Spring Living Room Update!

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Slowly but surely, I have been updating our home for spring - mostly just changing things around from pillows to our coffee table to our shelves. This is probably my favorite thing to do since you don’t have to spend any money when you shop around your own home! But we recently made a simple (and affordable) update that has transformed the way our living room and whole home feels - we added curtains!

When we saw our apartment during our home search, we loved so many of the unique details that gave it character, from the ornate crown molding, beautiful mantle and fireplace, decorated tin ceiling feature, and built-in shelves. One thing that I wasn’t sure about was the brownstone’s original bay windows with Victorian era bifold shutters. Although I appreciated them as a feature of classic prewar brownstones, I couldn’t figure out how to balance my desire for style and natural light with the need for privacy. Since we live on the ground floor of our building, when the shutters were open, any passerby on the street could sneak a peek into our home. But when we kept the shutters closed for privacy, our living room felt too dark.

I wasn’t sure if curtains would work in this space because of the shape and size of the windows, and the crown molding frame. But Michael suggested we try it anyway and I hate to say it, but he was right! We found narrow curtain rods from Bed Bath and Beyond and white curtains (similar here) with a subtle pattern from HomeGoods. As soon as I put up the curtains, the space instantly felt brighter and lighter! I added some bright blooms (so happy to have peonies while they are still in season!) to freshen up the space.

Now I can leave our shutters open without worrying and enjoy the beautiful spring light all day long!

Love, Ariel

Coffee Table: West Elm // Mirror: Wayfair // Pink & Grey Pillowcases: HM Home (here & here) // All Other Pillowcases: IKEA (here & here) // TV Console: Target // Rug: Rugs USA // Curtains: HomeGoods (similar here) // Curtain rods: Bed Bath Beyond // Candlesticks: Michael Aram