HOME CHRONICLES: Deer Path Living Room Tips

Well we have been living in our new home here in Indiana for about two and a half months. We have hosted two Thanksgivings here already and we are gearing up to host our first Christmas in just a couple days. We are so honored that our family would ask us to host. I feel way to young to be hosting, but I do my best and I really enjoy the process. I am so thankful we got a couple new chairs so people will actually have a place to sit, I know it's a novel idea. Seriously though we got a steal of a deal on these two Queen Anne chairs. And we just joined civilization again through the installation of Internet and TV. We didn't even have TV or internet in Booker so it has been awhile since we did have it. I have to admit I am loving having Internet, look, I am actually writing a blog which is all thinks to the Internet!

I finally have our living room all set up and ready to go. In here I strived to create a space where my family can relax and enjoy each other company, and also somewhere other people feel comfortable to just sit and hang out while drinking a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Here is a three step decorating tips process I did to create a comfortable atmosphere.

1) Our living room is actually quite huge at least for what I'm used to. So I knew I would have several different options for the layout of our furniture. This actually made it harder for me to picture where everything was going to go. Plus, we need a lot more furniture to fill the space so I had a hard time casting vision for the area. I decided I would just start with working with what I have. I kept trying to imagine the space I wanted which is good in the long run, but for the mean time it was driving me crazy because I couldn't get the room to look how I invisioned it. So I had to switch gears which led me to working with what I had. We still need more furniture but the two chairs we got really helped me start a layout. So start with laying out where you want your furniture to be. Feel free to move your furniture around a bunch to get a feel for the space and to start to see where everything works the best at. Usually when I plan an area I never end up with what I was thinking simply because I started playing with the furniture placement and ended up liking a piece better somewhere I didn't intend on it going. That is the beauty of decorating though, it should be fun!

2) Once you have your layout all set up you can start to add some textures. I added a big jute rug that helped add a little interest to the space and since our living room is so big it helped to define the area. I also added throw blankets which are my favorite! I also use pillows a lot to add texture. One, because I love pillows, and the comfort they bring, and two because I think they are an affordable way to add some interest into a space. I interchange pillows a lot to bring some life to an area. I can't get enough pillows that have writing on them. They add so much character to a space. You can find pillows for cheap cheap cheap on Amazon, and they have some super cute ones. You can also find several pillow makers on Etsy. I have a couple pillow maker friends from Instagram who are very talented. If you are in the market for pillows definitely check them out, one of them is Allison @nest2impress and the other one is Dawna-Beth @chateau_parla_mer. Plus, pillows are a great way to try out different styles. You might want to start leaning towards a farmhouse style or a cottage style or a beachy style, I would suggest buying some pillow covers of the theme and keeping them in your home for a couple weeks to help determine if you really do like that style or if you get sick of it. Then if you are sick of it you can just change out the pillow cover and aren't out an arm and a leg. Simple as that. Pillows can also help to add color. I have been using pillows like crazy to help my living room embody pops of red, it has really brightened my home. Although, my neutral loving self is ready to have a peaceful color scheme again, but I am enjoying my Christmas decor as long as possible.

3) Once I added some texture to the living room it was time to add some personality to it. By personality I mean extra pieces that really make me fall in love with the area. So I added our window pane front door. This door was actually the front door off of my hubby and I's first home we bought together. It is so special to us and it brings back all of those lovely memories we have from that home. A special memory that just came to mind was that Amelia started walking in that home. You are the one who has to live in your home and you see, and hopefully enjoy, your home everyday so make sure you add lots of touches to it that really make you get that feeling of home. This could come through color, certain decor pieces, pictures, candles, plants, antiques, furniture, etc.

After I got the layout down, added some texture, and added some personality our living room finally started to feel like home. It was good timing because right after it was time to decorate for Christmas. Thankfully I had the base layout I could work off of. Then I pretty much went through these steps to bring the Christmas feel like life. My family enjoys our home and that is all that matters to me! I am looking for ward to hosting our family here for Christmas. There is nothing like hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas to really make your new house feel like a home.