How I Styled My 1860s Brownstone Living Room
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Alright, friends, I’m FINALLY revealing my living room decor!
For some background, I found my apartment for the first time last March (if you know Boston housing, you know that it’s never too early to start looking for September apartments) and, from that moment on, I was jumping into decor ideas and plans. With the historic character of our 1860s brownstone, I knew I wanted to lean into classic traditional pieces with an elevated contemporary feel — pieces that would ultimately complement our space without overtaking the existing beauty and charm.
The first piece I found was our new Interior Define sofa. I had been (accurately) receiving advertisements from Interior Define for years. I love the look of their furniture — combining simplicity, elegance, and high-end all in one. If this is your first time hearing of Interior Define, they offer a customizable furniture experience, making each piece uniquely yours. After visiting their Newbury St. showroom in April of last year, we settled on the Sloan sectional sofa in Cirrus with matte black tapered turned wood legs. I’m really happy with this investment piece of furniture, which was the key item I based all my other design decisions around. Keep in mind, since all items are created custom, they can take upwards of five months to get to your doorstep.
An area rug was the next item on my list, and I was on the hunt for something dark and moody. Since our sofa is practically white, I wanted to create symmetry and balance with darker neutrals. I looked at so. many. rugs. My boyfriend, Colin, was, rightfully, over my immense indecision. However, when I saw the one pictured here, I knew I found it. It had all the hues I was picturing in my head, and I liked that there wasn’t a clear pattern, but still some unique texture that would catch your eye. We pulled the trigger and bought it despite the three-month backorder. But, now that it’s in our space, it feels like it was always meant for it.
To keep with the darker tones, I also wanted to find a black coffee table. After a few Google searches, I found ours on Joss & Main. I loved that it has some unique elements and a bottom shelf for added styling options. We bought it during a sale, so I recommend seeing if that price will drop. As for our TV stand, I was searching for something with closed shelving, which was harder to find than you’d think. I originally fell in love with this dreamy credenza from Crate & Barrel. I loved the wood tone, height, and the fact it had tons of storage (which we have very little of in our tiny apartment). What I didn’t love? The price tag. So, after searching some more, we ended up with a much more affordable option from Target, and I’m glad we did!
For me, I just know some pieces will or won’t work the moment I see them. For example, I found our velvet statement chair one day while on a Target run. I, obviously, stumbled into the home section and immediately thought, “I can see this chair in my home.” Now, being the nice, caring partner I am, I decided to wait and talk to Colin about it before showing up with a new chair for our apartment. But, since he so quickly agreed with me, he went back to Target that same night to pick it up. That’s what I call compromise, people. The same thing may or may not have happened with our console table from World Market…but luckily, we were able to get that piece delivered.
The finishing touches in any home can often take the longest to come together, and we were no exception. But, now that we have artwork, throw pillows, and our coffee table and console table are officially “styled”, our living room finally feels complete. I recommend Target, Home Goods, and H&M Home for affordable art, throw pillows, wood trays, coffee table books, and more. It’ll require more patience, but it’s definitely rewarding when you find the perfect piece you were envisioning.
I hope this offers some design inspo for your own space and walks through my simultaneously clear, scattered plan for our own home. If you have questions, leave a comment! I’d love to know if you’d like me to go into my design process further…which involved tons of photoshop and a lot of trial and error. Enjoy!
Xx
Grace
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