A bunch of you caught a sneak peek at that change thanks to Instagram Stories right after the holidays, but here’s a quick update on the new bench we’ve gotten and how our living room looks these days. We got the bench on Overstock, and of course we’re out of stock now – but I found it here and here in a darker color (ours is “Light Gray”). We love it so far, and it really has come a long way in making the whole area feel like a legit hangout. It’s also super comfy, which really matters (and you know this post will have some John & Sherry for volume pics). Ottomans / Bench / Rug / Chairs / Art by Till Duncan / Gold Frames / Coffee Table / Lamp / Side Table We mentioned in our post a month ago about the evolution of our living room area that we would like to have larger seating, like the bench for the wall below. You may remember this graphic from that post. A gigantic aha moment happened a week or two after owning the new coffee table, which was: the cabinet on that front wall next to the door (shown above on the right) that was non-negotiable – we need this – here’s a piece … it got less Important once we got a coffee table full of storage (two deep drawers on each side!). Suddenly all the things we kept in that cupboard near the door could live in there (you know, like dog poop bags, sunglasses, a spare key, mask, earplugs, a burger leash, and other things that we take on our way out a door). It was such a free realization! Because it means the seat we’ve been craving might actually find a better place on that front wall under the window – which it really did! But let’s just take a look at this lovely brass machine on the coffee table that changed everything for another second: a rug / coffee table You can also see that we got a little copper floor lamp very similar to the one in our show from that post last month. First, we pulled in a heavier / larger wood from the bedroom (which is what I saw in IG Stories a few weeks ago when we shared the bench update), but the new light fits the space better without feeling cumbersome. It’s not a huge area, but lots of soft and comfortable seating seemed unbelievable in this little niche by the front door that only had two floating chairs. Ottomans / Rug / Chairs / Bench / Art by Teal Duncan / Gold Frames / Coffee Table / Lamp / Side Table Reminder: It’s normal for rooms to take a while to develop, so don’t stress yourself out if you don’t get things right on the first try. Building a home that works the extra mile for your family takes much longer than HGTV’s 30-minute renovations. We almost don’t get things quite totally right – and sometimes it takes years to get there! But every development in the room brings you closer to the best possible solution for your family – which looks different to everyone – and it will likely evolve over time as your needs change anyway. Really, I can’t stress this enough – just take your time, play around with new arrangements, borrow things from other rooms, and enjoy the embrace of the journey. Our last home took over 5 years – as did our first! Here’s a broader shot of this entire side of the room. Every time we film this, different things seem to block the front door, but it’s just an angle. Ottomans / Rug / Chairs / Bench / Art by Teil Duncan Design / Gold Frames / Coffee Table / Lamp / Side Table / Vegetable Basket Here’s a video where you can see me cross the place like the great phone videographer I am. If you watch me tap the wall of the window / door, you can see how things look in front of the door and transform as I walk through the room (it also looks like the sofa is zipping off quickly). Small spaces sure have their challenges in photography, so thanks for the video! Note: You can also watch this video here on YouTube. I had a few people asking on IG if that area between the chairs and the stools on the left seemed cramped to us … ottomans / rug / chairs / stool / art by Teil Duncan / gold frames / coffee table / lamp / side table I guess it looks a little narrower on video than it actually is, because it’s actually about 25 degrees wide. This isn’t quite a massive opening but it’s wider than the entrance to our bedroom wardrobe in our last home, and we’ve lived that for about 7 years! If it was too narrow for us, we would just remove the small side table to the right of the sofa and move the comfy seat more, but that wasn’t a problem. I even walk back in the video;) Ottomans / rug / chairs / bench / art by Till Duncan / gold frames / coffee table / lamp / side table As for where we store the other items “running out of the door”, that’s actually The laundry cabinet comes right next to our front door. Plant basket / ottomans / rug / chairs / two-seat sofa / art by Teil Duncan / gold frames / coffee table / lamp / side table This is what it looked like when we finished building the storage shelves and the large counter for them earlier this summer: Now after As it gets colder, we use the hooks on the right for the jackets, which we often take on our way out, and we’ve also added some other items to that the wooden counter directly behind it that was in the cupboard at the front door. See: More sunglasses, hairbrushes, loads of extra litter bags, more masks, and crystals. You know, the usual. As for where our shoes usually end up – you can see here we’re keeping it casual with a big pile of slippers on the front porch. Ottomans / Rug / Chairs / Art by Teal Duncan / Gold Frames / Coffee Table / Lamp / Side Table Oh and see these two white ottomans by the door? We just borrowed it from in front of the TV upstairs – but in the end, some ottoman in place can be a lot more functional. So I am watching. Ottomans / comfy seat / rug / chairs / art by Till Duncan / gold frames / coffee table / lamp This living room is sure to take a bigger rug someday (ideally at least the front legs of the chairs and two chairs will sit on the rug, than Helps to define the space), but I love this little metal guy. It looks so pretty with the brass elements in the room and the gray seat ties, so I guess we’ll live with it like this for a while. Ottomans / Bench / Rug / Chairs / Art by Till Duncan / Gold Frames / Coffee Table / Lamp Well, as promised, here’s John for the scale (with a Chihuahua 9 pounds for a good measure). Fun fact: Burger loves to push his face into that crevice between the pillows. Stool / ottomans / rug / chairs / art by Till Duncan / golden frames / coffee table / lamp / side table and here both of us. I love being able to put my legs under myself while sitting with John – and I’ve spent a lot of time with both kids stacked on that seat. Wheelchair / Ottoman / Carpet / Gold Frames / Coffee Table / Side Table If I sit sideways, I can fully extend my legs while making enough space. Sometimes a burger in that space just gets into the bottom of me feeling like I made it just for it. As for the fabric, it is a beautifully woven warm gray. Even now, burger nails, kids, crumbs, and all things have stuck out. I’m so pissed off that this thing is totally out of stock at Overstock (available only in bold here and here) but when it comes back, I’ll tie it in. It’s very comfortable and had a lot of five-star reviews, which gave me confidence to try it (there are nearly 40 reviews, many of them have pictures, and they have a 4.8 out of 5 star rating!). So there you have it. An updated post about our small seating area. Rug / Chairs / Art by Teil Duncan Design / Coffee Table / Lamp / Ikea Shelving System At the end when we completely renovate the kitchen we have some other ideas that will make this area more functional and well planned, but meanwhile we’re happy Very much with this space for hanging, playing board games, playing puzzles, and waging slingshot ball battles. Yes, the kids got a slingshot for Christmas, and these Ottomans made a lovely epic hiding place behind them and pelted anyone on the other side of the room. Ottomans / Rug / Chairs / Art by Teil Duncan / Gold Frames / Coffee Table / Lamp / Side Table To see what the kitchen side of the room looks like now, there are a lot of photos and video in this post. You can also see every project and update we have done for this house over the past 8 months in this place. * This post contains affiliate links for more posts from Young House Love
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