My Plans to Warm Up Our Den with this Beauty
As I shared in the last post, I have spent most of my time, focus, and our money on our second floor where the living room, dining room, and kitchen are located. It is where we gather together. But the first space one walks into upon arriving at our house, is actually, our den.
The den is the entryway, landing area, Casey’s work from home office — and truly the first impression. It has also been the most challenging space for me design wise. Our beautiful oak bookcase is filled with books leaving almost no room for decor and other items, storage is limited, and the size/flow of the space limited my options for furniture layouts.
I had originally purchased this cool, graphic, 7’x9’ area rug for the space but it didn’t really work, no matter how many different ways we tried arranging things. It is now in perfectly situated in our guest bedroom, but I was kind of frustrated by the whole thing, and decided to take a step back from the den and give myself some time.
Now that Casey’s family is coming to stay with us, it has put a fire under me to get things organized, and make the space more welcoming.
I must have looked at over 50 rugs before finally deciding to go with The Polly Handmade Checkered Rug by Chris Loves Julia x Loloi. When I considered the things Casey mentioned, like wanting to sit on the floor and read, as well as my own desire for “future flexibility”, the decision was easy to make. This rug will not only bring in the warmth, aesthetic, and coziness we need in the den now, but it also pairs beautifully with the rug in our living room and dining room, in case we ever want to move things around (or if we ever move and the house layout is different).
I’m excited for the rug, which has been ordered, but is unfortunately on a 10-12 week lead-time so it won’t arrive before our guests do. We’re saving up for the large lateral file which I am so glad I found because it can serve a dual purpose as an entryway “cabinet” and storage for Casey’s papers and things. We already own the mirror, I just need to hang it up, and the vase should be arriving soon.
The one item that is not pictured, because I really haven’t found something I love, is a large round ottoman to sit in front of the sofa. I’m still on the hunt for that!
My next goal is to get our bookcase in order and style things a bit…stay tuned for updates 😊
