A Mood Board for Our Giveaway Winner

In January, we celebrated a significant milestone: reaching 1 million followers on Instagram! To celebrate this community, we launched an exclusive room-makeover giveaway. We narrowed down thousands of entries and trusted our Love Letter subscribers to choose a winner among five finalists. The lucky winners, Jack & Jim, are transforming an 1890s former frat house into a cozy family residence. They were on the lookout for a living room design that not only suits their bustling life with five kids (under six years old!) but also respects the home's classic architectural heritage, while also reflecting their incredible personalities. We were thrilled to take on this makeover journey with them!

We stayed in close touch this year, and last month, Chris and I flew to Lancaster to walk through this historic and inspiring living room, diving right into design, furniture consultations, and finishes. It was so helpful to see this space in person and to meet the family — learning about how this room needs to function for them. Jack has visionary design aspirations, and her excitement to play an active role in this makeover has shifted the project and honestly, made it even more special for us. Following our in-person visit, I curated a mood board (according to a budget we gifted) to help them get started, and also empower Jack & Jim to transform their living room into the space of their dreams, something they really love to do and share on their own account, but needed a little help getting started.

Be sure to follow along on their website and instagram: Charlotte House Revival. 

1. Sandberg Linnea Wallpaper, Midnight Blue: Let’s start at the top of the room. The very top. I love the idea of keeping the walls in here light and bright, but I imagine a wallpapered ceiling to really add some depth and pattern to a space that is far from little fingers. This paper, in particular, would tie in a lot of colors from your first floor. 

2. Green Velvet Curtains: During the consult, you mentioned you liked the idea of green in this room. Dramatic drapes (these ones are so budget friendly!) are such an excellent way to add color and rich texture to the space while keeping the walls (and floors!) lighter. These come in extra long lengths, too!

3. Design Within Reach Rice Paper Shade: The height of this ceiling is practically begging for one of these oversized rice paper shades. They feel whimsical (perfect for a family room), but also very high style—perfect for your home! I think the Medium size would fit your space just right. 

4. Billy Bookcase: Let’s swap your open shelves for some with a little bit of concealing power. The only thing I love more than a Billy Bookcase, is a Billy with doors and extra height! This should conceal all of your electronics up top and some hidden toy storage below. 

5. Frame TV , paired with Deco TV Frames Antique Gold and Black Smart Frame:  The wall directly across from the sofa and window (on the left) is going to be the perfect wall for your tv. I linked a 75” here, since I know you talked about potentially wanting to host watch parties. I love pairing a Frame TV with the Deco frames—it really sends the “This doubles as art!” theme home.  

6. Pottery Barn Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig:  To the left of the TV (and sideboard—see below) I thought would be the perfect spot for a tall tree. I toyed with the idea of a bench of some other piece of furniture, but the tangent between it and the console, felt odd. I love the idea of a plant here to soften some sharper lines. (Feel free to use a real tree, or this faux one I picked out!)

7. Arhaus Hattie Sideboard : The wall the TV is on is quite substantial, which is a great opportunity for storage! And I’d love to see some beautiful storage there! I found this sideboard on Arhaus and I love the arches that mimic your window. If I were you, I’d fill with with baskets for toys and blankets for watching TV. And I’d go with the larger, 90” one, to ground the TV and balance that wall. 

8. Arhaus Kaplan Two Piece Large Chaise Sectional : The main criteria I was looking for when it came to a sofa was wipeable, comfortable and the correct size. We want to FILL that window space from corner to corner to give you tons of cozy seating. I’d put the chaise on the right side so the walkway from dining room to front hall stays clearer. And! So you can really lounge right in front of the sofa. 

9. CB2 Ori Globe Floor Lamp: A room is only as cozy as the amount of accent lighting is present, I say. So I wanted to give the room a stylish and hefty floor lamp to add ambiance to the whole room. I envision this on the book case side of the sofa (because we have something special planned for the other side—see #13 below)

10. Loloi Francis Cream and Black Rug (happy to get this sent to you!) I think a lighter rug like this, with darker lines throughout, will wear incredibly well and allow your eyes to look up instead of down. The height in the the room and beautiful trim is what we’re really highlighting here. 

11. Josh Young- Danielle (linked) and Josh Young- Javier (linked) I love the idea of a pair of these hanging, one right above the desk and one on the wall to the left of the desk. 

12. Wayfair Brehana Metal Bankers Lamp Love this sweet little task lamp for the desk. 

13. Pottery Barn Flynn Mini Metal Writing Desk Speaking of desks, I included this small desk in the room, to sit to the left of the big arch window. It would be the perfect spot for you to quickly sit and share all about your beautiful home while still being in the mix. 

14. CB2 Renato Chenille and Burl Wood Office Chair Paired with this gorgeous desk chair, you instantly have a beautiful office nook in your very multi-purpose room. 

15. Urban Outfitters Aria Blob Floor Mirror: In the opposite corner of the living room, (the the right of the opening to the entry hall), I imagine this large mirror hanging. It’s unique and I love the organic shape of it to soften all the hard lines in the room. It would also beautifully bounce light off of the window opposite it. 

16. Heirloom Print Shop- Gregory On the adjacent wall (the one on the left of the opening to the dining area), a large piece of art or photograph would be lovely—I love the colors in this one!

17. West Elm Warren Sconce I included these cool sconces to swap out in for the ones you currently have. I love that the tonal, architectural vibes they would add to the light walls in the space. 

18. Wayfair Eline Console Table: We chatted briefly about a sofa table for behind the sectional. Without side tables, I think you’ll really love having something behind the sofa to place a drink, a book, or even the remote! This one is simple and just the right height!

19. Pottery Barn Round Metal Cocktail Table A little side table to sit next to the chair below.

20. CB2 Fitz Green Velvet Swivel Chair The sofa will provide a lot of seating for watching tv, but when you want to just chat, I wanted to bring in a large, cozy swivel chair for the right corner opposite the sofa. Pulled out a bit from the walls but not too much that it stops traffic flow. Since all the windows are opposite this chair, I chose a coordinating green to keep that color circulating the whole room.