A bright, welcoming and central spot.

I try to make each space in my home cater to the reason I go there. It’s more than just function, it’s how the items make me feel, how they take up the overall space and how they all fit together with each other. Overall, there’s nothing digital in this space except our TV and the necessary boxes for it, which are neatly stacked and pretty unnoticeable. Visible cords to me create distractions and chaos, so they have all been eliminated from a quick glance. This central gathering spot is easy to look at, but once you settle in you’ll notice some fun treasures, making it an easy place to unwind and spark conversation. The bright light from the windows also make it the best afternoon napping spot. With every room, I’m always challenged with the splurge vs. save debacle so I take my time collecting pieces mindfully and with patience knowing that over time it will come together. There are always a couple of items I’ve splurged on, and many more that I’ve waited for good deals or picked up on sale. A few items were homemade (the photo ledge and the blanket ladder) and others were commissioned (the media stand) or found on Facebook Marketplace (the vintage floor lamp).

Since we moved into a flipped house, we didn’t really need to do anything besides decorate (well, and gut a bathroom, but that’s another story) - and we started with this space. It’s the heart of the house, the room we spend the most time in together, so I wanted everything to be comfortable and easy on the eyes. After so much time spent on digital screens, it is really necessary for the other rooms I spend time in to be comforting. Nothing wild, just a bunch of cozy colors and quality furniture that will last. The room took on an travel theme over time and has so many memories of faraway travel sprinkled throughout. I love sitting in this room after a long day because I look around and think of wonderful places and fond memories. It’s refreshing.

Several soothing travel photos from memorable trips make an appearance here. Instead of picking up stock photos from home stores, I love using real photos I’ve taken from places we’ve actually been that spark extremely relaxing vibes and wonderings about where I want to go next. I can never get sick of looking at these and they’ll stand the test of time because let’s face it, I will probably get around to changing them next decade.I wanted a lot of white space in the frames to minimize the bright colors and to create a more intimate experience when viewing, almost like you’re peeking through a little window.

Take a look around and see what I chose: