Our Home: Global Inspired Formal Living Room

Living Room Ideas That Embrace Global Family Legacy

Not long ago, the living room space that greeted us as we walked into our home lacked the family legacy focus that I want our home to project. It wasn’t horrible and welcomed guests over the last two years as we hosted holidays and birthday parties. (Check out those links to see before pictures of our living room.) But what was meant to be a formal living room by design didn’t showcase the values and aesthetic that I value in a legacy building home.

Recently, Walmart challenged me to refresh a room in my home using their ever growing assortment of home decor items. Hard challenge, right?! I was one step ahead of the game, though, having already picked out a beautiful rug to anchor our global inspired living room transformation months ago. We were also in the process of adding plantain shutters in all the downstairs windows.

The plan was to just give the space a new focal point with this gorgeous Mohawk Home Argentina 8×10 rug of soft beige and teal. It’s the perfect blend of a traditional Ikat, large scale pattern with an on-trend color palate that was exactly the pop of design I craved for this space. Walmart.com carries so many Mohawk area rugs, which I love because Mohawk rugs are made in the USA and with the highest quality fibers. You can even chose Walmart’s convenient site-to-store pick up option to save on shipping costs. I 100% recommend this product!

Once we got the gorgeous Mohawk rug in our house though, our old stuff didn’t seem up to par with it. At first sight, even Daddy D fell in love with the massive area rug and felt that the space needed to be upgraded accordingly. I’m now convinced that area rugs are the best way to refresh a room by adding a pop of color and pattern without a huge budget or paint. Splurge a bit and get a great rug, but don’t forget the pad to protect your floors!

The massive wall, where my DIY Fabric Panels once hung, now houses my beloved bookcase. Purchased almost ten years ago, the bookcase is very global-centric with hand carved details. I didn’t always appreciate its beauty as I leaned towards a more traditional style at one point. The bookcase is filled with a library of favorite books that I’ve lugged around from home to home over the years, a pretty bowl filled with the kids’ ABC stamps, a keepsake box of our wedding mementos and other knick knacks I love.

For the walls on either side of the bookcase, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money. On the left I hung a platter with a Moroccan flair above an art print – both pieces I bought years ago. On the right, hanging in super affordable Mainstay frames from Walmart (which I love because each frame comes with a matte for one low price!), are two art pieces that will surely be worth lots of money in 50 years! I asked Alina to draw a picture of her (brown!) family (below) and the alphabet (above). Sure, this is supposed to be a “formal” living room, but I’m a mom with two little kids – how formal should this space be? It brings me pure joy that my daughter’s precious pre-reading milestones are documented, and it makes Alina proud that her artwork is on display.

The bookcase is flanked by two large scale, rattan vases, filled with florals, etc, bringing height, dimension and texture to the otherwise overwhelming bookcase. A hand carved lamp, with a cute portrait of my boy above, ties the space together while providing function and visibility to the dark corner.

What takes this room from a “refresh” to a full on “redesign” is when Daddy D and I (because it wasn’t all me, I promise!) decided to purchase a new couch and chair for our global inspired living room. Our old furniture, while in great shape and clean, was a gift from my mom when I graduated from college… over 10 years ago! The tan/brown tone also totally clashed with our the beige of our beloved area rug.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we bought a beautiful cream (off-white?) couch with elegant thumbnail rivet details along the arm. I love it! But, my husband got the man-of-the-year award when he announced he’d added this script chair I was lusting over on our ticket. Ahh! And, friends, it RECLINES! Mama got a recliner!

I really wanted an accent chair in this space, but was afraid to add anything with color in fear that it would clash with the rug. When I saw this (almost) monochromatic script chair, I hoped it was destined to sit next to my collection of books. It was perfect! Thanks to my big Papi, I’m sitting/lounging pretty while writing this blog post with my girl’s gorgeous artwork hanging above…

Because we splurged on new furniture, I decided to re-purpose items we already had for side tables. I’ve owned these wicker containers with brass clasps for years. The small one is filled with D’s huge collection of caps and hats, while the bigger one keeps our winter blankets accessible. The small, brass metal table is also I’ve had for awhile. I added a fake orchid, a tea light and a white-washed carved frame to the table, keeping things low and light so that your eye sight wasn’t obstructed upon walking into our entryway.

To balance out the couch, I framed three beach pictures I took of Alina this summer (you can see the original beach pictures here). I wanted a more substantial frame for this series though, and felt these Better Home and Gardens frames were a better fit than the more affordable Mainstay option. They were a bit more expensive, but still a great value considering the quality and included mat.

I love all the little details of this global inspired “formal” living room – it’s filled with my love of photography, images of our children and their artwork. The focus on literature is pretty much in your face too, with a giant bookcase filled with classics and favorites and a script chair for the wanna-be writer that lives here.

The one thing missing that you might be wondering about is the lack of a coffee table. I have to admit, looking at these pictures makes me realize that the space does need something in the center to anchor it. But… here’s the thing…. this space is also where we break-dance. And play “Spiderman”. And read books that require you to lay down, head to head, on the floor. A traditional coffee table, no matter how “formal” this space is, just isn’t going to work. Not to mention it’s also where our poopie pooch, Rico, likes to hang out. I’m telling you, Mohawk rugs are the softest out there… we LOVE laying here!

I’ve been eyeing this gorgeous Moroccan medallion wool pouf by Libby Langdon for awhile, and I think two placed together would make a great coffee table alternative while still allowing us to use the space for our, ummm, hobbies. Ohhh, Daddy D…..

I love our home. It reflects the legacy we’re building, the values we hold dear, how we engage with one another and, also, documents the road to stability that D and I are on. We’re happy and blessed.

When Alina was born, we lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment. It was modest, but I kept it clean and filled with love – two ways I built a legacy when we didn’t have much less to give. Two years later, Sebastian was born into this 4 bedroom home, which we own, that was vacant of furniture or design. While it was empty of stuff, it was filled with the excitement of what our future may hold. After two years in our home, it’s slowly being filled with new things, new memories, new legacy of growth as parents and a family of four.

This global inspired living room is a space we live and love in, together and independently, and I’m proud of the legacy we’re creating within it.

*Disclosure: As a member of the Walmart Moms program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post.

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See more of our home:

5 Elements of the Memory Making Backyard

*review of our Atlantis Wooden Swing Set

Sebastian’s Gentleman Nursery

Alina’s Shabby Chic Big Girl Room coming soon!