Family-Friendly Living Room Reveal

Posted by Val Malnar on April 28, 2022

Hey there design enthusiasts! I’ve got more interior decorating inspiration for you! Today I’m sharing the updates we made to our family-friendly living room.

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Before the refresh, our living room was a space that didn’t actually get much use since we spend most of our time in our great room. However, it’s at the front of our house and is the first room you see when entering our home so I really wanted to update it to be more aligned with our tastes. Since furniture is such an investment, our living room stayed dark and dank for much longer than we wanted it to but now that we’ve finally made some significant improvements I wanted to share them with you.

First….and please no judgement ☺…..here’s how our living room was decorated when we first moved into our house 12 years ago.

family room living room traditional

I know, it’s pretty intense, but at the time we couldn’t justify replacing furniture that was still in great condition.

traditional living room

Fast forward almost 12 years and now and we are in a better position to invest on sprucing up this tired space.

SO……I went to work to create a concept design that felt a lot brighter and more aligned with my favourite design style which is contemporary coastal with a hint of farmhouse. The goal was to create a family-friendly-space that looked refined but was approachable and while feeling cozy, comfortable and relaxing.

Below is the concept design for the space. Here’s what I did to create a family-friendly cozy contemporary coastal living room.

I picked a sofa with a fabric that is easy to clean (polyester is my go to because it’s affordable and durable). I chose a dark colour because it would be the piece of furniture that was most sat on.
I selected chairs that had a polyester fabric, and as an added bonus, the covers are removable for easy washing.
I chose a beautiful beach scene as my inspiration for the vibe and the colour scheme. (Hint: Green is super calming). To ensure the art made a statement, I chose a subdued off-white (Benjamin Moore's Pale Oak) for the paint colour.
Then I curated a pillow combination with colours that coordinated with the art – and of course had removable pillow covers to make cleaning a breeze.
I added plenty of greenery to bring the outdoors in and add life to the space.
I incorporated wood furnishings/décor to add texture and warmth to the space for added comfort.
Lastly, I chose a rug with a forgiving pattern that would hide any accidental spills or wear over time.

The result isn’t EXACTLY what I wanted due to rising costs and shipping delays related to the pandemic, but I got pretty darn close. I'll update the coffee table and side tables over time. In the meantime, I’m sharing how far the transformation has come so far.

Drumroll please!...........here’s how our Family-Friendly Contemporary Coastal Living Room turned out.

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So whattaya think? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments.

If you need help creating your family-friendly or cozy contemporary coastal space we’d love to help you. Check out our virtual interior design services.

See some of our projects and how clients felt about the services we offer via our portfolio here and testimonials here.

Or if you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, take our DIY Interior Design Course. It teaches our entire design process step-by-step so you can execute a beautiful design without wasting time or making costly mistakes.