If you caught last week’s No Makeup Home Tour, then you may have spied some major sneak peeks of my yet-to-be-finished living room. I’m embarrassed to say that my living room has sat stagnant since we moved into our house nearly 18-months ago. There are a multitude of reasons for that; prioritizing this room and this room and this room, budgetary limits (we’re renovating a 150-year-old house my friends – she’s got a lot of problems) and a bit of design paralysis are all contributing factors. But I won’t take all the blame! That’s primarily because we’ve also been waiting to complete the fireplace that is the main focal point of the living room space. But now, with the holidays and the arrival of many house guests looming, I’m in a race against the clock to get this room done. So I thought I ought to let you in on a little of my planning!

Here’s the floorplan for our living room layout.

apartment 34 living room design

The room opens onto the dining room to the south via two ah-mazing french doors (you can see here). It also is open to our kitchen (after the removal of some major walls) to the north. The door to the right opens onto our media room (which you may have spied here). The challenge is the living room’s long, relatively narrow rectangular shape. The ceilings also happen to be 12ft tall – I know, rough life – but it makes finding proper proportions very tough. We’ve finally landed on unifying the space with a large 10×14 rug – the final selection is in the works -, designing a custom sectional (more on that to come soon!), nesting three round coffee tables in front of the soon to be built fireplace and adding a lounge chair to the corner to create a little reading nook in the far corner. Phew. All that to get completed before my family descends for Thanksgiving. No stress.

I thought you might like seeing some of my inspiration images for the space.

living room design on apartment 34

This is our inspiration for the sectional. This being our living room, I want it to feel more formal than the TV room, but only slightly. I live in the birthplace of California casual living after all.

apartment 34 living room design

This is the primary inspiration for my fireplace design. Both the hearth and gas insert surround will be black and arched like you see above. The mantle will be shaped something like what you see above but in a travertine instead of marble. As you may recall from this post, bookshelves sit to the left which will be my primary place to house treasures and work on my never-ending quest for the perfect shelfie.

apartment 34 living room design

I also want to create a bit of an undone vibe, with singular accents and accessories that stand out like they were in a place of honor. We’ll see if I can succeed in keeping piles of legos at bay.

apartment 34 living room design

But where I find myself really struggling is the hunt for a good side chair. In the thousands upon thousands that are out there, it’s actually quite surprising how difficult it is to unearth a good one. Do I want something modern, something cozy, something unique or something vintage. I don’t want to fall into the trap of anything too trendy as I am not going to be to replace any furniture for quite a long time or the husband might kill me. But since it’s going to hold court in a corner all its own, I’d like the chair I pick to be a real conversation starter. You can just google that right?? Right. The struggle is real my friends, the struggle is real.

apartment 34 living room designapartment 34 living room designliving room design on apartment 34

So I’ve begun to round up some of of the best side chair options I’ve spied thus far. They range from the rattan trend (but can I convince myself it’d feel timeless in five years) to a bit art deco, to modern classics. I’d love to know which look you like best! Mama needs some advice.

living room design on apartment 34

shop the post: chair 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Have a favorite? Or a chair you just love that I might not have seen? I’d love your advice.

And if you’d like to catch up on my entire renovation saga (yes, it’s been going on for nearly two years now) CLICK HERE.

image sources 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

What do you think?

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11 Comments

  1. Honestly none seem to fit the bill. While they are all gorgeous and would be a nice occasional chair, you need something more comfortable if you want it to be a lounge or reading chair. I could not see myself sitting in one of those chairs with a good book and a glass of wine. If I had to choose it would be #6 but I think you should keep looking. Comfy and cozy does not have to be dowdy 😉

  2. Your inspiration photos are all so beautiful, I have no doubt your finished space will be equally as showstopping. I’m so excited for you!

  3. Yes, picking something like a lounge chair can be quite difficult. It seems like a piece of cake at first, but if you want it to be a conversation starter you will need to do quite the search on and off line. #6 and #7 look great and they can be a focal statement in your room easily.

  4. I love the modern classic mid-century type chairs with an ottoman (if you can fit both). These have such a classy feel and if they have a high back…oh, sleep time!

  5. I am suffering with a chair fetish at the moment so of course I want ALL of these!