Living Room Progress | Modern English Country Style

Anthony and I have owned our house for two years now, and while it still feels like a major work in progress, it's about time I start sharing what we've accomplished so far! Of all the rooms in our house, I think the living room is the one that feels the most complete. My goal was to create a room that felt warm and cozy but with enough edge to bring our 1903 colonial/farmhouse into the 21st century. Here's what the space looked like back in 2015, right after we moved in. 

Then in November of 2015, I shared a living room progress update after we had painted the walls black and gotten our new couch. If you saw my 2015 or 2016 Christmas House tours, you saw some small tweaks we made. The only real changes I've made to the living room this year are swapping the black and white wedding photo over our couch for a vintage Van Gogh reproduction, changing the pillow covers and adding our new distressed leather arm chair (aka my favorite craigslist find EVER). But just these couple of changes have made me so much happier with the living room design! I experimented with a lot of different colors and patterns in the living room over the last two years, but this latest quieted-down rendition just feels right. For the first time, the living room really feels like US.

I didn't design this room like a typical client project. Everything you see was collected over time. The sofa, rug, coffee table, pillow covers and lampshades were bought new but everything else is a second hand find, either from Craigslist, local thrift stores or consignment shops. If I had to put words to the inspiration of our living room, I would call it a modern take on English Country style. It's definitely traditional but there's an eclectic mix of old and new that keeps it feeling fresh. There are a few modern elements, like the midcentury styling of the leather chair, the clean lined coffee table and the simple art shelves that contrast the Charles-of-London sofa, antique French wingbacks and walnut chest we use as our television stand. It strikes a balance between peaceful and bold, collected and simple, elegant and casual.

We installed these art shelves in 2016 and they might just be my favorite detail of the room! Surprisingly, I've barely changed the styling since we put them up. I wanted something to balance out the television but I didn't want another heavy piece of furniture, especially because one of our two front doors opens into the living room, just to the right of this photo. These shelves were an inexpensive and easy DIY that was the perfect solution for this spot. 

There are still a bunch of projects I want to finish in this room but I'm so happy with the progress we've made so far. I speak for Anthony and Chloe too when I say we love being in this room! 

---

Stevie Storck Design Co. is a boutique residential interior design firm that specializes in elegant, eclectic style on mid-range budgets. We are based in York County, PA and serve local clients with consultation and full-service interior design and offer E-Design services for clients nationwide. To request more information about booking your next home design project with us, click here.