a day in the life | a view of my living room
as part of our new beginnings theme for the month, i want to take you on a tour of my living room. both my dining and living room have been a work in progress since mr. style and i moved into this house, and i’m thrilled to share it with you now as it has finally come together in the hopes that this will give you some design inspiration for your living room.
we spend a lot of time in the living room; it’s the main point of entry and welcomes people into my home. recently, i turned my formal dining room into my home office. because the living room has an open floor layout, i can include the dining area there.
i like an open layout that naturally leads from one room to another. but whatever type of layout you have, your home is a reflection of you and should be a comfortable place for everyone to get together and enjoy spending time.
let your decor reflect who you are
last week, i took you on a tour of my home office and my personal closet. in both tours, you got a sense for decorating aesthetics. i lean toward mixing modern and classic design styles. my fashion sense comes through in my home decor – like the paint color in my closet (pink!), or the bold use of color and and animal print in my home office.
in my living room, i mix modern fixtures with classic furniture shapes. i like the juxtaposition of styles. mixing styles is a forgiving way to decorate your home: it lets you choose pieces you like without having to strictly adhere to a specific style.
sideboard | coffee table | dining room table | dining chairs
when you style mix, it helps to have a central theme that ties it all together. i’ve used the color blue to tie my living room together—from the blue leather sofa and the sapphire velvet chairs, to the classic blue china patterned vases and blue-hued painting.
design inspiration for your living room
if you’ve been following the blog for any length of time, you know i love to read. in fact, i participate in two different book clubs. (and if you’re not already a member, make sure to join our Facebook group book club with style!) so, it was important to me to have ample space for my books. the dining room built-ins are a perfect spot for my book collection.
sideboard | coffee table | dining room table | dining chairs
i love, love, love my built-ins. i’ve even leveraged them for my home bar, which is decked out with this set of barware in bright gold. the gold accents run throughout, from the bar area to the gold-edged lucite lamp on the credenza, to the gold modern chandelier over the dining table.
outfit of the day
today’s outfit is a great casual look that can transform to business casual in a flash with the addition of a blazer and neck scarf. winter white jeans lead the charge today. a long sleeve stripe shirt adds pattern and pop of color with its three red stripes. the red pop is carried through to my suede d’orsay flats. for added contrast, my neck scarf features a classic floral pattern. throw on a tweed blazer and you are set to go!
tee (Talbots) | similar tee | similar tee 2 | similar tee 3 | similar tee 4 | blazer (J.Crew) | jeans (Talbots) | scarf | flats (J.Crew)
beautiful home – I love to look at people’s book collections – wasn’t A Gentleman in Moscow a beautiful book?
What is the source or make of dining table light fixture please?
Love the OOTD
love that your home is southern in style-
Happy, welcoming, things you love and blue!
Also loved the outfit last week? one with the green blouse- if it can’t be blue, go green
Dear Beth,
I’ve only recently been following your blog. I am your age, and am beginning to feel invisible. I love your style, it is youthful and fun. I too love color, clothes , and decor.
I was sorry to hear of your husbands passing, I can;t imagine how difficult that journey was. My niece who is only 53 and lives in the U.K. has been diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer, she is terrified to leave her children behind. Cancer is such a nasty disease.
Keep up the great work, I love your blog!
Hi Beth, absolutely beautiful, you answered my question as to where you relocated your dining room. I think you have given not only myself but others lots of inspiration on home decor with some great idea’s. Thank you so much xoxo
Beth,
Your living room is beautiful, even though blue is not my favourite colour, however, your room is both cool and stylish. I particularly like the painting of two boats above your fireplace.
Please, do help my ignorance as I really do not know what a credenza is.
Carol
Love your living room! Soft turquoise and blue are soothing, as is that artwork above your fireplace. I have pieces in soft turqouise found at thrift and antique stores for my home. Also inspired because our fireplace needs a total refresh. As for white jeans in winter, wore some to church lunch last week…compliments received, along with comments about how long ago, white in anything in winter was a big no-no. Heard one lady say she might give it a try, too 🙂 Told them all you’re my inspiration, and since I’ve always marched to the beat of a different drum…thanks, Beth!~
Hi Beth- great blog. And that gold “tangled” chandelier is to die for. Where did you find such an unusual piece?
Thank you!
Pat
Since my move from New York to beautiful Palm Desert I have had a great time decorating. Been able to use the few pieces I brought along. I purged everything I didn’t love and when purchasing new I ask myself if it’s something I want to look at everyday. I noticed you do not have any photos out. You may have removed them for this shoot but right now, as I decorate the den, I’ve been purchasing new frames for old photos for a cohesive look. Thanks for the inspiration!
Too funny, I feel as if I have a US twin. From our haircut and colour, makeup, style, and now decorating style and colour choices! Needless to say, love the post. Do you mind me asking what colour season you are?
Beth, love your style! Your home is comfortable and inviting. I love the pops of blue and your blue and white porcelain. Love you ootd, it is perfect!
Thank you for sharing your home with us.
Looks wonderful! I love all your built-ins. You were smart to take your time making decisions and slowly filling in what you want in your home. Incidentally, is that couch from Overstock.com? I thought I saw it there and it looks like yours. Fits in nicely with your pieces throughout. I have those red shoes, and I always get compliments on them whenever I wear them. They are so comfortable (although I admit I put spongy inserts into all my shoes these days–that helps!) Must be feeling good to have your home in the shape you wanted it–helps one stay organized, too. Very lovely.
Beth, love the blue in your living room. Can you provide details on the retailer’s for both the boat picture and dining room chandelier as in process of remodeling a few rooms. Thank you.
i believe the boat painting was purchased from Ballards Design although it’s no longer available. the dining room light fixture is from Wayfair. here’s a link:
https://rstyle.me/+DhGznek7qaRWrhystClAPg
ps-Gentleman from Moscow AND The Nightingale were both excellent reads! ;))
Love those red flats! Thought the blazer was great with the striped top. Great ideas for early spring here in Maine!
Enjoyed your post but I’m surprised no one mentioned getting to see beautiful Ollie. I would like to be brave and paint my red brick fireplace white this year
Love this outfit and your home is beautiful with style and character. Ollie is fabulous!
I love the blue and white pottery accents-I have a very similar look to my home as well and blue has always been one of my favorite colors. I live on the coast and my windows overlook a cove so the beachy traditional style is great as both my husband and I love the look. Can you please tell me the source of your carpet in the living room? It looks beautiful!
May I ask where you got the boat print over your fireplace? Looking for something like that for our lake house. Love your blog and you tube channel!!