This makeover centred around an extra large wall in the dining room and the need to open up the living room. Despite working with designer at a furniture store to choose a couch for their space, they ended up with something way oversized that crowded and closed off the room. The family had a small black loveseat, and a caramel coloured leather chair in their basement, so we swapped the sectional out for these smaller pieces. It instantly opened things up.

With a few inspiration photos to work from, we settled on a well edited, cozy boho vibe. There was some talk about how they wanted to buy a bunch of new furniture, but after sensing some reluctance and pressing them on whether this home was a forever home and how long they imagined living in their house, I encouraged them to work with what they already had. Painting the dining table went a long way to lighten up the room, and their gorgeous black chairs helped tie in the black loveseat.

She got painting and we ordered an additional chair that would work everything together as a cohesive but mismatched set. I got to work scouring thrift stores to create a gallery wall with vintage art in the dining room. The key to the “new boho” is being restrained and minimal while still eclectic, and full of texture and personality. With all of these things in mind, I picked a mix of both colourful and black and white art, as well as a variety of frames from old wood to shiny metallics in varying sizes.

In the living room, my main goals were to blend in the existing furniture, and to add texture and natural materials. A small reclaimed wood coffee table, a plant, layered sheepskin rug, leather and fabric, a textural geometric throw, gold pops, pattern mixing, the vintage wicker plant stand- all these things create a dynamic space, without adding clutter. They had previously decorated their mantle with a friend and wanted to leave it just as it was, with a great big neutral map as the focal point. The vintage plant stand was an awesome $10 find. With two young kids in the house, it’s the perfect way to keep stray books contained and tidy. This family is so much fun to work with- and if you like their style as much as I do, you can take a look at their previous office redesign HERE!