't worry, I do the same thing whenever I find a comfy couch.
Connie from theconbonz
Loving the 180 transition! The tuft on the sofa is great!
Liz @ ShoppingMyCloset.com
Perfect. Thanks for the pic. loving the coffee table so much.
Love this little tour… that tufted couch is perfect…love the bar cart… adding bow to the vase, cute! Perfect little space
xo
Hems
http://agoldentulip.blogspot.com/
So gorgeous! I love your before and after. I wanted a tufted couch too but James deemed it too girly lol. We found one (not tufted) that we both love. It's been almost a year and we're still furnishing our place. Looking forward to seeing more of your home posts!
Such a fun home decor post! I totally agree with you on the part about "starting with neutral colors". I have been getting mostly white furniture for my place as well hoping that I can be creative on using colors. It's so much easier when you try to decorate your home for different seasons or holidays.
Also, I have the same IKEA couch that you had. I found it very uncomfortable to sit or nap on it due to the low back support. How did you use it so comfortably for years (since your first apartment?)?
For those of you looking for cheaper pillow cases but are not that good with DIY… IKEA has a lot of pillow cases for $6 each. I was just there this Sunday and their holiday fabrics are out too!
Julia || Closet de Jules
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