Our blue and white living room makeover is completed! And the best part? It’s all kid and pet-friendly decor. Or ya know, people with who spill a lot – and I think you will love it!
Table of Contents
Our Blue and White Living Room
With 4 kids I wanted a living room I wouldn’t have to stress over, without sacrificing beauty. If you are struggling with this, I made up this little guide for how this room all came together.
The Before
This is how our living room looked last summer. I was obsessed with our old natural jute and wool rug. This rug was like walking on a cloud. We had a rug pad underneath, and the combination was heavenly. Hands down, it was the softest rug I’ve ever owned. The kids would flop down to play and it all looked and felt so cozy.
I had finally found the PERFECT family rug! Dirt dropped onto it was immediately hidden in the weave of colors.
Shop My Favorite Wool & Jute Rug Here:
(As a side note, it looks much darker on the PB website. That is not accurate in my opinion. I have the natural color)
In a TRAGIC turn of events, our dog pulled out all the jute strands out, one by one. He doesn’t normally destroy our home, but he had a thing for jute. I might have cried.
We were forced to remove the half eaten rug – leaving our living room like this:
I took a long hard look at the room. The windows looked a little naked, even with the roman shades. Some lower lighting was needed too!
Shop The Look:
Sofa | Blue rug is found on Wayfair here or McGee & Co here | Chairs are a local store- similar and affordable here or Pottery Barn has similar chairs here
Coffee Table| Vase | Console Table | Lamps | Drapes
This beautiful blue rug was such a good find! It is what made our living room come alive with color. It is an indoor/outdoor rug with a sophisticated weave. It feels nice underfoot, not scratchy. It is not plush, but nice. I used it with the same 3/8″ thick rug pad (from Amazon!) underneath.
No shedding. It is a nice feel for the kids to flop down and play, you can scrub spills, and best of all- our dog will not eat it. This blue rug turned our somewhat neutral living space into a blue and white living room.
The blue rug looks good with the crisp white of the coffee table, but also with the greys I have in the room. Blue is still (sort of) a neutral – at the very least, it plays so well with neutrals. It’s a great color to work into a room for a fresh freel.
Get The Blue And White Living Room Look:
Coffee Table Styling
THIS COFFEE TABLE. YALL. We absolutely splurged on this piece and I would do it again and again. I love it THAT much. It is such a unique and stunning piece! I love having few unique pieces sprinkled throughout my home. Nobody wants a home that looks like everyone else’s, right?
Cast out of a tree root- it is hollow inside, but heavy (my kids stand on it, ugh) and dazzling! I have never seen anything like it. The best part?? It’s made for outside so it actually STAYS WHITE! It can get wet (no water rings!), and easily wipes down with a damp rag. Using this unique table inside is unexpected, in a good way.
If possible, I don’t mind splurging on heavy duty pieces that can hold up in the long term to our big family life. Those are actually the pieces I would prefer to splurge on – not the delicate stuff.
When styling your coffee table, break things up into two or three piles. I styled my coffee table with magnolia leaves from the yard and a few favorite items. (Sadly, only the dipped vase is still available).
Want to easily create this look? Here are a few similar items so you can easily style your coffee table with a simple home run look:
These faux magnolia stems are the real deal! Next to it place a coastal, rattan whitewashed tray or basket to corral your items. Pop in a few neutral books, drop your $12 Amazon beads on them and add everyone’s favorite white candle.
Blue And White Living Room Details
Let’s talk about the bigger pieces that define the room.
That Lounge Sectional
Our sectional is the uber-popular Lounge ii sofa from Crate and Barrel that also comes in regular sofa form. I wrote a whole review about our Lounge ii sofa. We have somehow bought this sofa 3 times so we know a thing or 2!
Shop The Pillows We Used:
Or read my post about Picking Pillows For Your Grey Couch!
Blue Swivel Chairs
I didn’t know if the swivel chairs would be too much with the blue rug in our living room (it makes for a very blue living room), but they look fine. They are from a local company that also sells slipcovers for them in other colors.
They are so stinkin’ comfortable, they rock, they swivel, but to be honest – they are driving me nuts.
“Turning the chairs around” is now part of my new daily routine. Walking into a room with furniture facing the wrong direction might not bother everyone…. but I can’t keep walking past it without fixing them. Giving my honest opinion here- I don’t recommend swivel chairs for your living area if you have several kids. A bedroom is a better spot.
These chairs from Pottery Barn are so similar- I almost wonder if they are the same! And these feather filled chairs also look similar..
Other MVPs in The Room
I found this GORGEOUS console table which really is too pretty to hide behind the sofa, so I wish it could be more seen. It is down right stunning! Initially, I thought I would use the table in my office. But once I swung it into the living room “just to see”, I knew it was home.
If you have a sofa that floats in your room, this is the perfect table to go behind it!
The lamps were already in this room sitting in the back corner on the builtins. Bringing them into the room but behind the sofa gives us cozy lamp light in the evenings. I put lanterns with battery operated candles (on timers!) where the lamps used to be. I love having the lanterns click on by themselves in the evenings.
The Budget Find
Lastly, for the drapes I went with budget Target drapes. I love the weight on these, and they are fairly thick. Since we aren’t actually closing the drapes (we use the romans), we used a cheaper telescoping rod without worrying the rings will get stuck when opening/closing. The rod was under $40 with the coupon – that is a steal for a rod of this size!
The drapes have a pretty texture (like faux linen), and I put two panels on each side for a big full look. I didn’t even bother to get the panels sewn together on each end. Since we will never actually close them it doesn’t matter. Smoke and mirrors y’all!
Again, these drapes are a nice shade of off white that look great with the blue rug in the living room.
Pin Now + Come Back To Later:
Now that you’ve seen my makeover…
You might also like reading about our Lounge ii Sofa, (we love it so much we have two!), or find our what pillows look best on a gray sofa, or take a tour in our black and white and coastal bedroom, or read about my favorite blue paint color – Hale Navy.
What Pillows Look Best On Grey Sofas?
Black White and Coastal Bedroom
As far as makeovers, my friend Arin made over her bathroom for under $500- and she had a vision. Go check our Arin’s bathroom makeover here.
My friend Jen made minimal changes to her bedroom and created a whole new look. Her costs were around $300- it can definitely be done beautifully on a budget! Go tour Jen’s Beautiful Bedroom Makeover here.
