Winter Changes For Our Family Room

Isn't the best part about packing away all of those bins full of holiday stuff the clean slate that remains? I love the fresh start feeling and the opportunity to re-arrange things a bit.  This year, I started planning what I would do with the family room back in December.  I am super excited that we decided to keep our Ikea Ekeskog sofa in here and I have big plans to update that.  More about those plans in a post later this week.  We spend the majority of our time at home in this room during the cold winter months and I like it to feel as cozy as possible.

The first thing I did was add some of my favorite things to the mantel.  There is nothing new up there, just a collection of some books, a plant and a couple of vintage paint by numbers.  All of these items just make me happy and I think this is a perfect reflection of my style for this year.

We brought up our old kitchen table from the basement to use for puzzles, games and homework during the next few months when we spend more time indoors.  We added a new light from World Market to hang over it.  We didn't have a chandelier here previously, but Billy was able to convert one of our recessed lights into a fixture for a hanging lighting (affiliate link) using this kit.

I am finding it very useful to have this spot to work in by the fireplace.  In fact, that is where I am sitting as I write this post.

And I also enjoy relaxing in this leather chair by the fireplace.  I am still a huge fan of the log stools I got during the holidays from Joss&Main.  There is one by the leather chair by the fireplace and one as extra seating by the table.

The big round Pottery Barn Beachcomber tray that is usually under our Ikea Hack coffee table in our upstairs living room found a temporary home on the wall next to the fireplace.  I had to keep my beloved basket out of harm's way from the sharp baby teeth of our teething puppy.  Turns out, Dax loves baskets almost as much as I do.  It will remain here for a couple of months.  I love the texture it adds to the wall.

Our family's favorite activity of late is hanging out and watching our 2 dogs play together. We find it is so entertaining and we are so glad that Dax has joined our family.

We are also in the process of building a DIY ladder to hang a few quilts and throws from.  More on that and our sofa plans later this week.  I hope you'll stop by to read more about it.