HI hope you all had a lovely weekend. After several hectic weeks I finally took a couple of days to relax and do fun things. My sister and nephew visited, and we enjoyed shopping, sampling coffee, and just spending time together. On Saturday my girls, my sister and I tried candle making — it was so much fun and definitely a new favorite activity.
We also spent some time poking around open houses in the Seattle area. Even though we aren’t looking to move right now, it’s hard to resist browsing. Seeing other homes can be inspiring and also reminds you why your own place is right for you.
One house we toured was really charming (photos above). It’s easy to fall for a beautifully remodeled, professionally staged home — especially when your own place is still a work in progress — but visiting other houses also confirmed we made good choices for our family. Our home will take time to become exactly how we want it, but we love it and know it will meet our needs.
Last week we decided to rearrange the living and dining rooms. I wanted a change and to feel more settled. I’d been postponing any rearranging until we painted and addressed the fireplace, but I’m learning not to wait for perfect conditions to make things feel better.
I felt the living and dining rooms weren’t as cozy as they could be, so moving furniture was a low-risk way to try something new. I’m still considering painting or regrouting the fireplace as a budget-friendly update (inspiration for painted fireplaces helped me imagine options), but changing the furniture layout made an immediate difference.
Above: Our living room at Christmas, before we moved the glass cabinet to the dining room.
We started by moving a glass-door cabinet into the dining room. It was always intended for that space, but we had convinced ourselves it was too large. We also thought we needed it in the living room to hold lamps because that room lacks overhead lighting. We decided to try it in the dining room anyway — and we immediately loved it. I’ll share the dining room setup in another post.
Removing the cabinet freed up the wall and allowed a new furniture arrangement. With less furniture, the leather sofa looked small as the main seating, so we pulled in a few chairs to simulate a larger sofa and test the layout. One hazard of rearranging is realizing you might need a new piece or two to complete the look.
Our goal was to make the living room cozy and comfortable while keeping it open and inviting. We wanted the view to be a focal point but also needed the seating to encourage conversation. Initially the sofa faced the fireplace with the cabinet on the main wall, but that arrangement felt closed off.
Surprisingly, when we simulated a new sofa arrangement by placing chairs facing the view and returning the leather sofa to its previous spot facing the fireplace, the room finally felt balanced. It was cozy without feeling closed in, with the view still central to the space. Adding a chair angled toward the fireplace will complete a welcoming conversation area.
We’ve lived with this layout for several days and so far we love it. We still need lamps, side tables, and eventually a new sofa, but the rearrangement lets us visualize what will work. We’ve already found a few sofa candidates and are excited to continue refining the room into a comfortable, welcoming space.
Have you rearranged furniture lately?
PS. We paused the Love Your Home Challenge over Easter weekend and will resume posting the remaining challenges this week. You can follow along on Instagram for updates.
Living Room Sources:
Leather Nailhead Sofa
Blue and White Rug
Gray Coffee Table
Related Posts:
Updates to our basement family room
Our house floor plan