Hi guys! Today I’m so excited to give you a tour of our light and bright kid-friendly living room.

When we first moved into our home three years ago, furnishing the upstairs living room was not a priority. I’m not going to say we were house poor butttttttttt…. I kind of went overboard and spent all my money at HomeSense (HomeGoods for my American friends)!

Truthfully, though, we didn’t have much use for our upstairs living room at the time. We have a comfortable seating area next to the kitchen that acts as our main entertaining space. We also fully developed our basement with an oversized stone fireplace and a husband-sized tv perfect for Netflix and chill sessions. Our living room, situated at the front of our house overtop the garage, was tucked out of sight and out of mind.

Fast forward three years and it’s now one of the most utilized spaces in our home. When Elle was born, I decided to sell all our original, shabby chic wooden furniture and completely transform this room. My goal was to create a cozy, kid-friendly living room with soft furnishings where Elle could play safely without the threat of sharp edges.

Also, my style has evolved over the last few years. I’ve moved away from the antique, rustic look and was excited to create a bright space that better reflects my current taste with grey, blush pink and gold tones.

Let’s take a look!

Our light and bright kid-friendly living room

Wainscoting and marble wallpaper

I LOVE the look of wainscoting. I think it adds so much interest to a room. Fortunately for me, Aaron was in the mood to take on a project. Over the course of two weekends and for a few hundred dollars, he installed and painted this board and batten wainscoting.

I then spent an afternoon creating a statement feature wall with marble-look peel and stick wallpaper. I have to say, I love the way it turned out and it was super easy to install. I also like that I can remove it in a few years if I want to switch things up without any damage to the walls underneath.

If you’re thinking of jumping on the peel and stick wallpaper train, I highly suggest it! I’ve used this WallPops! Carrara Marble NuWallpaper in two locations. I’ve also used Rocky Mountain Decals in Elle’s nursery, and I’m such a fan!

Here are a few options if you’re looking to add some marble wallpaper to your home:

Oversized couch

Aaron had only one requirement for my kid-friendly living room redesign: he wanted a comfy, oversized couch that would take up the entire length of the room. Or in his words, wall to wall comfort.

After much searching, we decided to have a couch custom-made by a local furniture store, Sofa Land.

In case you aren’t in Alberta, here are a few of the models that made my top ten list. We were so close to going with this beauty from Pottery Barn!

Oversized velvet ottoman

I’m always a bit nervous when purchasing important decor pieces online, but this charcoal velvet ottoman has been my favourite online score to date!

At 42” by 42”, it’s a substantial size. I’m able to style a tray in the centre away from Elle’s reach, and the soft edges put my mind at ease. Plus, the velvet is so luxe, proving you can do a kid-friendly living room in style!

Soft accents

I complemented the couch’s dove grey tone with pink, gold and charcoal velvet pillows. I’m also crushing hard on chunky merino wool blankets right now! I have a small blush pink blanket, as well as a large cream one, that I love to drape over the couch to add texture to the space.

And while I would’ve loved to dress up the space with a vintage-inspired rug, I chose to add a faux white sheepskin by the ottoman. Elle has a grey one in her nursery and she loves rolling and diving into it, so I had to get her one for this room too! Another bonus is it was super affordable.

In a few years, when we’re past the messy toddler stage, I’ll look at investing in a long-term piece.

Wall decor

To help ensure a kid-friendly living room, I mounted all my decor pieces on the wall out of Elle’s reach. I found the most gorgeous circular mirror and pink and gold-tone abstract art at HomeSense.

I’ve linked a few similar items below in case you’re looking to recreate this look.

And if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I LOVE decorating for the seasons and for the holidays. I added white floating shelves on either side of the mirror to display seasonal items and greenery.

Right now, my shelves and coffee table are displaying various white, pink and gold accents.

Whimsical tent

In the corner by the window, we’ve set up our Christmas gift to Elle: this whimsical play tent.

I’m currently working on refinishing a playroom for Elle in our basement, but I have to say we love having this tent up in the living room right now. Elle plays in it a lot; she’ll haul stuffed animals from her bedroom into the tent, and then move them back again.

It’s also one of few kids’ toys that aren’t sore on the eyes. Even the cat likes it!

 

Thank you for coming by and checking out my kid-friendly living room. I’m really enjoying this space and the plush, soft furnishings! Don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions. And if you enjoyed this article, you can click the top left of the photos to give them a Pin! 

Xo Holly Hunka

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