Cottage living room makeover with small living room design.
Living rooms are some of the toughest rooms to design for when you have a family to design it for. I have to admit, I have the sloppiest children and the most snuggliest ones too. You can count the dog in that one. We just love our time together as a family, and sometimes those chill moments at home are some of the best. Let’s start at the beginning of our family room/living room/den or whatever you want to call this room. It’s just a super small space that has a fireplace..basically 2.5 walls, but it sure had the potential to be cute!
We had this sofa, that 1. my hubby never found comfy and 2. just could not fit us all on comfortably. I bought it initially because I felt with our small room, having a sofa would be a better practical piece of furniture. Throughout the 4 years we had it…it proved me wrong. We barely sat in the extra chair (the dog claimed that one) and we just ended up squished together during movie night. Forget trying to relax on here too…you just ended up getting trampled on by little feet.
This post was created with a sponsored agreement with IKEA. All opinions and designs are 100% my own.
Observe the reality of our sofa dilemma and family room.
How to achieve good design in small space with Cottage Style
1. A sectional with the right dimensions
2. Furniture Placement
3. Slip covered furniture
4. Great Accessories
5. Affordable furniture options
Inspiration Board
So, this was my initial inspiration…of course things change here and there as you decorate, but you can see that European Cottage feel to the room…just from the furniture pieces and inspirational look.
So the first step was to remove all of our old furniture and paint! With the cottage style in mind, I knew I wanted to go all white in here. I originally had plans to add beams or a wooden ceiling, but that didn’t quite work out (always leaves room for future projects). I chose simply white by benjamin moore and instantly the room felt brighter and more “cottage-y” then every. You can read more about my favorite white paints here.
Then it was time to select furniture, we needed something more practical, but with great style. We chose the Ikea Farlov Sectional. It’s a new sku and has a high end style for a great price. It also has the slipcover which makes washing easy. Yes, I went with the white color, but I am achieving a cottage style here, so it was necessary. I’ve decided this time around to cover my furniture with blankets when the kids are sitting on it. I know that sounds so impractical, but it works for our family. I love a pretty house with light colors so I have to find ways to work with light furniture with a family. Also, if it does get stained…I can always toss it in the wash machine.
I was super impressed and surprised with how well the sofa fit in our space. I thought that I would be disappointed with the look, but to my surprise I think I was missing out all these years. It was perfect and created more functionality for our family.
Of course next came storage, we needed something to be able to toss our throw pillows in and blankets, so my craigslist makeover piece which I shared on Saturday was the perfect stylish solution as well as this wicker basket from IKEA, that I am using as a coffee table too.
This time around with our makeover, I knew I wanted to take our TV down from the mantel. It was always such an eye sore, and to be honest it was quite uncomfortable to watch the TV from that high up. So, with lots of thinking on it we decided to put it on the wall. More to come on that this week!
I decided that I still needed a wicker accent chair from IKEA, for the room, just to add texture and give the fireplace a little something extra in front of it. The problem with our small living room is that you can not see the sofa when you enter from the kitchen because it hides against the wall (due to the 2.5 wall issue), so adding a chair, makes it visible that there is seating in this space.
Luc most definitely misses his chair in here…sorry bud.
And of course the accessories for the room. Since I had already had the gallery wall of photos on the one side and had no plans of taking it down, I knew I needed to add something similar but with its own style to the other side of the wall. Fortunately, the IKEA picture frame 8 pack, was just what we needed, and we added a little DIY shelf to the wall so it would have dimension. The prints I downloaded (download some at the end of the post). I like how they add more of that vintage style. oh and those DIY hanging plants I made from some Target bowls. I planned an entire video on them, but unfortunately, it did not come out good…so I’ll figure a way out to share that DIY with you all soon.
All that’s left for this space is some new lighting. The light I ordered is on back order for a few weeks, so of course, when that comes in…you will all be the first to know!
