Apartment Makeover: My Living Room

Finally! Today I’m revealing the last room from my Homepolish apartment makeover: the living room. We put a lot of effort into this room to ensure it flowed with the rest of the apartment, had a comfy set up for taking in content and included lots of clever storage.

Whether I’m checking out my Empire State Building view or turning my brain to mush in front of the TV (Law & Order re-runs, obscure foreign language subtitled films, the mainstream hits – I don’t discriminate), I spend a ton of time in this room and am so happy with how it turned out! Let’s get into it.

Finding a comfy couch (with chaise lounge, obviously!) that was properly sized for the room was a top priority. This one from Joss & Main is perfect. The neutral grey allows me to update the space whenever I want with new pillows and throws and is genius for hiding dog dirt (no they’re not allowed on the couch, but let’s be real that doesn’t always stop them).

To ground the seating area, we went with a durable woven rug. Another neutral, but this time with a fun texture. And speaking of texture, I love how the plush throw rug that’s layered on top and the Joss & Main shell coffee table add interest to the space while still keeping things neutral. One pro tip I picked up during this process is the importance of mixing different textures – it really does help your space look more profesh.

To take advantage of empty space behind the couch, we decided to bring in storage and create a Carrie Bradshaw moment. You know, a place to sit and look out the window whenever “I couldn’t help but wonder…” Lol 🙂 These Joss & Main benches are way more stylish than your average storage bench yet still roomy.

Once we had the furniture down, it was time to bring the space to life. Also known as the fun part! Of course my Hotel Il Pellicano coffee table book made the cut. And as you know, I love zen animal artwork, so this Sheep At Lunch print from Minted was a no brainer. We placed a Serena & Lily basket below for yet more storage (it’s huge and easily stores all my spare linens) and to channel that rich hippie vibe I talked about yesterday. Speaking of, I also want to shout out the hanging fan decor on the other side of the room, which adds an ethnic-but-polished touch. Finally, not pictured is an adorable Pottery Barn Kids lamb tuffet that keeps my zen animal theme going and brings me much happiness as I am a kid at heart.

For textiles, we layered a bunch of really cute Coral & Tusk pillows and added the cozy knit Parachute throw that splits time with my bedroom, keeping everything in the same color neutral palette to keep it from getting crazy.

And finally, one of my favorite things in my whole apartment is my fireplace. When I first moved in I ignored it, assuming I wouldn’t ever use it. Maybe I thought it was a man’s job to light a fire or maybe it was my mom telling me 65 times to make sure the flue was either open or closed (WHICH IS IT?!), but the whole thing was intimidating. But this past fall I had my first fire (I used an old jcrew tshirt as a fire starter which in hindsight I do not recommend) and I was hooked! Now I get wood delivered every week (no more tshirts) and am giving the fireplace a regular workout.

That’s it, thank you for coming into my home this week. It was a labor of love and I’m so proud of how it all turned out! I tried to source as many items as possible but if you have questions about anything I missed please leave a comment!