We’ve been in our new home about almost 9 months. Wow, time flies! We loved our last home and it holds many wonderful memories, but I’m loving this new space and how it works for our family.
The house has a large, stone fireplace that’s the focal point of the family room. The first time we looked at the house I thought for sure we would paint the stones cream but as we moved in I started to really love the warmth and texture of the natural stones. For now, they aren’t being painted!
The house also came with a large television over the fireplace which I wanted to move ASAP. But with the windows there really isn’t another spot for it in the family room. We love watching movies together and, I’m not sure I should admit this, but having a big TV has grown on me.
Last summer we spent time in Scotland and I fell in love with old-timey pubs and antique shops. There was a restaurant called Mitchell’s that we visited twice and I loved the warm decor, texture and plants. I also fell in love with a restaurant called Forgan’s. Beautiful! And don’t get me started on cozy bookstores, pubs and home decor shops. There’s so much inspiration to be found while traveling.
I started to see a pattern of natural stones {and bricks} weathered wood, baskets, antique brass, candles and tons of plants. The combination is calming and cohesive.
We spend a lot of time in this room–and because our home is an open floor plan, the dining room, kitchen and family room are basically one big space. The candles are all LED with timers. Anyone else nervous about using real candles in their home? The candles automatically turn on at 5:30pm and stay on until 10:30pm. It creates a cozy glow.
And Louis says it’s definitely his favorite spot in the house. I wish I had a cozy bed right by the fire.
This room is also where we play board games. Lately our two favorites are telestrations and chess. Has anyone played telestrations? It’s SO FUN!
And this handcrafted chess set my amazing husband designed for his brand, Stephen David Leonard is truly an heirloom to hand down to the next generation.
That’s our cozy hearth! I should probably go water all those plants–but maybe I’ll relax and finish my sparkling water first!
Do you mix up your living room decor periodically? Do you lean to warm natural textures or bright fun colors?
