The Monarch Revival: Living Room Reveal | Living Room Design Ideas

The living room.

The heart of our home.

One of my biggest, most challenging projects to date.

The room I’ve been the most excited about.

It’s finally ready for us all to enjoy and getting to this point has made it all worth it.

Where We Started

This is where we started when we bought the house. The fireplace and built-ins were center to the room including the hallway and not the living room itself which made it really difficult to design around. I knew I wanted to center the fireplace in the actual living room (minus the hallway) but initially that seemed like too big of a job.

I sat on this decision for a bit – should I hire it out? Should I just go for it? In the end, I knew I had to try. It wasn’t without a lot of bumps along the way and a TON of late nights and early mornings before kids needed my attention, but I DID IT!

Ready to see the reveal photos that make my heart sing?

The Monarch Revival Living Room

We hired someone to help me dig out the hearth, but after that, it was all Craig and I! This room is a culmination of all the tutorials I’ve put together over the last few weeks!

• How To Hang Drapes That Look Custom
• DIY Panel Moulding Tutorial
• All About Our Frame TV (and gold frame!)
• 9 Stunning Chandeliers For Your Space

How We Transformed Our Living Room

1. First, we removed the built-ins and the hearth
2. Removed the tray ceilings from the entire room
3. Framed in the new fireplace so it was center to the wall
4. Moved the electrical to accommodate new lighting and the frame TV
5. Install drywall over the new fireplace to rebuild the wall around it
6. Then it was time mud over the drywall to create a paintable surface
7. Re-install the mantle that was a part of the existing built-ins
8. Trim! Trim! Trim! I installed several layers of trim all over the room! Tutorial linked here.
9. Remember when we tore out the hearth? The floor needed to be patched, repaired, and stained to match the existing floor. I installed a herringbone pattern with solid wood floors!
10. Once all of the trim was installed, I painted the entire room
11. To finalize the trim, I added gold gilding on throughout the room
12. Time for furnish! We added new drapes, installed all of the furniture, and put the final details with decor

MONARCH REVIVAL LIVING ROOM SOURCES

• Sofa
• Sectional – custom through this shop!
• Coffee Table – custom through this shop! You can use the code MALLORY for 10% off!
• Rug
• Louis Vuitton Coffee Table Book
• The Beauty of Home Book
• Chanel Book
• Marble Statue
• Faux Fur Pillows – HomeGoods
• Candle Snuffer – Similar linked here
• Drapes
• Chandelier
• Olive Tree
• Frame TV
• Gold Frame for TV
• Wall Sconce

Update: We Got A New Couch!

It has been YEARS since I updated the Monarch Revival Living Room and to be frank, it’s for good reason. I absolutely love every part of this living room design-wise. I look around and see countless memories in this space. That being said, we needed a new couch.

White couches are a tough no matter what kind you order. Even though we went for machine washable covers, 5 boys make stains that sometimes just cannot come out. I’ve been loving materials that look a little more luxe, so I went for something completely opposite of white – brown velvet.

The added color, even though it’s a neutral, adds way more depth to the space. I just love the shape of it as well! I wanted a classic couch, but really deep so we can just snuggle into it. Overall, I love the addition, but think it’s going to be the last change in the living room for a while. This space just makes my heart sing, so why would I mess with it!