Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Design

Show and Tell! All the Little Changes Around the House

March 16, 2022

It hit me last week that we needed to move the piano out of the study. We have been working in the study so much and at all hours throughout the day! It just felt like there might come a time when we want a bigger desk, or multiple chairs, and it was clear the piano was not a priority in this room. So we decided to move it out and into its own space!

The new study layout

Mural | Chandelier | Desk |  Chair | Lamp | Buffet Lamps | MirrorBowl | Planter | Floor Lamp

I'll never be done zhushing the rooms in our home, but this is feeling more spacious and comfortable to us!

Piano in the landing

Bench | Lamp

I was originally planning to put the piano in the blue family room, but then I had this idea to put it in the landing. It was actually a follower who said something like, "imagine hosting parties and there's music radiating from the balcony." This landing at the top of our entry stairs is actually the heart of the home, which feels fitting for a music space. We hired movers because we couldn't imagine muscling that ourselves and it took 3 guys, plus a lot of grunting. If you're looking for someone to move a large piece of furniture, we recommend using the dolly app! Now we have plans to build out a cased opening for the landing to make space for a semi-private posh piano room.

Cabinet in the living room

Cabinet | Lamp | Art | Couch | Rug | Chairs

When I originally wanted to move the piano in the blue family room, I got excited about swapping out the black cabinet to make room for it. Even though we decided to move the piano to the landing, I still wanted to to move out the cabinet. I never loved it in the bonus room, so we gave the movers one more task before the left and I love it! I think brings some contrast to the room and compliments the arched windows around the fireplace. Plus there's a window on the left side of the couch, and the cabinet on the right side really balance each other nicely. Side note: it is partially in front of an air return, so we're going to try it out and see how that goes.

Four chairs in the living room

Sofa | Rug | Swivel Chairs | Coffee Table | Bowl | Vase | Lamp | Art | Mirror | Chandelier

Two swivel chairs on one side of the room, and the other pair nestled near the fireplace. We had two of these white chairs in our bedroom, bay window nook and moved them out during the phase two reno. It was such an aha moment because I thought the living room needed some symmetry, but rather than getting symmetry from the couches, the chairs are doing the job! Plus I think they help the room feel springy and light, so much so that after the bedroom was painted, I didn't want to move them back in. So we had to put something else in their spot...

Leather thrifted chairs and roller shades in our bedroom

These are the chairs I bought for the study! They didn't quite work for the study, but it hit me on Saturday... OMG those chairs! They are the perfect color and size for this bay window nook. It's another reminder to buy things that you love and that fit your house and sometimes they find their way into unexpected spaces. I would dare say they're even better than the white swivel chairs, with the amount of leg they're showing.

We ordered these blackout roller, motorized shades for our bedroom, knowing we would also hang curtains. We wanted these newly painted black windows to be the star, and the curtains would soften the room a bit. I didn't want to have to be opening and closing curtains all day, so adding a blackout shade that would just blend into the window trim was an easy yes. Plus, who doesn't sleep better in a blackout room? We installed them ourselves and it took about 3 hours of troubleshooting with customer service to figure out why the motor wasn't working! They're up and running now, but every time it's like, "is it going to work?" It sounds like we might need a new motor which is frustrating since these are brand new! Ideally I'd like to be able to have the option to open them independently, or open and shut all together.

Chest in the dining room

Chest | Lamp | Shade | Vase

With the cabinet now in living room, I moved this chest into the dining room (which is where the black cabinet was originally!). We wanted to have some storage in our dining room, and although there's plenty of room to seat our family plus some, there's not space to put a full credenza. This is the perfect size for this room, and it's perfect for storing extra linens, tapered candles, candle holders, and extra faux stems.

Olive tree in the family room

Sectional | Tree

This circles back all the way to Christmas! I loved having our Christmas tree here in this family room corner so much that I was stressing when the black cabinet was there! It's really true that when you have a faux tree, it's good to keep it near some natural light (ya know to keep them guessing). When I moved the black cabinet into the living room, I just swapped in this faux olive tree! It's so pretty in this corner, but also makes a great placeholder for our Christmas tree.

Brass rails in the kitchen

Bar Stools

On the backside of the island where our stools are, on either end are two openings. Looking at the kitchen plans, there were supposed to be brass rods like on the hutch! We told our contractor (since he ordered them), and they finally arrived! They got installed last week and I'm still figuring out what is going to go in here. I did pull out these cake stands for now because they're just too pretty to keep behind closed doors!

And that's pretty much a wrap on all the recent updates around the house!

filed under: 
— Hide Comments
+ ShowComments
What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. First time visitor here and I'm wowed. Everything is so beautiful, peaceful, calm, and neutral yet there are colors. The two thrifted chairs are amazing! And I love the Arhaus cabinet, and the brass mirror on the mantel. And so much more. I'm bookmarking your site right now!

  2. I'd love to see more of this landing area with the piano. I had no idea there was a balcony to the living room, but yes, imagine music playing for your party........

