2021 marks our third year living in this apartment. I can’t believe how fast it has been! Feels like yesterday when we were discussing which furniture to get for each room.
Everything is structurally still the same, but we’ve redecorated some areas and added lots of new home decor items and plants since. There are elements of the home that I still absolutely adore, but there are also some that I can’t wait to change!
I have a few projects up my sleeve, but I think we should document the present before we make any changes. Then, we can look back and reflect on how far we’ve come, which is always fun! Chris Love Julia’s Then, Now, and Next blog posts have also inspired me to capture my own then, now, and next progress photos.
So, for today’s post, I thought I’d share some then and now photos of our living room after three years of living in it. Stay tuned, as I write about each room in our apartment for the next few months!
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Before we dive straight in, here’s a little background info about our apartment. We bought the place in 2017, renovated it from Jan-April 2018, and officially moved in in May 2018.
Since both of us had jam-packed schedules at that time, we hired an interior designer to help us manage renovations. We were very involved in the initial design and layout phase but left all the styling decisions to them.
I wish I’d taken control over the styling part, but it was truly one of my busiest years where I was overseeing three retail build-ups for work.
I definitely should’ve paid more attention to my own home though. That remains one of my biggest regrets to this day. I guess that’s another story for a different day…
Living Area – Then
Fun fact: we bought the couch and coffee table even before we received the keys to our apartment! They were the first pieces of furniture we bought. I loved everything about the couch, from the plush cream cushions to the built-in walnut shelves. There’s just something about it that screams “Balinese villa” to me, which was exactly the look I wanted for the apartment.
Our interior designers styled the area with mismatched throw pillows, rattan poufs, and decorative candles. They introduced us to a lot of patterns and colors, and we pulled the entire space together by adding a rug.
Now, I know the rug is too small for the area. But, the rug was on sale, and we needed something inexpensive just in case our dog misbehaved! (Spoiler alert: she has… multiple times!)
For our window nook, our interior designers kept it simple and styled it with a throw and two pillows. On the day of the shoot, they placed my laptop on the seat. I think they can already tell that the nook is a great spot to work from!
Then, there’s our TV console, which was empty for the longest time. Our interior designers didn’t style it, and I kept it that way. I guess I just wanted a clean and sleek-looking console since we already had so many contrasting colors and patterns.
Overall, the living area gave off a whimsical and bohemian vibe that felt fun but didn’t reflect my style.
Living area – Now
After three years, we’ve completely redecorated the space, and it feels a lot more me now. Firstly, I have gotten rid of the bright colors and completely embraced neutrals. I also added MORE throw pillows because I love how they add subtle prints and textures to the couch.
Thankfully, we still LOVE the couch as much as we did then. The only thing is that my husband thinks the couch is cursed. Whoever sits on it will eventually fall asleep! It’s true, but I think that just means the couch is ultra-comfortable.
On the other hand, I wish I could still say I love the coffee table! Now that everything is in its place, I think the overall space feels too angular. A round coffee table would’ve softened the entire look.
Since we don’t want to spend additional money on replacing the coffee table, I restyled the coffee table to make it look cozier. I added a few curved elements like a taupe ceramic vase and a marble pillar candle.
Additionally, I updated the TV console by adding decor on each side of the TV. I freestyled this part of the area because I haven’t found the right things to complement the space yet.
I still don’t think it looks right, but the artwork on the TV makes everything look better. And no, this isn’t the Samsung Frame TV that I wish I’d purchased. This is a hack I discovered recently, and I use it all the time now. All you have to do is type “TV art” on Youtube and choose your fav “artwork.” It’s TRANSFORMATIVE!
Besides that, you may probably notice a few stains on the rug as well. All I can say is thank goodness we didn’t splurge on a rug!
As much as I want to purchase a new rug, I keep reminding myself that I have a dog who throws messy tantrums. We’ll send the rug for a deep clean once things open up, but in the meantime, I’m going to keep adding rugs into my wishlist. A girl can dream, right?
Finally, we have our window nook, which used to be our favorite part of our living room but is now the most problematic. We switched all of the pillows to the other side because we experienced a major leak from the window. Since then, the paint is peeling badly, and one of the cushions is growing mold. Eww.
If you’re thinking of building a window nook, always be sure to have your walls properly sealed!!! I have a feeling this is going to be an expensive lesson for us!
Living area – What’s next?
First things first, our window nook needs fixing. This is our main priority because we don’t want more rainwater to come in and ruin our built-in bench. Since this is new to us, we’re going to call a contractor to see if he can repair and reseal the wall without any hacking work. Wish us luck!
Since one of the cushions has mold, we’re going to reupholster all of them. Part of me wants to use the same cream fabric, whereas another part of me wants to be bold and choose a print. Options, options…
Besides that, I’m thinking of adding a feature wall to our living room. The wall above our window nook is the first thing people see when they enter our apartment, and right now it looks a bit empty and blah.
I have thought about doing so many things to that wall, like adding open shelves or hanging a huge piece of macrame art. But, nothing seems to sit right with me so far.
Right now, I’m leaning towards experimenting with peel and stick wallpaper. But, I’ve never used wallpaper before, and I’m super nervous to bite that bullet. We’ll see.
Lastly, I’ll probably restyle my TV console since it’s not 100% there yet. I’ve been loving mixing traditional and modern pieces lately, so I’m looking to incorporate that aesthetic here.
As you can see, styling makes a BIG difference. We have no plans of replacing any of our furniture yet, so we’re just going to keep playing around with decor and see which sticks. Which version of our living room do you like best? Let me know in the comments below!