2 Pink Sofas, 1 Giant Piece of Art, and Everything Else I Changed in Our Family Room | Wit & Delight

This year we changed almost everything in our green family room. Everyone’s favorite section? Gone. A red carpet? Replaced. What once seemed like a perfect layout has been completely overhauled.

Over the past 18 months, I have slowly been undoing decisions I was once completely sure of. I would like to tell you exactly why. This room has been a fan favorite since I first shared it, so I’m sure some of you are curious. What did I do wrong?

Nothing was a problem. But something changed, and we wanted to give you an inside look at the entire evolution, including the suspicions, the year-long investigation, and the moment we knew we had to do away with the section.

original family room design

When I first designed this room in 2020 and 2021, I was obsessed with the idea of ​​being surrounded by greenery. We wanted the family room to feel like stepping into a garden, with a lush, inviting, and slightly moody feel. The green section was the anchor. It was oversized, incredibly comfortable, and created a tone-on-tone effect with the wall, a piece I was really proud of.

Whether it’s fashion or interior design, I’m always drawn to tone-on-tone color combinations. Of course, it felt like the perfect choice. This section could seat the whole family and the green and green moments were bold and everyone who saw it loved it. I loved it too for a while.

But as the months went by, I started noticing little things that were bothering me. We were always facing the TV. How dark the room felt on a cloudy day. The fact that when friends came over, the layout of the sections made real conversation feel uncomfortable. I tried to ignore it. I just designed this room! But that feeling didn’t go away.

The day the pink velvet sofa duo arrivedI knew I made the right decision.

All the changes I made to the family room

pink velvet sofa set

I think some of you may have liked this section. Here’s why I had to go.

Replacing the section was the scariest decision I made this year. That sofa is heart of the room. Everyone loved it, so we spent months choosing it. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the layout was all wrong.

A more formal seating arrangement was needed, such as: 2 sofas Face to face, the setting encourages real conversation rather than focusing on the TV. The section isolated us in our own little corner, always looking ahead. This new layout completely changes the way we use space. Now, when we sit down, what we are facing is each other. Game nights feel more communal. Conversations feel more intimate. That’s what I like most about my new room.

I debated the color of my sofa for months: tan or pink. The greenery was beautiful, but the room became quite dark. It gradually returned to pink. It was unexpected but somehow right For this space. It’s lighter, softer, yet bold enough to match the green paint color.

large art pieces

It took 18 months How to find this work.

I wanted something large-scale for the wall behind the sofa, but I couldn’t find anything that would give it a sense of atmosphere. right. I saw hundreds of works. I saved things in a folder and came back a few weeks later and felt nothing.

Then I found this abstract garden piecesAnd I instantly knew that art was meant for you. Still, I didn’t buy it right away. We waited until the sofa was confirmed. (What if pink doesn’t work? What if I change my mind again?) But once the order was placed, I pulled the trigger.

The scale creates the perfect focal point, and the colors (soft pinks, greens, organic shapes) bridge everything that’s already going on in this room. It was worth the wait.

2 petite ottoman legs

These little guys prove that small changes can completely change the energy of a room.

I chose This chintz floral ottoman As a way to bring in lighter, brighter tones to balance out the richness of the green walls and pink sofa. It’s also very practical, easy to move, and can be pulled up against the couch for extra seating or used as a footrest for movie night.

The best part? They are small, so the commitment is low. If you get tired of the pattern after a year, you can easily replace it. But for now they are perfect.

patterned rug

But there was one more problem to solve…the red rug had to be removed.

When I first brought it in, I loved it. It felt bold, brought life to the space, and made a statement. But when the pink couch arrived, the red suddenly felt…wrong. excessively. Too…red. Instead of supplementing green, it was fighting against green.

I moved the red rug into the dining room and replaced it with this blue and green patterned rug. This is a vintage find. chair-like It was in another room of my house too. This change instantly made the family room feel brighter and more cohesive. The blue and green hues blend into the walls without matching, and the pattern adds visual interest without overwhelming the space. This is one of those changes that seems like a small thing on paper, but it changed the entire feel of the room.

coffee table

of black oval coffee table is a placeholder, but that’s fine.

I actually tried to save money coffee table Last spring I made a beautiful handmade maple piece that was perfectly shaped, but I haven’t decided on the final result yet. So for now, this black oval is holding down the fort. I like its organic shape and its smaller silhouette helps the room flow (my old square coffee table was terrible).

But I’m looking forward to the day when I can finally work on it and bring in a permanent piece. Sometimes you need to live in a space for a while before you know what you need from it.

piano corner

One of my favorite additions to this room was something I hadn’t planned. This is the piano corner.

Joe has been playing since he was a child, and Bennett has offered to take lessons with him for over a year. Having the piano here has completely changed the way I use this room. It’s no longer just a place to watch TV. That’s where we practice in the afternoon, where we gather to improvise songs, and where the room is actually located. sound It’s as good as it looks. Well, eventually it will happen. I bought a keyboard with volume control and it’s great.

This is a reminder that the best design decisions are often unplanned ones.

Our homes must evolve with us. They evolve not only in how we take photos, but also in how we actually use the space.

Why rooms evolve

If you had told me two years ago that I would be replacing almost everything in this room, I would not have believed you. This was my favorite space. I spent months getting it right.

But what I learned here is that “just right” is temporary. Our homes must evolve with us. They evolve not only in how we take photos, but also in how we actually use the space. The cross section was beautiful, but it was no longer useful. The red rug was bold, but it no longer felt appropriate.

I thought changing my mind about a design choice meant I had made a mistake. Now I look at it differently. It means you’re paying attention. Instead of forcing yourself to live in a room that no longer suits you, let your space grow with you.

This family room will also evolve. Maybe in a year, maybe in five years. that’s ok. In life, time does not stand still. So is our space. What continues to evolve, change, and move with the times? They keep getting better and better.

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