Hello and welcome!
Today lets chat a bit about living room design and how to utilize a mood board to help you narrow down your choices. Interior design is truly one of my passions. I love making a space come together to really serve a purpose for functionality while also being beautiful.
However, I’m also a very visually minded person – I need to see it to know if it will work or not. Especially when it’s a space with bigger ticket items – I’m certainly not just going to buy a sofa without a little planning to ensure it will be a good fit. I don’t have the time or mental energy to deal with having to return an entire sofa because it didn’t look right. No, thanks!
Below is an example of a design board I threw together for our living room when we moved into our house 4 years ago. I wanted to bring a little warmth and character into our main living space using only décor or furniture pieces that I mostly had on hand.
Originally we’d planned to continue using our leather sectional from our previous home here as well but it simply didn’t fit our new space. Which meant I really needed to focus on what I wanted our new space to be. It also meant that I needed a new couch.
Original Design Plan
When I first began the hunt for a new sofa for our living room, I had a very lofty (and specific) idea of which direction I wanted to go in. My absolute favorite that I found myself drawn to again and again was the dusty blue performance velvet sectional from Jean Stoffer design (seen below) or sofa with chaise and curved feet – preferably stained wood – to make a statement.
My vision was very particular and at first I was having such a hard time finding what I was looking for. Until of course, my all time favorite designer who never lets me down shared a gorgeous photo on her Instagram account. Jean Stoffer has a collection of home interiors and furniture / decor lines for the sophisticated old soul…… with money to spend. I, unfortunately, did not have that kind of money to spend. Especially not when you consider that I also have young children at home. Perhaps, one day.
As much as I would’ve loved to have the absolutely stunning blue velvet sofa Jean shared to anchor our living room, let’s be real. I’m a stay at home mama on a budget y’all and that $4k+ price tag really stung. Maybe one day I’ll be able to click buy without a second thought, but today was not that day. So I did my due diligence and found a pretty dang comparable alternative at a fraction of the cost.
Enter, Interior Define. They have a wide range of customization options that I believe could be suited to fit almost any design style. I fell in love with a few of their sofa options but I think their “Maxwell” line may be my favorite. Still, our budget kept me from pulling the trigger just yet. I created this design board in Canva to help me visualize how the space would flow.
Design Plan #2
Next I thought maybe a leather couch would add the warmth and depth I was hoping to achieve in our new space. After all, I really did love our leather sectional – especially how easy it was to clean! With kids and pets, something that would be wipeable and easy to clean is a must have. Again, our minimal budget kept me from looking into this one too far. I still think a nice leather accent chair might work well in our space though. I may be keeping an eye on fb marketplace for that one… 😉
Final Design Plan
After much thought and consideration, I decided to keep the sofa neutral and warm things up with accent pieces and wall trim instead. Once I’d made my final decision on which major pieces I was looking for, y’all already know where I went. Facebook Marketplace for the win! I set up a search alert and had our new (to us) creamy beige, down filled sofa within a week. Praise be! It may not be as wipeable as our leather sectional, but the cushion covers are all removeable and it does have a performance fabric. We’ve had the sofa for almost a year now and I’ve only washed the covers twice. Overall, it’s holding up very well!
Based on my final design board, the pieces that I needed to source were an antique sideboard or dresser, new to us couch and a fresh rug to complete the space. I’ve provided sources below for the items that I used in each of the design boards above. Obviously I could not provide links for the antiques or the FB marketplace finds, but I did try to find very similar items for you. I hope you’ve found this helpful or inspiring in some way. Please leave me a note if you have any questions about the board or need sources that I forgot to link!
And here’s what we actually ended up with. I think I did alright.
Design Sources:
- Blue Velvet Sofa – Stoffer Home
- Maxwell Sofa – Interior Define
- Beige Sofa – Similar
- Framed Fabric Art Prints
- Gallery Wall Art Prints
- Rug – Mood Board
- Rug – Living Room
- Curtains
- Mirror
- Antique Sideboard (similar)
If I missed anything you’d like a link for please let me know!
*2025 update – we ended up going back to the oversized leather sectional while the kids are little. If you have children – I’m sure no further explanation is needed. For any of you reading with small children – just skip that new sofa for now, Facebook marketplace is your friend in this season of life!
For more on homemaking and interior design check out these posts!
Homemaking 101: Your Ultimate Guide to Cultivating a Cozy Home This Winter
Homemaking 101: Tips for a Cozy and Stylish Living Room
6 Principles of Timeless Interior Design
Until next time friends, Happy Homemaking!
Olivia
Thank you for the valuable information. Your posts never disappoint!
I started writing down one thing at the end of every day — what I actually managed to do. Not a to-do list, not plans. Just one small win. It’s surprising how quickly it shifts your perspective.