Our Organic Modern Living Room Design

We spend a ton of time in our second living room and wanted to make some updates to its design for a cozier, more organic modern feel. Excited to share the finished room and a bit more about my experience working virtually with an interior designer in today's post!

PS - want to see the before? Head to my story highlight here!

Why I hired a virtual interior designer

After month's of unsuccessfully searching for the perfect coffee table that didn't seem to exist, I decided to start looking into virtual interior design. I opted to go virtual versus in-person because it was impossible to find someone local who aligned with my design style. I've browsed virtual design websites like Havenly and Spoak, but none of them ever felt personal enough and I made the decision to outsource because although I know what I like, I have a hard time visualizing how a room will come together unless it's right in front of me. If I couldn't find a single piece in months, how long was it going to take me to put together the entire room?

After a lot of frustration with trying to start the design process and getting nowhere fast, I started browsing some of the home decor accounts I follow on Instagram for inspiration to see if any of them offered design services. I landed on my Instagram friend @accordingtomandy and after a quick introductory chat, I already felt so much better about the process of flipping this room. If could copy & paste Mandy's decor into my own home, I would...so I had a feeling working together would be a great fit.

Shop our room here!

The virtual interior design process

Of course, every designer works differently but I thought it would be helpful to share a peek into our process if you're considering virtual interior design.

Mandy and I started by chatting through my personal style, what I envisioned for the room, budget and how we'd plan to use the room. I was confident that our design styles were a match going into the process, which I think is so important. I wasn't looking for a jack of all trades who could adapt to any design style, rather I was looking for someone who I could confidently hand off a vision to and let them do their thing.

After Mandy got a feel for the project, she delivered a few different moodboards and mock-ups which was so helpful for someone like me who has a hard time envisioning a finished product if it's not right in front of my face. From there, we made some minor edits and I selected my favorite pieces from each moodboard, and Mandy put together a final design. Although this part of the process can be really exciting, one thing I recommend is to sit with the moodboards and the pieces for a few days to see if you still feel the same about everything you initially loved. I changed my mind on quite a few things, and I'm glad I really took my time.

Once the final design was delivered, Mandy also shared a huge (lifesaving) document with photos, product links, quantities, pricing and everything I needed to know about the items we picked out. From there, I just had to place the orders and it was truly as simple as that. One thing to note when budgeting is tax! Leave a little wiggle-room in your budget for added tax. This was something I didn't really think about when budgeting the room initially, but it quickly added up as I was purchasing.

Styling the room

Styling the room was my favorite part because it was already done for me in the final moodboard that Mandy had delivered. I knew where everything was going and although I made a few minor tweaks as I saw things in person, it was a huge help to take the guesswork out of what was going where.

Overall I'm so happy with our finished cozy organic modern living room. It feels simple yet full, and very warm and homey. Joe splurged on this giant TV which has also made this room our unofficial movie room!

FAQ:

How did you hide all of the wires on your TV?

We used the Best Buy Geek Squad to do all of our wiring, and it was so worth it! You pay a one-time fee for the entire year, and it covers a variety of any services you need (no limit). Since our outlet was low to the ground (behind the console), they used a cable concealer kit to essentially create a second outlet without the need for an electrician. Everything comes pre-wired and is hidden behind the TV. You can see a peek on my story highlight here!

What is the olive tree planter filled with?

In order to make the olive tree appear taller, I didn't want to just put it at the bottom of the planter. I laid a cardboard box inside the planter that the tree could sit on top of, and then filled in the empty space with packing paper. To keep the moss from going everywhere, I took another large cardboard box and measured a circle that was the same diamater as the planter. I cut a little slit in the side for the tree trunk to slide in, which then allowed the moss to sit right on top without falling into the cracks.

Do you like your couch?

We like our couch, but we don't love it. The couch was the first and only piece of furniture in the room when we started the redesign. We wanted to start with the couch as the focal point of the room and build around it. It was a great price for what it is, and fits perfectly in the room (we have the 110" model) but it's extremely low to the ground. One of the reasons I had such a hard time finding a coffee table is because the couch was so low. Although the couch is very comfortable, we often sit down and are like...wow, we feel so low to the ground. If you don't mind that, you can't really beat the price for what you're getting!

How is the quality of the Amazon pinch-pleat curtains?

Mandy introduced me to these custom-made pinch-pleat curtains from Amazon and they are such a game-changer! I was seeing identical curtains for 3x the price on major retailers, and the quality on these is amazing. Each set is made to order so you'll first need to send in measurements. I was nervous about getting these right, but the clips on the curtains provide some wiggle room and allow you to adjust them an inch or two if needed. They ended up being perfect, the seller was extremely communicative and I would absolutely buy them again.

Shop the Room

Our couch can be found here!