Coming of age in the early 2000's, I am by definition a Millennial. True to a Millennial's nature, I have been terrified of purchasing a home my entire adult life. I wanted one, to be clear, but taking on a 30-year mortgage while paying off a mountain of student debt was out of the question for many, many years. I lived in apartments for - no joke - 20 years before purchasing my first home.
Apartment living and house living is certainly different, but good design can grace both, and it doesn't have to be expensive. Living in apartments for 20 years, I had to figure out how to make those spaces I didn't own somehow home to me. And in purchasing a home, I had to figure out how to fill so much space that I had never before occupied. It was important to me that, no matter the location, those spaces were filled with things that inspired and nurtured me. That no matter what happened in a day, I could come home and seek solace in my own landscape.
I did not come from a wealthy background, and I've made no fortune in my career. I couldn't afford to hire a designer to help me create my own personal oasis, but I did have a profound interest in designing spaces. What I learned over those 20+ years is that there are pieces you should invest in, and there are pieces that by no means need to be top of the line.
Today I am going to start a series in this blog to share what I have learned in which pieces should be an investment, and what you can either make yourself or find from inexpensive sources.
Let's start with the Golden Rule: If you truly love it and you can't stop thinking about it, that's a piece to invest in. I'm not saying whip out the credit card, but I am saying - do not settle for something you don't absolutely love, just because it's cheaper. You'll only keep thinking about the piece you didn't bring into your space.
This Week: The Living Room
Sofas
If you invest in only one piece for your living room, make it this one. This is likely the most used item in your entire home, and cheap sofas may last only a couple of years before needing to be replaced. Don't put yourself in a couch-buying cycle - it's a waste of money! Instead, look for sofas that have steel or solid wood frames and high performance upholstery. I prefer natural leathers, suedes, boucle, and performance linen because of their durability and beauty.
Italian Tanned Leather Sofa from June Moon Homescapes
Side Chairs, Settees, and Love Seats
If you invest in a good sofa, you don't need to spend so much on the side chairs, settees, or love seats. For the most part, these are decorative items and fill out your space. Your company will likely spend a few minutes on these items and then migrate to the kitchen, patio, or dining table. I splurged on one of my side chairs, a Mid-Century saddle leather lounger and ottoman, only because it was one of those obsession items. But, the other two chairs I picked up at a local discount furniture store for $100 apiece. All three are essential and equally important to the design of my Living Room landscape.
Aidan Sling Chair from June Moon Homescapes
Coffee Table and Side Tables
Get creative with your coffee and side tables! By no means do those things need to be expensive. Find a piece that you absolutely love, and go for it. Your coffee table is your conversation starter, so make it reflect your personal style. I have to admit, my coffee table is the one item in my Living Room that needs to be replaced. The piece currently on display is one I had commissioned by an artisan in Minnesota, and it's seen a lot of love. Particularly from June, who thought it was an effective teething utensil as a puppy.
Shadow Play Cocktail Table from June Moon Homescapes
Entertainment Consoles, Bureaus, and Under-TV Cabinets
This is an item that I encourage you, no matter what you spend, to purchase because you love looking at it. Whether we like it or not, Americans spent an extraordinary amount of time in front of the television. The piece underneath that television should be something beautiful to you at the very least. In my case, I've chosen a solid wood piece on top of which sits lots of natural and organic décor - to at least remind us that there is something out there other than a flat screen.
My cheap side chairs next to the solid wood bureau covered in plants and rocks
Libraries and Bookcases
Look, I think books would be beautiful if you simply stacked them all on the floor and called it a day. But we're talking furniture, here. This is an item you could spend as little or as much as you want on, and is not one that requires a ton of scrutiny when it comes to design, because as we said - the books are the beauty. The main consideration when it comes to selecting a bookcase or library is the strength of the materials. Solid woods and metals are going to be your best bets, although manufactured woods are vastly superior now to the ones produced 20 years ago. Books are some of the heaviest items in your house, and if you don't want the thing crumbling apart in a couple of years, solid materials that are held together with real hardware (screws, nuts, and bolts vs. those tiny wood dowels) are your best bet.
Books and plants are the main feature, here, but I know the thing is solid as a rock
Décor
Décor is another genre where you can spend as much or as little as you want. It's also a highly subjective topic. Humans have been decorating themselves and their spaces longer than they have farmed for food - think about that. Self-expression and creativity are so central to our DNA that we became design-hounds sooner than we became foodies! And so this is where I encourage you to be 100% you -- with the cash you have on-hand. Of course some of us may need to finance a sofa. Don't finance your décor.
Décor is something that should evolve and grow with you. It's how you achieve that layered look designers are always so good at putting together in the span of a 60-minute episode on HGTV. But life isn't a 60-minute HGTV episode. It's okay not to have it all in place from the start. For example, I have no art on my walls nearly a year after moving into my house. And that's intentional - the walls haven't told me what they want yet. It takes time to understand a space and the beautiful things that should fill it, and as soon as I see the vision for a piece of art, I will create it.
And there you have it - a Living Room recipe that won't break the bank. We'll have much more on affordable design, as well as a whole blog on the topic of Décor, so stay tuned! In the meantime, take a look at our Living Room lineup in our Around the House Collection and start designing your own indoor landscape!
