If you have been hanging around my content for a while than you know that we are in the process of building a home.  100% a dream that we have had since we met when we were 17, and in October an opportunity presented itself that we could not pass up.

In the meantime, we are living in an apartment downtown and enjoying city living a little bit longer before we pack up and head for the burbs (genuinely didn’t think I would make that decision, but life happens).

When I poll my Instagram followers about what content they enjoy the most, our home process has always been at the top of the list, whether it is our previous renovation or the building process of this home.

Today I am sharing my inspiration, and sourcing a few of the things that we have already picked for our great room design and decor.

I am by no means an interior designer, but with a graphic design degree, experience with three houses, and lots of research, we are turning this new build into a cozy home!

THE WINDOWS

I have been pinning images for a potential home build since the first month I got pinterest back in 2011 and what I always came back to was two story great rooms with huge windows and tons of natural light. I mean, I am a photographer so OBVIOUSLY. When we were on the hunt for a potential builder and I landed on our builders website, the first thing that I noticed was a home with big old windows and it was the reason that I decided to contact them.

Fast forward to today, our house is in the drywall stage and my dreamy two story great room is shining in all her glory. 

I went back and forth between upgrading to all rectangular windows and landed on the rounded top windows.  I LOVE the look of completely geometric windows, however I wanted to keep our house more soft and cozy, and more organic shapes on the top of the windows felt right.

THE FLOORING

Our builder includes LVP (luxury vinyl plank) flooring, like many do for its durability, but I am a lover of wood flooring.  While I knew that true hardwood was not going to be in budget for us, I could swing engineered oak.  

From day one the flooring appointment is what I was most excited about.  Having gone through this process, there is one thing that I would recommend: don’t pick something just because it is trendy.  If you love something trendy to your core, hell yes, go for it.  But know that trends are just that.  

We landed on Mohawk’s Beachwood Oak from their coastal bliss collection.  It is a neutral oak in a 7” plank and will allow us to pull warm or cool tones in our decor, and it is light enough to bounce light from those big beautiful windows. 

THE OPEN CONCEPT

I love an open concept. My husband and I both hate feeling claustrophobic or cramped (hiiii, apartment living with two kids is fun), so open concept was the way to go. I am genuinely excited to entertain in this space.

That being said, I wanted to make sure that we had some separation between the spaces with our furniture and decor selections. 

We chose to add a fireplace to our great room and a big, deep sectional from Arhaus. A console table behind the sofa and lounge layout over a warm area rug will separate the great room space from the kitchen.

We are also installing a wood beam between the kitchen and great room to visually separate the space. 

THE STAIRCASE

We upgraded to iron spindles for our staircase and kept it nice and open. I imagine the girls coming out of their rooms in the morning while we drink coffee. I love the idea of decorating this space for Christmas too.

THE FIREPLACE

We had the option to stone all the way up to the ceiling, but I knew that eventually I would tire of the stone, and so I opted for half stone. I really wanted a floating mantle and decided to have our builder install the stone, and leave the mantle to us. In our previous home we purchased a floating mantle on Wayfair and genuinely loved it, so we are going that route again.  

For the stone itself we chose a PA ledge stone that was native to this area. Like the floor, I wanted something that would work with both warm and cool tones. We went with a less refined version for the foundation of the house and more refined version for the fireplace with the goal of unifying the interior and exterior.  

THE DECOR

We are still in the process of shaking out some of our decor items, but I have sourced some of my initial thoughts here for you guys.

The entire house is going to be kind of a “Scandinavian farmhouse” vibe. Again, our goal was to keep things wide open and light and airy, while keeping it cozy and “hygge” (my moms jam).  Adding character to a new build isn’t always easy on a budget, but I have made it a part time job to get there. We also are not made of money, so investing in pieces that I really like and saving on other pieces is essential and totally fun to do.

Great Room Links:

The Kipton Sectional – Arhaus 

Roze Rug – LuLu and Georgia or  Rosemarie Rug – Chris Loves Julia x Loloi 

Console Table – Custom Build BUT Arhaus carries something similar

Ester Chairs – Target (we have this chair now and it is oddly comfortable)

Floating Oak Mantle – Wayfair 

Chandelier – Ours is from Cardello Lighting, but this Pottery Barn fixture is similar.

Flooring – Mohawk – Beachwood Oak