This has been a long time coming and I’m so thrilled to share our living room with you. In case you missed it, we purchased our first home last year.

We found this humble ranch down a dirt road nestled in the mountains of the Shenandoah. I knew it would be perfect for our family when my kids started running laps around the kitchen and living room. We call it the “circle pit”. Taking walls down? Wouldn’t even think of it. I love how cozy this room feels.

Step inside with me…

jute wallpaper, jute rug, ranch living room layout, cottage farmhouse hausmatter interiors

I really wanted this to be a place of refuge. A place of permanence and rest. And most importantly, a place we could spend time together doing the things we love. I thought about the rooms in my life that made me feel comfortable and gave me a sense of belonging. I imagined Summers at my Grandparents country- home, the screen door constantly opening and slamming shut between guzzling pitchers of lemonade - the long talks I had as an angsty teenager with my friend’s parents, on a couch very similar to this one (always in front of the picture window) - how my Nana always had a bar cart of cookies ready for anyone who happened to stop by, and cocktails in fancy martini glasses for her weekly bridge group - And playing card games with my boyfriend’s Grandma on her screened in porch in the Summer. I wanted to pack all of these comforts in to this room and not bring a single thing in it that didn’t serve us as a whole family. In a world that increasingly feels so unrecognizable to me, I wanted this room to feel almost nostalgic. Maybe for me, but maybe also in hopes my kids can have a bit of the childhood I had in this little bubble of a living room.

console table entry HAusmatter Interiors | photo by Nelson Colwell

One of the great things about a mid-century house is that it’s kind of a blank slate architecturally, so whatever you want to throw at it, it will take on. Living in northern Virginia, I’m surrounded by historic homes, many of which date back to even before the revolutionary war. It’s incredible. I definitely wanted to incorporate some of that vibe in our little ranch. I’m thinking… less victorian-mansion but more Grandma’s cabin. Think of the workers cottage that sits off to the side of a sprawling colonial estate and that is the house I want to be in.

The first thing we did was remove the popcorn ceiling and what a difference that makes! Next up, we selected a stain for our red oak floors and had them had them refinished. To set it off, I found an amazing ceiling light in raw brass that looks way more expensive than it actually is.

I ordered this rug (in a size that would accommodate circle pitting), and let me tell you, it was the piece that pulled the room together. Prior to seeing the rug in place, I had some reservations about how some of my selections were meshing, which all melted away after laying the rug down. It was a good reminder for me to not panic, or make any rash decisions until seeing this piece in place. Never underestimate what a rug can do for a room. The rug is THE KEY player in a room with a lot of color and pattern mixing.

cottage farmhouse living room hausmatter interiors photo by Nelson Colwell

If you remember back to my first post introducing my plans for this room, I really wanted to panel the walls but I fell in love with this amazing wallpaper from Wallpaper Direct. We looked at a lot of lighter wallpapers, but we really wanted the room to have more depth and coziness so we went with the Uni Mat color-way. It’s not too light, not too dark, but feels balanced. It has a warm, almost pink undertone that is so pleasant, especially in the evening with artificial light. This paper is a faux jute that is textured to give it a realistic feel. With white trim, jute can feel very coastal, but in this room, by simply painting the trim brown, it takes on a more woodsy, rustic feeling. In fact, as our friends and family have come over and slowly watched the installation progress, they have all remarked at how dramatically it changes the feeling in the room to one that feels warm and inviting. Going more neutral on the walls will also allow me to easily change up the scheme of this room in the future.

Raw Brass switchplate with brown switch, Canelle jute wallpaper from Wallpaper Direct | Hausmatter Interiors

Did I mention rats infested all of our things while it was in a storage unit for two years? Oh, Yeah. THAT HAPPENED. So, short of salvaging some mementos and a few small favorite decor items, we had to start from scratch in the furniture department. I relied heavily on Marketplace and Restore to furnish this room. The first piece we purchased was this vintage velvet sofa. I’ve been obsessed with this shade of green lately and accidentally keep bringing it in to the house in various rooms (hello, green breakfast room!) so we definitely have a theme going here. It’s not sage, not avocado, but more of a vibrant jade with the most beautiful blue undertone. Although this sofa was likely manufactured in the 1980s, it’s a color that can feel very Georgian in the right context.

ranch living room layout ideas cabin decor hausmatter

I’ve wanted a Butlers coffee table for quite awhile so I drew up some sketches for a wood-worker friend who generously made this for us. I wanted it to be game-table height, and also serve as a comfortable place to eat a meal when there’s extra guests. Adding just a few inches height accommodates makes it even more functional.

Butlers tray coffee table with green velvet couch

I topped the couch with these handsome, Lee Jofa Shetland Plaid pillows from Refined Pillows. These handmade, designer pillows are impeccably crafted, and bring balance to the more feminine drapery. They are pillows you want to sink into, rather than remove prior to sitting. It’s quickly become everyones favorite seat in the house.

