I have regrets. I wish I could go back in time when I uttered the now infamous words "I think I'm going to redo the whole upstairs at the same time." Even in a perfect world with a steady flow of money, no real life issues that get in the way like a wedding, surgery, getting a new puppy, school starting, and so on, it was a big undertaking for one person. But I am happy to say that at least with three of the four rooms, I am nearing that glorious light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking of light, I love my family room and its large windows! It has always been one of the sunniest posts in the house.
I got all the shelves put up so I was able to spread the books out a bit. They are still sorted by color. I can't wait until we have filled the shelves with books! But until then, I added some plants and things so it wouldn't look so sparse.
The card catalog will actually go on the other side of the room but the chair that will go there is not upholstered yet. The card catalog sure makes a pretty place holder until the thrifted chair gets it makeover.
I am so happy we took out the filing cabinet in the corner that was hiding behind the screen. The shelves make for a better use of space. We have never had bookshelves before so it was so nice to get all the books out of boxes and totes and actually have a place for them. We couldn't do floor to ceiling built ins because of the coved ceiling (rounded corners). These floating shelves from IKEA worked out great.
I had been eyeing moroccan white shag rugs for a long time. I asked a few people in instagram if they liked theirs and finally bit the bullet and contacted Rugs USA. They generously sent me my favorite rug seven months ago. We have lived with it and have to say that it is fabulous!
With the dark floors and dark couch, I wanted a lighter color. Now you might be thinking "But you have four boys!" but if you remember ( if you were around back then), we had a plain cream shag rug before when the room was yellow. So I had already lived with a lighter color and knew it was totally feasible. The older one was way too small for the space and once I painted the walls white, it looked too yellowish. It was in really good condition and has a new home with some neighbors.
The key to having a white rug with kids and a puppy and having it stay nice is the "no shoes in the house" rule. We snack in there but do not eat messy food (like pizza!) unless we lay down a blanket to have a picnic while watching a movie. But even if the puppy piddles or something spills, it doesn't immediately soak into the fibers. If you hurry and get a paper towel it doesn't even get in the rug at all. So far (knock on wood) we have been fine.
By the way, photographing 4 boys and a dog and having none of them be blurry in the picture was hilariously difficult! This was the best we could do.
I love having a space filled with books, things that have meaning (like the antique clock that was a wedding present from my mom), plants, sunshine, and of course my family. The thick, plush rug sure doesn't hurt either :)
I can't wait to share the full room with you!
This is a sponsored post. Rugs USA sent me the rug to review. The opinions are 100% my own.
I love it. It's my three faves: simple, functional and not cluttered. Looks amazing.
Your space looks GREAT! I adore Rugs USA; the rug in my kids' room is from them and I love it!
Looks great! The color block books really look nice against the while walls. The whole effect is very cheerful. I'll bet your boys are more mindful of being careful since they help you with the cleaning. We try not to walk in the house with shoes on either. Other countries do this, and it makes sense, but how do you handle it when guests visit? I've never had the courage to ask a guest to take their shoes off. Once I was in agony because I served cookies in the living room to guests. I had a stack of dessert plates on the tray of food, but the guests didn't get the hint until they'd been eating for a while. (Maybe I was wincing at the thought of cookie crumbs on the rug.) DH obsessively vacuums as our guests are getting in the car. If my house looked as nice as yours I'd be freaking out. Brings to mind elderly neighbors when I was a child who had both plastic covers on the furniture and plastic runners on the floor.
Most people that come over take their shoes off and if they don't I don't say anything either. I want them to be comfortable. So far it hasn't been an issue. If I were to host a party with food in there (which I normally do outside) I might roll up the rug temporarily if the food was messy. But crumbs I can handle :)
We don't have a set rule about no shoes in the house, but we all prefer not to wear them and rarely have them on in the house. Usually when guests come over they offer to take off their shoes since they notice none of us are wearing them. If our shoes are next to the doormat it's almost guaranteed that people will offer to take theirs off (or even just start taking them off without asking if they should). I think if the first guests take off their shoes, the rest will notice and take off theirs.
Gorgeous space, Stacy! And it looks so cozy with that rug.
I love your room and how light and bright it is. The shelves and rug look amazing!
I love this room! There's so much light in it! Bright books look great on the white wall!
I love the shelves and the look of having the books organized by color. It looks great!! Are those the Lack Wall Shelves from IKEA? Do you feel like they will hold up well to the weight of the books?
Yes they are the lack ones from IKEA :) As long as they get screwed into studs they should be fine. I know we still have more books to add, but so far they are holding great.
:) your room looks lovely - I'm still loving the coloured organisation on your bookshelves. I am totally doing this when we move. It looks great and fresh separated with your planters.
It looks sooo beautiful Stacy! Makes me happy!
Hello - Beautiful shelves. I'm taking on a similar project with the books sorted by color. I have 110" of books right now which I'll split between shelves. Can you tell me your shelf dimensions? I'm thinking of 72" x 10" deep for mine.
Thanks!
Love this! Getting ready to do something similar and am curious about your measurements. How high are your ceilings and how did you space your shelves?
Could please tell me the exact name of the floating shelves from Ikea? I love that look!