  3. Love to see things get moved around. I will throw back to … two-three weeks ago? When you couldn’t figure out the layout of the music room and followers kept saying take out the piano and you were like NO trust me I have thought about this a lot and the piano here works, it’s next to the front door for music lessons, it’s not moving. Guess it’s a reminder to never say never!

  4. Oh man, I am very familiar with those roller blind problems. If you ever feel like the ones you have aren't working, Bali Blind's motorized options sound like they could be just the thing. I have exactly the same setup in my bay window, and have 3 roller blinds that work individually or as a group. They offer multi-channel remotes and a home automation hub too, if you'd like to schedule the and forget it. I'm obsessed and adding them to every window in my house haha, so I thought I'd share :)

  5. Love that you "shop your home".

    Have you considered a rectangle table in your dining room? It could give you the space to have a credenza??

  6. Loving all the changes, especially the revamp of the office and the black cabinet in the living room. I've always been a "let's try this there" person because honestly, it gives new life to old stuff.

  7. I LOVE all of these changes!!! I really love "NO" rug in the office area. I think the mural should be the star!

  8. Love the new layout in the study and the idea to enclose the space at the top of the stairs. All of these small changes have a huge payoff. Another phase one change to consider is whitewashing the fireplace brick or painting it the color you want it to be in future. It would add a freshness to the space and offer you a preview for phase two.

  9. Beautiful! We recently installed motorized roller-shades in our house (we had cathedral ceilings with windows stacked two-high so this seemed like the only solution for shade). We ordered custom ones on Amazon (Yoolax Motorized Blinds is the brand) and they are SO amazing. You can order swatches ahead of time, then the process of measuring for custom sizes was so easy and they triple check with you to make sure the numbers are right. When they arrived, the remote came pre-programmed and we can independently adjust blinds or do they all on a synchronized setting. It's pure magic. Set up took maybe 45 minutes. They also are not hardwired but are rechargeable (have to charge every 6 months or so with a USB plug). Just wanted to share in case you do a motorized blind post one day! It's so scary ordering things like this online, especially when you don't want to pay thousands of dollars for custom shades. These are just the tops!

    1. You have to climb up to the top of a cathedral ceiling twice a year to charge your blinds?? Do you take them down or schlep an extension cord up there? How long does it take to charge?

  10. This is my favourite kind of post! Simple things, shopping your house and playing with things you already have to take it up one more notch.

  11. Loving all the switcheroos! When you have good stuff, it works so many places. Question- I know you’ve been puzzling on the living room. Have you tried switching the sides the artwork is on? You probably have, but it would be interesting to see if that helps balance the two sides of the room more.

  12. Hi Julia, I noticed the bowl on your coffee table has something in it, which begs the question...........what do you typically put inside your decorative bowls? I have a beautiful bowl on a console table, but it feels weird to walk by an empty bowl every day! Artificial bowl fillers feel weird, too. Help???

What We're

Loving

Right Now

What We're

Loving

Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop
Shop All

Love Stories

Love Where You Live

In an industry that often feels designed to make you discontent, we want this to be place you come for inspiration, ideas, and encouragement to make the space you're already in feel like home.
Read All Posts
let's break this thing up

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

01

Portfolio

Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
read more
02

Projects

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
read more
03

Design

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
read more
hello world!

looking for inspiration?

Beautifully wrapped traditional presents stacked in a doorway
Gift Guides!

Holiday Gift Guides for Everyone in Your Life {2024}

Remember the thrill of unwrapping a gift that felt just right? Let's bring that magic back this holiday season!! Our curated gift guides for 2024 are filled with thoughtful picks that will make your loved ones feel special. That's what it's all about, after all. Whether you're shopping for your main guy, your clutch coworker, […]
Modern traditional kitchen with marble island and gold barstools
round up

The Best Cyber Monday Deals for Holiday Hosting

This post is sponsored by Wayfair. By the time Cyber Monday rolls around, I've usually grabbed the Christmas gifts I plan to buy for others and have moved on to home decor (my other favorite thing to shop for). My head is spinning with ideas on what my home needs for holiday parties on the […]
Sales

The Best Black Friday + Cyber Monday Deals in 2024

We collected all of the best deals of the holiday season—from tech to home decor—in one place for easy reference. Whether you want the lowest price on one of the best gifts of the year or you have a furniture item in your cart waiting for a discount, we’ve rounded up our recommendations. We're also […]
A white dish of peppermint brownies next to a red & white tea towel
Chris Cooks

Holiday Peppermint Brownies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Baking Dish | Striped Dish Towel (similar) I have a few recipes that are perfect for the holidays, and this is one of them. I make a really delicious brownie that can be made gluten-free and dairy-free, but you won't even know it's missing those elements when the peppermint flavor hits. It's really simple, and […]
Learn With Us
Want to do what we do? Get the tools, mentorship, and training to be a Good Influencer professionally.
Learn More
Looking for Something?

SEARCH THE BLOG

We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

hello world!
Follow Along on Instagram
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
© 2024 Chris Loves Julia, LLC
PRIVACY POLICYTERMS & CONDITIONSAFFILIATE DISCLAIMERSITE CREDITCOMMUNITY GUIDELINES