...because home doesn't happen overnight.

lr shade 1

We added woven shades to the picture window in the living room. They are the same bamboo shades we have throughout the house and after linking to them in a post about our bedroom they were out of stock on Overstock for months. They finally became available again so I snatched up two in order to fill the gap between the curtain rod hung at ceiling height and the top of the window. The trick of installing woven blinds high above a window to make the window look larger is nothing new – to the design world or me – but I’m still amazed every time I witness the difference. Instantly, the picture window looked taller and another texture was introduced to the room.

lr shade 2

In a perfect world {is there such a thing?}, I would have one continuous shade spanning the width of the window. But those things are expensive and the budget-friendly Overstock version we have throughout our house isn’t even available in that width. So to keep things cost-efficient and consistent, I ordered two shades and HH hung them side by side. For us, they are purely aesthetic. We don’t raise or lower them but we could if we wanted.

lr pillow 4

A post about two window shades is short and a little boring so let’s discuss pillows, too. Because pillow talk is never boring. It’s taken me a while to find the right pillows for our sofa. I’ve come to the conclusion that a mix of pillows in lighter, earthier colors and varied textures works best against the saddle leather.

lr pillow 1

All of the pillows hail from HomeGoods except for the kilim which was an etsy find. None of the pillows cost more than $20. I kept the two outermost pillows the same and sandwiched three non-matching pillows in between. The arrangement feels balanced but not rigid.

lr pillow 3

There’s a variation of texture amongst the pillows – smooth, embroidered, woven, etc. My favorite is this one with a random pattern of raised squiggly lines. Yes, “squiggly lines” is a technical pillow talk term.

lr pillow 2

All of the pillows have down-filled inserts which is my preference. They hold their shape better and longer and look plusher than polyfill inserts.

lr shade 3

These two new layers – woven shades + pillows – give the room a cozier, homier look and feel. This is probably my favorite part of decorating – layering. Rugs, lighting, window treatments, pillows, blankets, greenery, furniture, accessories…they all contribute to that cozy lived-in vibe that well-layered, inviting rooms put off.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

56 Comments

10.October.2013

cozy & beautiful ♥

10.October.2013

This room just keeps getting better. Did I miss a post about the lamp? Love the gold color.

10.October.2013

Is that tri pod lamp base painted gold, or is it just me? I could’ve sworn it was silver or black or something different before. Either way, looks great!

10.October.2013

We have the same squiggly line pillows from homegoods in a purply gray color! I love their pillows!! They’ve held up well against four dogs and a rambunctious two year old boy!!

10.October.2013

Your design is spot on everytime. You are so inspiring. My favorite part of that room is the new rug. It looks so comfy

10.October.2013

beautiful… love the bamboo shades.. just what the room needed… can’t wait to see what HH does over the mantel… next to come i’m guessing? no presssure hhh.

10.October.2013

You caught me! It’s gold. It was originally silver from Target.

Absolutely perfect. I want to curl up on your couch and enjoy the view. :)

10.October.2013

Goood lawwwwwd, I love that rug!

10.October.2013

what type of privacy roller shade would you recommend underneath the woven blinds?

10.October.2013

Gorgeous! Everything about this is cozy and inviting. And its all in the layers. Well done!

10.October.2013

Oh, that couch looks so inviting! Perfect place for a little magazine and a big glass of wine!

10.October.2013

Could you tell me where the leather couch is from?

10.October.2013

I have had the exact same pillow you have in the center (Ralph Lauren, also from Home Goods) on my brown leather sofa for over a year. Love it – and yours!

Looking good! I love your curtains with the new blinds. So much good layering and texture.

10.October.2013

me too! where did you buy it???

10.October.2013

Did you spray paint that lamp ? I am sure you did. I don’t have patience to go thru past photos – so please accept that you did – great though – on a different note I have copied your paint inside glass pot idea – :-)

10.October.2013

me three! source please!

10.October.2013

I love how some people have an innate talent for this and graciously share it with us- thank you.

Each time I feel like my ability to layer is faulty or if I can go to layering and styling school, I remember the talents of others dear to me and how others appreciate their sharing them, too. Then all is well…

10.October.2013

I love your living room! That fuzzy rug though – my first thought, was how does she keep it clean?! But then I remember you have a no shoes, no food/drinks rule. And I have a black sheddy dog who tracks in dirt and water. UGHHHHHHHHHH. I will never be able to have a rug like that. :'(

10.October.2013

I love the look of these blinds, but I have read they are not “privacy” blinds and you can see through them at night. Do you happen to know what level of privacy they offer? I’m considering them for my kitchen, which looks into the neighbors house at night. I don’t undress in the kitchen (most of the time- ha!) but I don’t want them to be completely see-through.

Your whole room is just gorgeous!

It’s amazing to see the drapes- I feel like its the first time I’ve seen them? Regardless, it really makes the room feel ten times more complete. It looks gorgeous! And I love the mix of patterns. I think I’m going to keep that equation in the back of my mind for the future.

10.October.2013

Haven’t tried it but I’m guessing you could probably see shadows through the blinds.

10.October.2013

In more private rooms – the bedrooms – we use Levolor roll-up shades. You can find them at Lowe’s and they will custom cut them for you in-store.

10.October.2013

Rugs USA and for the size / quality / style it was inexpensive! I love the look of true Moroccan rugs but I don’t have the budget for those. This one is super plush and barely sheds.

10.October.2013

Just google “elements fine home furnishings soho leather sofa” and search for the best deal. Hope that helps!

10.October.2013

Another one to chime in with “Hey, I have that Pillow too”!

