If you’re anything like me, you may have a difficult time trying to nail down your exact style when it comes to home decor. For years now, I’ve been trying to create a coastal zen in our home one step at a time. I try to keep to the neutral coastal colours as best as I can because I prefer a calming space to relax. These colours include blues from the water and sky, light browns and beiges from the sand or stones as well as whites from the clouds in the sky and greens from the coastal vegetation nearby such as ornamental grasses, Russian sage, lavenders and hydrangeas.
Our home is a century old home and needs a bit more encouragement to get that coastal feel I’ve been looking for. I started with the most expensive purchase which was our sofa. We bought a white sofa in 2013 when our kids were 10, 8 and 3. My neighbours saw that as a bold move. “Did someone gift you that sofa?” … because who in their right mind would buy a white sofa with three young children at home? LOL. I had faith in them and I set rules straight from the beginning. I also covered them with inexpensive blankets from IKEA which were often washed so the sofa stayed clean and tidy. This style of sofa is from DecorRest and hands down has been the most comfortable sofa I’ve ever sat on. The photo is from the website, so just imagine in in a soft white upholstery 😉
Our livingroom was the room we used the most when the kids were younger. We had movie nights once or twice a weekend every single weekend. We had dance parties in our livingrooms at the end of movie credits. Our livingroom was a well used and well loved space. So the point was to continue to keep the livingroom a practical and functional space as well as a pretty space.
We started off with the LIATORP coffee table from IKEA. It had two storage drawers beneath a glass table top. I loved that table, but it did not work with our sofa. I tried so hard to make it work, but I could not. Eventually, I ended up switching out the chaise from our sectional to be a standard end section. By that time, I’d given away the IKEA coffee table and reverted to using a smaller horizontal surface … the UPPLAND ottoman from IKEA. As much as I loved that ottoman (and I really did), it was higher than our sofa in the seated position so are legs were higher than our bottoms which was uncomfortable.
The next option was to use a large coffee table that my husband made many years ago. It was living in the man cave, so I brought it down to the main livingroom and it worked! It was not perfect, but it was a good size and it was low enough that IF we wanted to stretch our legs out (yes, we are those people), we could also put them on the coffee table. To this day, we still use this coffee table. It’s more on the rustic side, but it really does work.
We have also struggled with accent chairs. I bought one at the same time I purchased the sofa in the same upholstery, but only having one was not ideal. At the time we made this purchase, we also had a LAZY-BOY recliner. It was comfortable and it was used a lot … for most, it was the favourite place to sit. BUT, it just did not fit in with the coastal aesthetic I was going for.
Now that I’ve had some time to let my style sink in, I’ve made some changes and created a space that is partially coastal with a lean towards traditional southern grandmillenial. I’m a huge Nancy Myers fan. She’s an American filmmaker of movies such as “Something’s Gotta Give”, “It’s Complicated”, “The Holiday” and “Father of the Bride”. Nancy Myers is a literal genius. If you’ve watched any of these films, you’ll know that she is fantastic at curating a set or a home that is comfortable, stylish and filled with heirloom furniture pieces that speak to the soul. That’s my kind of home!
Today, this is our livingroom space. It’s cozy and it’s comfortable.
The hardwood floors are original to the house dated back to the early 1900s.
To incorporate a coastal vibe to it, I’ve added a blue toned area rug, replaced our old fireplace with a newer lower profiled fireplace surround and electricl fireplace. The mantel was made by my son. He works at a local wood shop. It was a birthday present for me last year. How thoughtful he is! I stained it with the same Bourbon Rubio Monocoat stain I used on the diningroom table my son also built for us.
I also added accent pieces like pillows and throws in a neutral blue tone. These can all be found on Amazon are affordable prices.
The artwork came from HomeSense and I love these. Those gorgeous hydranges are perfect for this space.
Next try adding something that doesn’t scream coastal, but also doesn’t cost anything … or at least not very much. If you live near water, you can always pick up a few stones along the beach and put them in a fun bowl on the mantel or on a side table if you have one.
We are really enjoying this space now. We each have a place to sit and our new accent chairs from Structube are perfect highback seats to enjoy watching one of my favourite Nancy Myers films.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our livingroom. It may not be entirely coastal, but I enjoy mixing styles and I enjoy relaxing in a zen space and to me, this is my zen space. Have a wonderful day friends.
With love,
Shari xo
