Our living room sits to the right of the foyer as you enter the front door. It’s a cozy space—approximately 12′ x 14’—that feels bright and inviting thanks to generous natural light and carefully chosen furnishings.
To create an immediate focal point, I placed a pair of bookcases on the first wall you see when entering. The symmetrical arrangement anchors the room and provides both storage and display space for books, décor, and framed photos.
I love how the sunlight pours through the windows and casts delicate shadows across the floor and furnishings. Natural light is the strongest design element in this room; it highlights textures and brings out the warmth in the color palette.
This is the least used room by people in our house—our resident guardian dog prefers it. He’s always alert and ready to greet anyone who comes near.
The loveseat sits on the wall directly opposite the room’s entrance, creating a comfortable conversation area. Its size is well suited to the room’s scale and allows for easy traffic flow from the foyer into the rest of the house.
I’m especially fond of the small cloche with a weathered finish and a little bird on top. Inside it I placed a decorative sphere covered in faux boxwood for a touch of greenery without the fuss of maintenance.
To the left of the loveseat, the bookcases are paired with a comfortable chair to form a small reading nook. I plan to add a boxwood wreath to the front of one bookcase at some point, either faux or preserved, to introduce a soft, organic accent.
The wall behind the chair is set on an angle, which can be a challenge when arranging furniture. A few hanging prints and a floor lamp help define the corner and make it feel intentionally cozy rather than awkward.
The double window that overlooks the front yard is dressed with skirted drapery panels I made from a burlap-style fabric. These panels add softness and a touch of rustic texture, balancing the more polished pieces in the room.
In this room—and in the dining room—I chose woven wood blinds instead of the white wood-slat blinds used throughout the rest of the house. Woven wood blinds layered behind drapery panels create a rich, dimensional window treatment that complements the room’s relaxed, slightly rustic aesthetic.
The plant on the small side table is the only live plant in the room; the rest are faux. While some people prefer all-live greenery, I appreciate a mix—strategic faux plants add consistent color and texture without ongoing care.
Here’s a close-up of one of the drapery panels to show the fabric texture and the skirted detail.
The wall color sometimes reads as a soft mint when sunlight fills the room, but it is actually a deeper, richer Sherwin-Williams shade called Koi Pond. The color adds depth and pairs nicely with natural fibers, wood tones, and neutral upholstery.
Thank you for stopping by—hope you enjoyed this small tour of our living room. If you’re decorating a compact space, consider layering textures, choosing scaled furniture that fits the room’s proportions, and using layered window treatments like woven wood blinds with drapery panels to create warmth and visual interest.