Me, it is the longer skinny one in the middle but mine is turquoise/teal and white.

11.October.2013

Hi,
I love the squiggly line pillow the most. Can I ask where you got the antlers on the coffee table from? I am looking for one desperately.

Thank you!
Meg
love your blog

11.October.2013

You’re house is awesome! I love reading your blog, super informative and a realistic glimpse into decorating with kids. I’m sure you’ve been asked this before but where are your curtains from?

11.October.2013

West Elm a few years ago.

11.October.2013

Ebay! It was my very first ebay purchase. Would you believe I was an ebay virgin until this past summer?!

11.October.2013

The bamboo shades look yummy. And, I spy the marble pastry board, and I freaking love it!

11.October.2013

Totally gorgeous. I feel like I use “WWDD” (What Would Dana Do?) as my homegoods/home decor mantra, but I’m still a huge work in progress.

How much stuff do you end up buying, trying and returning/swapping before you finally achieve this? I’ve been following the process but it always seems to look gorgeous — no boxes or awkward furniture (except the boob speakers) in sight.

Also, more tutorials on your simple chic beauty and fashion routines please!! You always manage to look as effortlessly gorgeous as your house in all of your shots.

11.October.2013

Oh, there is more buying / trying / returning than meets the eye! I left the tags on those pillows for a good two weeks before I decided they were staying. I would probably venture to say I return 30-40% of the decor I buy. A lot of times I’ll bring something home and it suddenly makes the house feel cluttered or “off.” I have no shame in returning anything that doesn’t feel right.

11.October.2013

Yes! That pastry board comes in handy on our slat coffee table / bench. It allows me to display a few things that would otherwise, ahem, fall through the cracks. AND…it’s another layer!

11.October.2013

I have these shades all over my house, in nearly every room. When I first put up the one in the breakfast room at the front of the house, I thought it would give a little privacy. I came home after dark one night and was horrified to find out that it was almost as if there was nothing on the window at all! I lined all of them after that!

13.October.2013

I love the blinds and the pillows! I too used to prefer down pillows, until I learned the truth of how the feathers were obtained. I had always naively assumed the feathers were shed naturally, boy was I wrong! This video shows the horrible truth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-pjGyPAkceM

Now, I am slowly replacing all the animal torture filled pillows in my house with organic cotton filled pillows. They look and feel great, I no longer have to deal with random pokes from feather ends. Best of all, I know that no animals were harmed for my comfort or home decor!

…your leather sofa is another topic all together… :(

14.October.2013

hi! i love this look. been wanting to do something similar with curtains for my living room. where did you get those curtains? are they custom? and one more question. is your couch pushed to the wall of the windows or do you have a gap? i’ve been struggling with placement of my couch!

15.October.2013

Curtains are from West Elm a few years ago. The couch is pushed to the slate windowsill which sits out from the maybe an inch. We don’t have space to pull it out into the room more or I would.

24.October.2013

Another questions about those pillows. Are the Chevron pillows a citrus or yellow? Thanks!

24.October.2013

I think they’re more of an ochre.

27.October.2013

OH goodness goodness…………….Dana, I just love your style and your home. What size are your blinds and window ? Thanks and Im waiting for your blinds to be sprayed next ….ha haaha

27.October.2013

Love all the gold by the way. was just being silly

28.October.2013

Our window is 9′ or 108″ wide. I used two 59″ wide shades. My kids are lucky I haven’t spray painted them gold yet!

29.November.2013

I did the very same thing in our family room with the two sets of bamboo blinds and it has been a very nice solution , I installed our blinds about 10″ higher than the window to make it look taller, it looks so much nicer that way since the window was only 7ft tall compared to our 9 ft ceilings.

21.January.2014

Hi Dana, I’m a long time reader and love your mix of Scandinavian, contemporary and cozy style. I was wondering where did you get the love seat in your living room? I’ve been looking for one similar for ages. I know it looks alot like the Ikea Klippan, but I’m trying to find something similar with cushions.

21.January.2014

The leather sofa is the Fine Elements Soho sofa and we bought it online. You can google around for the best price.

http://elementsfinehome.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=97&zenid=f49e0525369d035fd3aa35d48c8e6462

The oversized gray chair is from Thrive. It’s the Taylor chair with expectation gray upholstery, blonde stain. It easily seats two average-sized adults.

http://www.thrivefurniture.com/taylor-chair/

Hope that helps!

[…] Natural Light-Having a home with natural light is important to me for a number of reasons but  most of all I think warms a house up and makes it feel bigger. I’d love to find a home with a skylight or two, especially in the kitchen. […]

Love this room! Would you mind sharing how many inches above the window edge you hung the blinds? I’m considering doing the same, but don’t know if I can truly pull it off with my extremely tall walls. Thanks!!

26.February.2014

The mounting hardware is about 19″ above the window. Hope that helps!

02.July.2014

[…] *https://www.housetweaking.com/2013/10/10/layers-in-the-living-room/ […]

14.February.2015

Hi there! Would you mind sharing the size of your moroccan shag rug and also sisal rug? Is the shag rug 8×10 and the sisal 9×12? thanks!

15.February.2015

Yes and yes!

19.January.2016

I just bought that same rug and yours looks shaggier than mine, if that makes sense. I also tried to clean a tiny spot, (the hubs spilled something), but I do mean it was a tiny spot and it seems the lines kind of turned the white part bluish. Ahhh!!!!! Do you have any suggestions?

20.January.2016
31.July.2017

Hi! Has the leather sofa held up okay? Looking to order one but wanting to hear personal experience! Thank you so much…your home is beautiful!