Disclosure: This post was made possible by Lamps Plus.
It has finally happened. Jack FINALLY has started growing out of the ‘everything huge and plastic’ stage of toys. For years, it has been huge plastic baby jumper here and super-sized plastic ride-on item there. But now, I feel our house can start looking like adults live here!
When we originally moved into our house, I had the idea to set up a play area behind our couch in the living room. It was the perfect spot for all of Jack’s toys – I could see him from the kitchen while making dinner, he could go and play after meals while Travis and I finished up at the kitchen table, and it was mostly hidden behind the couch. Over the years it worked out really well, but lately I’ve been itching for a change.
Mostly because…this:
The toys just multiplied and this was what the area typically looked like. Of course, I’m a bit of a neat freak, so a few times a week I’d get it cleaned up. But it still looked like this when everything was “put away” properly.
BETTER, but not great. Although the tool bench was still really fun, I decided that it was time for it to go up to our designated playroom. We also needed to weed though some of the millions of toy cars and trucks, and donate a few (dozen) of them. But the biggest thing I REALLY wanted was a reading nook.
I had met a fabulous lady from Lamps Plus when I was at the BlogHer conference, so I did a little clicking around on their website when I got home. I didn’t realize that Lamps Plus has a million things other than lamps, including seating, tables, and home accessories. And, of course, all the floor lamps you could imagine!
I was pretty much salivating over all the amazing options. I basically clicked and pinned, clicked and pinned, and click and pinned some more. You can see my House Décor pinterest page here that was totally overrun with options for our living room space: Pocketful of Joules Home Decor.
After a ton of clicking (and pinning), I narrowed down my chair choice to the Tivoli Bella Ink Velvet Tufted Armchair. It looked like the perfect size for our spot, and I loved the blue velvet and silver nail-head trim. To me, it looked both classy and like something that I could cuddle up in. I also decided I needed this Forest Oaks Americana end table. You can’t see it in the pin, but the top of the table is super fabulous (spoiler alert…keep scrolling down to see it!). I finished up my order with a bronze torchiere floor lamp with a reader arm and a pretty bonsai plant that I can’t kill.
I posted a sneak peek on Instagram a week or so ago:
Ready for the big reveal?
First, a quick refresh of the “before”:
Now, the “after”:
So much better, right? By moving everything around and paring down Jack’s toys, I was able to keep it super kid friendly, but added in a little class too. The chair is super comfortable and so pretty too. Here are some closer looks of the new space:
I absolutely love the change and surprisingly Jack loves it too. In fact, the past few times I’ve gravitated to my new velvety chair with my Kindle in my hand… I found that Jack was already there with HIS Kindle.
A huge thank you to Lamps Plus for making this post possible!
What is your favorite part of the new reading nook? Are you like me and totally infatuated with that shade of blue velvet?
Disclosure: I received furniture from Lamps Plus in exchange for writing about it on my blog. All thoughts and opinions are my own and if I hated anything I would totally tell you guys. As it is, I really love the new look of my reading nook and hugely appreciate my friends at Lamps Plus for the opportunity to work with them on this!
First off I am in LOVE w/that chair! I need to make over our play area as my youngest is 3 and just when I thought I would have less Hubby went and got our girls a kitchen and a dress up table so that means I need to move some other things around which is going to get interesting Ha
That chair is awesome! What a perfect little reading nook. Sounds like you need a second one for Jack.
I love those wall shelves for books! I don’t have a kid of my own yet, but I would totally make use of that for myself!
The new space looks comfy and inviting! Nice chair choice!
Love it! It’s a big boy cozy corner. Functional but still designer.
That is a great use of that space and I love that chair!! It sounds like you might need to find a spot so you can invest in another one.
OMG that looks so great. Such a hard dilemma because the stuff is out ALL the time. This is a great solution.
The chair is beautiful. I love the size and color of it. The details make it even better. Great Choice.
Love it! Hmmmm…do they have midcentury stuff? Might have to go check it out.
Love that blue chair! Looks like I need to go check them out…
Everything looks awesome! Thank you for the great ideas and links to the website, I’m in the process of upgrading both kids bedroom and the main playroom.
It looks so good! The chair is anazing but the whole change is awesome.
Gorgeous! I love the color of that chair, and the space just looks so cozy and inviting now. Our living room is still scattered with toys, so I really need to do one of these makeovers too!
LOVE that chair! It is so stylish and looks super comfy. I am also trying to get a handle on the toys taking over the living room situation. Thanks for the great ideas!
love it!!! It is a perfect balance between kid and adult play room! Definitely looks tidier too! Redesigning rooms as your family evolves is so fun! My kids had both outgrown the “huge and plastic” phase as well, and now I’m pregnant with #3. SIGH. haha!
Thank you for the idea!! I am in need to redo my play area, as my kids are in the stage of yours! This is a beautiful redo!!
I love the picture you and your family! Somehow the revamp highlights the photo.