Once we committed to a colorful couch, I knew I had my work cut out for me with the other decisions.

lee sofa shetland plaid pillow cabin decor

The second decision I made was selecting the Pink Pozy Suzani French pleat drapes from St. Frank. They have a coral pink suzani pattern in them that plays so well with the green couch and is a welcomed contrast to the brown tones. I also think the smaller scale of the flowers keep them from feeling overwhelming in the room. And the suzani pattern give them a more global feeling that keeps them from looking like something that belong in a little girls room. When I received the panels, I was blown away by the craftsmanship and attention to detail in the packaging. Each ready-to-hang panel is handmade by artisans around the world, and feature prints of vintage fabrics that give it a lived-in feeling. You’d never find this quality of curtain in a big box store; they are big-girl curtains, featuring fully lined, heavyweight panels that you can expect to have for ten years or more. Incidentally, this particular shade of coral pink looks amazing in every room in our house. It’s like magic, really. The yellow room, the green room, even our lilac room supports this shade of pink beautifully, so it’s fun to know we have options if I ever want to switch things up.

st. frank french pleated curtains in pink suzani

Drapes of this quality need substantial hardware to hold them, and when it comes to drapery rods, you get what you pay for. To cover the span of our bay window, we needed a long, substantial rod. Thankfully, I found Highland Hardware, a company that creates custom-sized drapery rods right here in the USA. Their amazing customer service team helped me every step of the way. I selected the French return set for it’s tight, clean bend which allows the drapery to go all the way to the wall without the need for a finial. This is a look that feels transitional and timeless, not to mention functional, as you have more privacy and light elimination this way. Since I ordered the kit, it already included everything I needed for installation, as well as the drapery rings. The best part about these rods? There is no sagging in the center. Because they are made of steel, they require minimal brackets. As soon as we installed them, it was definitely a jaw dropping moment. They feel so luxurious and totally elevate the room.

custom french return drapery rod from highland hardware

Working on a spaceplan for a ranch living room can be tricky. Like most, they are long and narrow. And because this floorplan has a walkthrough to the kitchen, floating the couch, and using a wall to wall rug, wasn’t an option. To avoid a bunch of boxy furniture lined up against the wall, I decided to use a round dining table in the corner. This serves as a side table for multiple seats, fills in the corner, and allows both walls to communicate to each other as a sort of “bridge”. In a world of right angles, using a round piece of furniture is so pleasing on the eye. It also serves as an extra dining table at holiday gatherings. And what I love about a skirted table, is you can use any old table you happen to find and make it look amazing. I covered the table in a timeless, ticking stripe from Carolina Linens Store. The kids can hide under it. I can store my dumbbells under it. Everybody wins.

cottage living room, cabin decor, photo display ideas, hausmatter

The secretary cabinet is one of my favorite finds. I still can’t believe I found it at Restore for $130. It even has the original leaded glass.

upholstered cabinet, St Frank curtains, secretary bar

I upholstered the inside with coordinating fabric for some fun pattern play. It really made my collection of antique pewter pop! And trust me, once you discover nailhead trim, you’ll start finding ways to use it all over the house (I’ve added it to an ottoman, bulletin board and cabinet so far…). You’ve been warned.

secretary cabinet bar, hausmatter interiors

Let’s talk accessories. Most of what I used in the room is vintage, but I did incorporate some quirk. Ever heard of Hunt country style? I hadn’t either until I moved to Virginia. Chef Patrick O’Connel calls it “opulent country”. Whatever you want to call it, I want more of it.

pheasant feathers in vase, Hurricanes candle holder, marble lamp

As I began assembling my country-house starter kit, I surveyed our landscape for dead things I could hang on the wall, but then the 90s vegan in me kicked in (buzz kill).

sideboard styling, federal mirror, jute wallpaper, hausmatter

Truth be told, none of us are hunters, so I included some vintage antlers and, wait for it…toy plastic fish! So now I am contributing to the micro-plastic epidemic, but two spared trout are out there having the best time. Really, no one has a clue they are plastic. Especially mounted in acrylic shadowboxes. Getting to tell people they aren’t real is quickly becoming one of my (new ) favorite past times.

acrylic shadowboxes, trout wall hanging, trout decor Hausmatter Interiors

These inexpensive, battery-operated, picture lights saved us a ton of work not having to hardwire every wall in this room. Plus, having ambient lighting options greatly amps the atmosphere.

battery operated picture light, jute wallpaper, trout art, Hausmatter Interiors

This room really comes alive at night when all the lights are on…

Cottage Living room with jute wallpaper and green couch | Hausmatter Interiors Photo by Nelson Colwell

This is not an open-concept house but our breakfast room does open up to the living room, so I felt like they should communicate well together. Naturally, I went with…you guessed it… green! And how sweet it is to see the sofa color echoed here.

I am so smitten with how this archway looks outfitted in new moulding. You’d never guess it was made of flexible, polyurethane once painted! We used this pre-curved moulding and it saved us the headache of making one from scratch. Just be sure you purchase the coordinating straight piece because we found the width of the arched trim was one that couldn’t be purchased at our local hardware stores.

Eventually we plan to build a banquette in this room, but for now, we are rocking the leather chairs from this room and using the Verdure Bois ottoman from The Inside for a pop of pattern. Our favorite rechargeable lantern is still going strong after five years, this time with a tortoise shade!