The autumn season is my favorite time to make the living room feel cozy and settled. There’s something about fall and the approach of holidays that makes me want to nest and refresh the space so it feels more intentional and welcoming.
If you’ve followed along for a while, you might remember that every Thanksgiving I’ve often felt the urge to redo a room at the last minute. That habit hasn’t changed much—only the furniture sometimes does, ha.
Fall, holidays and gatherings are powerful motivators to change up a home. Since today is Thanksgiving in Canada, I’ve been in the mood to tweak our living room again.
A week ago I mentioned that my living room has been in a state of limbo. Some readers asked what I meant because the room looked pulled together. It has felt “pulled together” with the pieces I own several times over the two years we’ve lived here. That’s my process: rearrange, edit, try something new, and repeat.
Our homes reflect who we are, and as we change, our spaces often need to change too. It’s okay if a room looks fine to others but doesn’t feel right to you. Settling into a home can take time, and a room may go through phases of feeling done, undone, and redesigned.
Last summer I started wrestling with this space again. My ideal plan included new furniture, built-ins, additional paneling or doors on the long wall, and a refreshed fireplace. When I said the room was in limbo, I meant it felt caught between how it was and how it might become.
Knowing the ideal didn’t mean I was ready to act on it right away. That in-between feeling is what I call living room limbo.
Below is the process I use to move out of limbo; perhaps it will inspire your next step.
When restlessness begins (usually in the fall), I start small: rearrange the furniture. Trying a few layouts often helps me see possibilities.
If a rearrangement doesn’t do the trick, I let myself window shop—looking at both small accents and larger pieces that might change the room’s feel.
I also examine the room’s backdrop. If the walls, fireplace, or floors were different, would I love the space more? Sometimes I research, sketch, or Photoshop built-in ideas, paint changes, paneling, or fireplace updates to envision the next phase.
Often, improving the backdrop is more impactful and economical than buying new furniture. Paint, for example, can transform a room without a big budget.
Years ago we painted our fireplace—first gray, then white—and those changes taught me the value of addressing the background. The painted fireplace wasn’t my ultimate dream, but it was a satisfying, affordable solution that I could live with while planning future updates.
Sometimes you’ll realize it makes sense to buy or install something new if you have a clear vision and the means to do it. Other times, allowing yourself to explore ideal choices leads to creative, imperfect solutions that work well now.
Comparing costs and benefits helps me move forward. When I weigh options, common sense often guides the final choices and creativity fills in the rest.
After exploring options, I’m often more willing to try things I previously resisted. For this living room I decided to postpone major projects and new furniture for another season. Sometimes the answer to a big idea isn’t no—it’s “not yet.”
Now you know what I meant by living room limbo.
My process looked like this:
Rearranging the room
Reviewing what I already own
Realizing nothing felt quite right
Window shopping and dreaming
Photoshopping ideas
Emptying parts of the room and living with the temporary chaos
Weighing costs, time, and whether to hire help
Deciding the timing wasn’t right for big changes
Trying something I had been reluctant to try before
This slower method works for me. I want a space I can live with comfortably without feeling pressured to spend impulsively.
I’ll spend money when it feels right, but I prefer not to create unnecessary mess or expense—especially close to the holidays.
Coming out of limbo, I finally agreed to try something I had resisted: moving our downstairs sectional upstairs. My husband and son hauled it up just to see how it would feel. My mom and daughters had suggested it, but I was skeptical. After ruling out a new sofa and more extensive updates for now, I was ready to test the sectional.
Surprisingly, I liked the sectional more than I expected. It wasn’t part of my original vision, but it made the room feel settled for the holidays—and that immediate coziness mattered most.
The sectional solved several issues:
It filled the long, awkward wall.
It’s comfortable and inviting.
It creates a clear conversation area.
It makes the room feel cozy and ready for gatherings.
We already owned it, so no new purchase was needed.
With the sectional in place on our existing winter rug, I moved a piece of art up from the entry to create a focal point above the sofa. I also added a couple of lamps to brighten that side of the room. Those simple changes instantly made the entire space feel warmer and more inviting—a place where family can gather before dinner.
This arrangement wasn’t the vision I had weeks ago, but a little dreaming and a few modest updates sparked a new direction. There are still tweaks to come, and the room may evolve again, but for now I feel content with this fall arrangement.
What matters most to me right now is having a cozy place for my family to gather.
Later this week I’ll share more cozy elements I added, some furniture options I considered, and simple fall nesting tips so you can add warmth using what you already have or can easily bring into the room.
How do you move forward when a room feels like it’s in limbo?
Black and white pillow
Gray polka dot pillow
Sectional – Interior Define
Botanicals – Verte Botanique Framed Art
Bamboo lamps & lampshades
Dipped stools
Large woven basket with lid
Round mirror with wood beads
Wool braided rug
Gray tassel throw
Rattan daybed
White velvet pumpkins