This Elegant Living Room Makeover Blends Grown-Up Style with Kid-Friendly Function
When you live with little ones, your decor style can morph into “toy store” before you know it. Fashion professional and content creator Nuni Yusuf has a keen design eye, but in her New Jersey living room, the dominant focal point was usually her daughters’ toys. She wanted the room to be a place her kids could enjoy, but she also wanted it to look polished — especially for entertaining.
On the latest episode of Apartment Therapy: From Plan to Perfect — our new series on The Design Network — Apartment Therapy Founder and CEO Maxwell Ryan and interior designer Mary Welch Fox Stasik helped turn Nuni’s living room into a space that both the grown-ups and the kids could love. And they did it all with design-forward furnishings from (gasp!) Walmart.
Nuni’s living room serves multiple purposes: It’s where she films content, hosts friends, and enjoys quality time with her family. But the room felt more like a playground than the chic, tranquil space Nuni wanted to come home to. “My style is very minimalist. With kids, they can get a little messy,” she laughs. “It’s very challenging to keep things organized and clean.”
Maxwell and Mary Welch also noticed that this large room had a lot of unused space. They used our new digital Room Plan tool, presented in partnership with Walmart, to add more (and bigger) furniture. The digital tool makes anyone a designer: Just upload a photo of your room, let Room Tool erase its contents, and start populating the empty space with beautiful, on-trend Walmart furnishings. Room Plan understands scale and size, so you can move, adjust, and replace things while staying true to real-life dimensions. It was an easy way for Maxwell and Mary Welch to see how large pieces, like the spacious new sofa they had in mind, would work IRL.
Kid-Friendly Storage
Since toys were the primary source of clutter in the living room, Nuni needed storage that could be easy for little hands to access. Maxwell and Mary Welch chose this modern TV stand both for its minimalist black design — which speaks to Nuni’s style — and its kid-height low shelving. They put wicker storage baskets inside for the kids’ toys, keeping them accessible but out of view. There was still plenty of space for Nuni’s things, too.
Neutral with a Twist
Nuni wanted an oasis of warm, soothing neutral hues: the living room equivalent of a peaceful sigh. And neutral does not have to mean boring! By incorporating different textures and materials, Maxwell and Mary Welch gave this subtle color palette more depth and visual interest. The sink-right-in sofa is upholstered in soft chenille. The jute of the area rug adds organic warmth. Together with the bench’s nubby boucle and the natural weave of the linen-blend curtains, these pieces created a rich visual statement in subdued shades. But Maxwell and Mary Welch also knew that such light colors needed a bit of grounding: They went darker with the faux granite coffee table and iron-frame accent chairs to anchor all those airy colors. This trick balances the look and gives the whole room more dimension.
Big Entertaining Energy
Nuni loves to host family and friends, but there wasn’t anywhere for them to hang out! When using Room Plan, Maxwell and Mary Welch prioritized replacing that dead space in the middle of the room with a more versatile and entertaining-friendly layout. First, of course, was that gorgeous couch. It has a free-floating ottoman that can act as a chaise or an extra seat. Likewise, the bench is easy to move around the room but also offers a quiet spot for conversation right where it is. With a slim frame and supple cushion, the matching accent chairs create another conversational moment without adding bulk to the space.
Now, Nuni’s living room is ready for both play dates and dinner parties — and Nuni has the neutral chic oasis she wanted! And since all these gorgeous furnishings are from Walmart, she could style her space for less.
Use our new digital Room Plan tool to add furniture, rearrange the layout, and see what style suits your space best!
Resources
FURNITURE
LIGHTING
DECOR
- Better Homes & Gardens Sharma Jute Area Rug
- BEAUTYPEAK Irregular Full Length Mirror
- Better Homes & Gardens Linen Curtains
- Better Homes & Gardens Metal French Wrap Curtain Rod
- DR.Planzen Artificial Olive Tree
- Better Homes & Gardens Marble Tabletop Sculpture
- Bloomingville Marble Book Holder
- Better Homes & Gardens Ribbed Ceramic Vase
- Better Homes & Gardens Ceramic Round Vase
- Better Homes & Gardens Modern Marble Votive Candleholder Set
- Mainstays Taper Candles
- Better Homes & Gardens 5-Wick Oversized Candle
- HomArt Match Box Set