Living Room Overhaul: Q&A with @brainsandbronzed

Living Room Overhaul

Q&A with @brainsandbronzed

Congrats on moving into your new home! How has it been adjusting to your new space?

Thank you so much! I’ve been absolutely loving it. We have more space now in our first home, which of course means more room to design and fill up with furniture and decor so that’s a major bonus!

With a clean slate and endless possibilities, how have you decided on the overall look and feel of your home?

I wanted our home to have a neutral base that I can build off of and evolve over time as trends and my own personal style changes. We opted to paint the walls a creamy white to give us a light and bright canvas, and really let the furniture and décor do the talking. Opting for neutral fabric furniture, light wood tones, and fossil stone, our home has a warm and inviting feel that still appears very clean. This works well for someone like me who craves change, because it makes it easy to swap out smaller decor pieces like throw cushions, coffee table books, lamps etc. based on the season.

We are super excited to work with you on your renovation journey, what Dufresne pieces did you choose for your new home and why?

I chose the Charlotte Sectional because I love the look of cloud couches but find they can often look a little sloppy. The Charlotte has the same look and feel but in a more structured shape! It’s the perfect mix of class and comfort which allows me to keep the look I envisioned but still super comfy for us to sprawl out on and binge-watch the latest Netflix show or seat a group of girlfriends sitting for a cozy night in with wine & charcuterie. I also knew I wanted an area rug, and the Monaco Rug introduced colour to the neutral space without being overpowering.

How have our pieces helped shape your new and fresh living room look?

The Charlotte Sectional is always a conversation piece because it’s quite large, but it fits in so seamlessly in our space due to its L shape. The Monaco Rug adds a touch of cozy to our original hardwood floors while adding some colour to the neutral space thanks to the blue accents in the pattern. They are both so perfect and the rest of our furniture was chosen around these two pieces because I loved them so much!

It must be difficult designing, building, and decorating your home from scratch. Do you have any tips for homeowners looking to find their style?

Take your time and utilize Pinterest to find examples of styles that you’re drawn to! Before we officially took possession of our home, I got so excited and started buying furniture, but once I spent more time researching and determining the look that I wanted, I realized those early purchases were not actually in line with the look I envisioned, or they didn’t end up fitting in with some of our other pieces. I ended up selling them, and this taught me quickly how important it is to get to know your space first and take your time with purchasing larger furnishings. It’s okay to not have it completely finished right when you move in, and in fact, I actually love that I’ve gotten to add new things over time the past few months as opposed to completing the room all at once. Also, a pro tip I discovered is using Canva or another easy graphic design tool to place images of your furniture (or potential furniture) and decor to see how it all comes together! This helped me make multiple decisions, including deciding between two Dufresne area rugs.

Is your living room look complete? Or are there still more changes to come? If so, tell us about your plans.

For now, it’s complete however knowing myself, I’m sure I’ll be moving things around to freshen it up on the regular!

What are some of the challenges of styling a home from scratch?

Understanding your own sense of style! There are so many beautiful styles and trends out there, it can sometimes be hard to identify what is really you. For example, before I started decorating my home, I didn’t quite understand that I didn’t actually want a boho-themed room, but rather I just loved the look of rattan. Once I came to realize this, I was able to incorporate a rattan accent piece into my living room in a way that was more aligned with my actual style.

How does your living room look compared to your original plans? What factors kept you on track or changed the outcome?

Our living room is joined with our dining room, and originally the layout was going to be reversed, however, once we realized we wanted a big, comfy sectional like Charlotte, we had to swap the two to make it fit. In the end, I’m SO happy we did this because it really opened up the space and allows us to have movie nights in the living room we love so much, rather than being a sitting room only.

What would you change if you had the opportunity? Give us a glimpse into your dream living room furniture setup.

Being that this is our first home, I hope one day to have a bigger living room space which will allow me to do a lot more. I’d love to take one wall and make a big fireplace with built-in shelving surrounding it, and add 2 accent chairs with an accent table between them. There’s just something about accent chairs! Maybe we’ll do something like this once we finish our basement reno, or in our next home.

What’s your advice for homeowners who are looking to refresh their homes on a budget?

Like I said earlier, really take your time before purchasing because it’s a big commitment! Also, decide on a few furniture pieces that are most important to you and invest in good quality ones you love (for us, it’s our Charlotte Sectional), but then perhaps find lower price alternatives for some of the other less important pieces like a side table. You can still create a beautiful space without breaking the bank! Also, small pieces of decor can make a big (and affordable) impact — during the summer, our living room had a coastal feel thanks to Gray Malin coffee table books, linen cushions and sandy accents, but now we’re transitioning into more of a cozy fall feel with warmer tones, sherpa textiles and candles.

Shop the Look

With a brand-new house and a clean slate for design, Cassidy found a great building block for her living room vision in the Charlotte Sectional and Monaco Area Rug.

Functional, elegant, and customizable, the Charlotte Sectional is the perfect start to a fall refresh or a new home with a blank canvas. Featuring a dynamic L shape and a deep plush seats, the Charlotte Sectional offers comfort and style to your living room.