Before & After: Cozy House in the Woods

Last week I got to spend some time styling at a lovely couple’s home in the woods. Megan had won a 2-hour styling session with me at a raffle and was looking for some help with her main living spaces. Here’s how things looked after we were done:

And here are a few before photos. As you can see, there wasn’t a ton of changes, but the changes that were made were pretty impactful. The general layout stayed the same, we mainly just re-styled the mantel and gave the left side of the fireplace a new look.

Megan and her husband recently purchased the canoe bookshelf off of Craigslist and had put in in the living room, unsure of where it should go. However, they didn’t like that it took the focus off of the beautiful fireplace, so they were thinking it should go elsewhere. As you can see, it’s a beautiful piece, and deserves it’s own spotlight.

So here’s what we ended up doing with this area once the canoe bookshelf was moved. We put a small table that they had there that perfectly filled the space, and a large mirror over it. This was a mirror I had brought and they wanted to find something not so shiny and perhaps a bit more rustic (which I love!), but we kept this here for the general idea in the photos. I sold them them the large basket to create a separate space for some of her scrapbooks to sit in and we took a couple of the framed photos from the mantel to this space as well.

As you can see, we kept the main focal point above the mantel those amazing snow shoes, but we changed up everything else. Before, their mantel had a lot of great family photos across it, so I definitely wanted to incorporate a lot of those, while still mixing things up and adding some variety. We added the chalkboard for some height and layering, and then threw in some books and a candle for added interest. Then it was just a matter of incorporating a few of the vintage pieces they already had up there with the remaining photo frames.

The mixture of colors (black, light tan, brown, etc) works well on the mantel because each color is repeated either on the mantel or surrounding it. For example, the black in the chalkboard is picked up by the black photo frame and the TV and the light photo frames play off each other and the light wood throughout the room. Just make sure you’ve got some repetition of color/stain and you’re good to go!

And here’s a little peek of where that awesome canoe bookshelf ended up. This room is just across the living room, so it still incorporates into it, but the bookshelf looks much more at home in an office. Plus, it shines in this room as a very special focal point… just what it deserves!

I had a great time helping Megan and her husband create a more varied and unique look on their mantel and figure out a better solution for the canoe bookshelf and the space it used to occupy. Do you have a space in your house that you’re just not sure what to do with? Check out my services and contact me! I can’t wait to help you create a more cozy home!