Laura’s Front Room Refresh (Before + After!)

This has been such a fun project for me to work on the past few months! This front room of our house was one of the first rooms I completed when we moved into our home almost five years ago, and while I did enjoy the space, over time I could feel that maybe I hurried a bit to get it “done” and hadn’t really taken the time to think about how I wanted it to feel and connect it to the rest of the house. Once I did a refresh in our dining room space that connects to our front room, I knew for sure that I wanted to go back and rethink the vibe of the front room as well. I wanted it feel plush and cozy with some pops of color (and fun!) while linking back to the mid-century vibes of our ’60s ranch house and I feel like I got it all done!

Definitely a happier/sunnier feel from when we first moved in, as far as I’m concerned!
We don’t really have a proper entryway into the house but I wanted to create the “illusion” of one, so I added a little space with the items you would normally find in an entryway next to the couch. Since it’s the first thing you see when you come in the door, it still works to give that entryway vibe and the simple gold mirror bounces off more light around the room. That inexpensive entry table is great for adding some greenery, a candle, and a little dish to throw your wallet or keys into (although we usually hang ours so our toddler doesn’t play hide and seek with them, haha!). One of my favorite additions to this room was this blush velvet sleeper sofa from Apt2B. It’s soooo soft, the velvet feels luxurious to lounge on, and I love that it looks so stylish, and yet it’s also a sleeper sofa in an instant for when we have guests and have to turn this space into a guest room. I’ve been dying to have a pink couch, so I’m thrilled to finally have one that will earn its keep too!

I added some camel-colored pillows to go with those leopard-printed ones and the little pop of pattern ties in with the leopard print in the gallery wall.

I was torn between adding one large print above the couch or doing a gallery wall, but I found so many cute smaller prints that I decided the gallery wall was the way to go. I moved this rainbow that was in our dining room over to above the couch, added that leopard that used to be above our bar cart, and added the “cool to be kind,” the “run wild,” and the “mood” print. I love the mix of typography and illustrations together, and the color scheme is warm and inviting.

We have a lot of items from Article around the house, and I keep going back for more because they work out so well for us. I’ve been eyeing all the boucle fabric items I’ve seen about and this chair is probably one of the coziest reading chairs I could ask for. We had a Christmas party and everyone kept fighting over who got to sit in it next—ha ha! The textured fabric adds some visual interest (and makes it extra comfy I think) and the chair cushion’s cover can be removed for easy spot cleaning as well. So far, I adore this wool rug I chose for the room and I would love to have another one just like it in our bedroom! It’s super cozy, the thick wool loops feel so cushy under your feet, and the creamy off-white color adds a lot of light to the space.

We do a lot of sitting on the rug while we use the coffee table with Lola to play games or color. The gold of the frame matches the other gold fixtures in the room and I love how the glass surface makes it not look too heavy in the space, and it shows the pretty texture of the rug under it as well. I added some shelves above the Wurlitzer piano my husband keeps in this room so I could frame some photos and this colorful print as well as some greenery (I have several of these faux mini fiddle-leaf trees around the house—I love them!). I recently moved that big faux agave plant into the room and it definitely helps lend a Palm Springs nod along with the other cactus in the space. I tend to do mostly white planters in different sizes and textures, so I added a few around the space to get my greenery quotient in (love this gold and white one). I made that hanging planter as a DIY a few years ago and I still love it! Oh, and don’t ask me the names of the plants. If you’re curious, I just buy them and plant them, but I never remember the names!! Although if you live in Nashville, this is where I get most of my special plants.We added this light fixture to the room and it’s one of the best things I’ve done in that area. We only have a light over the dining table but that’s waaaay on the other side of the room, so this area always felt much darker, even with a lamp. Adding a similar type of light with the same kind of white glass globes give both areas the same warm glow at night, and we have both of them on separate dimmers so we can make one area brighter/dimmer as needed. It can be hard to decide when to add or remove a light fixture in a space (here’s a whole post I did on that subject), but I knew that adding one there would give light and help distinguish it as a separate space—I love it! The chandeliers in each area and the wallpaper in just the dining section help to designate the spaces as separate. But the similar color schemes help bring continuity through the space so they don’t feel disjointed. Overall, I’m so happy with the cozy vibes that are now a part of this room and I feel like it blends with the dining area sooo much better now. This is definitely my favorite spot for weekends now when Lola is napping and the house is quiet to just bring a cup of tea and a book and settle in for an hour or two. I think that anything you can do to feel more cozy in your home space is always worth it and I like having a few extra fun things to bring a happy vibe into the room as well. Hope you enjoyed this little refresh tour! xo. Laura

P.S. That ASOS jumpsuit is sold out, but here’s a similar one since I know you’ll ask!

Credits // Author: Laura Gummerman. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop. Couch c/o Apt2B, chair/rug/coffee table c/o Article.