SOURCE LIST
this post contains affiliate links for your convenience
Sofa: IKEA
Chair: IKEA
Wicker Chest: IKEA
Black Frames: IKEA
Throw Blanket: IKEA
Area Rug: Target
Mirror: Craigslist
Blanket Cabinet: Craigslist
Hanging Plants: Target bowls/ DIY project
Gray Throw Pillows: World Market
Be Still Pillow: PCB Home
Clock: Antique Farmhouse (a few years ago)
Sharing is Caring
Download These Prints, but for personal use only!
41 Responses
Great tips! IKEA has the prettiest, inexpensive pieces! We shopped there for most of our lake cottage. Beautiful, as always, Deb!
thank you Julie!
You did an amazing job of putting everything together and IKEA has some great affordable pieces!
Thank you so much Janet!
Beautiful! I love your style. We don’t live near IKEA but I know I’d be there often if we did! Great post!
Thank you Sherry! Oh I live far enough that it doesn’t pull me in too often, but close enough for when I’m in need of an IKEA fix!
It looks great Deb! I always worry about putting a sectional in small spaces but it works perfectly here! I love that wicker basket as a coffee table, I’ve had my eye on that one for a long time! Pinning!
Thanks Roxanne! I appreciate you pinning too!
What a pretty (and functioning) transformation Deb! I love the new sofa – it’s perfect for your family!
Thank you Sara!
Everything looks absolutely beautiful! I love the way the new sectional looks and that fireplace decor, all the heart eyes!
aww thank you Amanda! Thanks for all your help with some of these decisions ; )
So pretty, Deb! You really nailed the European cottage look and I love all of your tips for a small space!
Thank you so much Jordan : )
Gorgeous! Especially love your Ikea Sofa. <3
Gorgeous! Especially love your Ikea Sofa. Everything is so bright and airy. <3
Thank you so much Hannah!
Deb, there are so many great things about this space, but my favorite is the cabinet being used for blanket storage. It’s such a smart idea, and looks so good too! Going back over the post to enjoy all the beautiful photos again!
awww thank you Iris, that means so much to me!
It looks so great!!!
Thanks Lindsay!
Oh my gosh Deb! This room is gorgeous! I love that it’s pretty and stylish but cozy and family friendly at the same time.
I have white slipcover Ikea furniture in my studio and I love it. Now that I’ve seen that sectional I’m thinking it would be perfect in our family room!
aww thank you sweet friend, that means so much!
I love the cottage vibes in here! It’s so cozy & relaxing yet pretty & elegant! Amazing job! I love it all!!
Thank you so much Lindsay!
I love everything but my favorite is the mantel shelf over your sofa…just perfect!
Thank you so much Ann! That means so much!
I really like your use of texture and layers. The mantle is very nicely arranged and the throw and pillows are equally attractive. Thanks for sharing with us all.
Thank you so much Brenda! I appreciate you stopping by and leaving me a sweet comment.
It’s so beautiful Deb! You did an amazing job.
Hugs, Jamie
Thank you so much Jamie!
Thanks for the intro to the new Ikea sectional. Your room is just perfect for family time. Even with a light pallet, you are still putting together a functional family room arrangement. Love your look!
Thank you Anne! Combining both is definitely important for me when creating a room in our house.
Perfection Deb! I love how cozy this room feels and the sectional is wonderful in this space. Beautiful transformation !
Thank you so much Steph! xoxo
I love this room! So pretty! Do you mind sharing where the fan and light bulbs are from?
Thank you so much Christie! Sure, its actually a makeover I did on my outdated ceiling fan. If you search on my site “easy industrial style fan makeover” if will show up!
Everything looks so welcoming! I was wondering if you could share where your ceiling fan is from? 😉
Thanks Jena! It’s actually a makeover I did to my outdated fan a while back. If you search on my site “easy industrial style ceiling fan” it should pop up!
Beautiful room! Where are the curtains from?
Thank you Karen! I did a tutorial on them, using drop cloths! You can see that post here: https://seekinglavenderlane.com/hide-a-tv/