9/20

Laura’s Den Tour (Before + After!)

Before/After, Home Decor, Home Tour: Laura, Living Room
By Laura Gummerman

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) It’s been a few months since I’ve done a room tour of our new Nashville diggs, but I can’t wait to share with you the room we probably hang out in the most—the den! We have a front sitting room connected to a dining space in the front of the house, but since we have our TV in the den and a large sectional couch, we tend to spend most nights lounging around in this space instead. I think this is probably the room that has seen the biggest transformation for me since we moved in, and below you’ll see why!

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) This room had a lot of red-toned wood and brick detail when we first moved in that really gave the space a dated feel. The floor was a mix of brown tile and shag carpet (you can see it better in another before photo later in the post), and it felt, and looked, so odd to have two different flooring options in the same room. Since we installed hardwood floors and stained them dark, I painted the walls, wood shelving, and fireplace a bright white (just untinted paint straight from the can is my favorite white) to brighten up the space as much as possible since dark floors can suck up a lot of light. For balance, I painted the ceiling beams a dark grey to mimic the floor tone and bring some contrast to the upper part of the room.

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) We replaced the standard looking ceiling fan with this gorgeous light fixture from Lucent Lightshop. As you’ll see, we have a few brass mid-century inspired light fixtures in the space, which helps to keep the look consistent throughout the room.

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) I usually keep our mantel pretty simple and just switch out greenery, gold objects, and prints as my mood dictates (love those prints by Wilder California and Garance Doré).

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) These brass unicorn fire pokers were one of the first things I bought after we moved. They were from a local vintage shop and were just too unique to pass up!!

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) To give the space another custom touch, I replaced the metal accordion closet doors with wood ones, and then cut and painted geometric wood panels to match. Doors with special trim work or panels always feel a bit Parisian to me, which is probably why I’ve done it in a few spots in the house!

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) My husband had been trying to convince me to get a sectional for a few years, and I’m so glad that I finally gave in and got this beautiful Joybird Braxton sectional (in Notion Thunderbird). The mid-century design is clean and sleek but still looks timeless and modern when added to the space. Not only can we both fully stretch out now when we watch a movie, but there’s also plenty of room for both cats as well, and the fabric is really pet friendly (so easy to vacuum clean). Since I knew I wanted a colored couch, I decided to make the rest of the decor nearby mostly neutral so that the couch could really be the big pop of color for the space. So glad that I did! I was so happy to find this round marble pedestal coffee table to compliment the design. The marble is so pretty, and I love the gold against the teal of the couch and the white cowhide. Once I added a gold leather pouf and some gold foil pillows, our nightly hangout area was complete!

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) How cute is that vintage kitty letter holder?? I use it to hold photos instead but I love it…

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) I wanted to make sure all the furniture in the room felt cohesive, so I restyled an Ikea TV stand to give it a bit of mid-century flair. I also try and think of a few ways to add some fun into each room, and while I was stuck for a while on how to do that in this space, it all became very clear when I saw this giant (and freaking awesome!) Palm Springs dinosaur print. I trimmed it down to fit the space above the TV and built a quick custom frame for it (using this method). The moment I hung it up, I knew it was just the vibe I had been looking for.

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) These globe sconces were my first lighting DIY project, and I’m still so happy with how they turned out. There’s not a lot of floor room for lamps in this room, so adding some lighting to a wall really helped (and they are on dimmers, which I love).

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Above you can see what I was talking about with the “half tile—half carpet” before situation. So odd, right? Having flowing hardwoods that now go through the whole house with the same floor stain makes the space feel much less disjointed. We also added a light over the breakfast nook table as well and added long curtains (hung at the top of the wall) to make the shorter ceilings look taller.

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) The light that we added over the table is this lovely brass pendant globe. The globe is such a classic mid-century look that I actually have it in a few spots in the house (including our covered porch entryway). The gold and roundness of the globe mimics the DIY round table and gold legs below, so they are the perfect compliment for each other.

Remember how I was just saying that it’s really important for me to add elements of fun to each room? Well, what’s more fun than a neon pink pizza sign?!? I worked with the darlings over at Electric Confetti to create this custom sign I designed, and they made all my neon dreams come true. It also comes with a remote so you can adjust the brightness to your liking or set it on one of several flashing modes for a party. A big plus is that it’s totally quiet as well as cute—no annoying hum at all! What’s not to love??

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Our kitty Mac still uses this Palm Springs scratch house that I made for him just about every day. Nothing makes me happier than to see his little face in there looking out at me through the window. Sometimes he goes in just to take a nap!

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) We love to use our little breakfast nook for Saturday brunches or just to sit with some coffee in the winter and stare out at the backyard squirrels and birds (the cats love it for that same reason). I added a light-colored shag rug to break up the dark flooring a bit, and those lucite ghost chairs are a fun addition to the set as well.

Also, how amazing is that giant cactus!! Such a special guy deserves a special home, so I found him that = to live in. NEVER DIE, I LOVE YOU!!

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) I made a quick key and coat rack out of wood and brass cabinet pulls, and since I used those same pulls throughout the room, it fits in nicely with the space. Also brought along that Big Lebowski print from our last house, and the Dude seems very happy here as well.

Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Laura's Den Tour Before + After (click through for more!) Hope you enjoyed the tour of our Nashville den! In case you missed them, you can also see our bedroom, dining room, kitchen, and guest bathroom tours as well. Our home is becoming such a cozy and cheery place lately, thanks for stopping by! xo. Laura

Credits // Author: Laura Gummerman, Photography: Laura Gummerman and Todd Gummerman. Photos edited with the NEW A Beautiful Mess actions.

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