Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Furnishing Our Living Room With Our Ikea Sofa

So… the living room. First it looked like this:

Liv Before

Then it looked like this:

Living Room Phase1

Then it looked like this:

Living Room Moved In

And now it looks like this:

Living Room Phase3

Although the salmon pink walls, orange-brown bricks, and all of that dark wood trim & paneling is a far cry from our vision for this room down the line (we keep changing our minds, but today we’re dreaming of something like this for the brick, coffered ceilings like this, and this for the paneling someday) it definitely feels a lot homier already. You know, with a couch to sit on instead of a pile of non-sit-on-able furniture.

Oh and we shared this picture on Instagram/FB a few nights back, but don’t you think salmon is Burger’s color? That is one good lookin’ chihuahua. Not that I’m biased or anything.

Burger Living Room

As for our sectional shrinkage (I’ll pause while you titter) we needed a giant sofa for our last house’s giant 25′ long living room. Pictures truly didn’t do that room’s colossal size justice, but the sectional was thirteen feet long and almost that deep (the average sofa is usually around seven feet long for comparison).

Living Room Done

And while some folks love giant rooms and giant sofas, our first house‘s cozy den was the room we missed the most…

Final Den Take 2

… so we pretty much thought it was fate when we saw our new house and the living room reminded us of that cozy room. I think they’re cousins. Here’s the before shot of our first house’s den to compare with the first picture in this post.

Final Den Before 1

Anyway, our Karlstad sectional from Ikea (Karl for short) came in four switch-around-able pieces, so we decided that keeping the sofa + the chaise (and losing the loveseat and corner seat that made it into a giant U-shaped couch) made the most sense for our new living room.

Putting Karl Together

So without buying any additional pieces we were able to just connect the exterior arm that used to live on the end of the sectional to the sofa part and remove the extra stuff in the middle (corner piece and loveseat). Only took about fifteen minutes. And as for the unused two pieces that we removed, we stuck those up in the unfinished storage room with a plastic drop cloth around them. Why didn’t we craigslist them? We just figured selling the corner and loveseat to a sofa that’s incomplete without another end piece that someone would have to purchase might fetch us $20 tops, and it’s worth more just to hold onto them in case we get a new living room couch in a decade or so and decide to use Karl up in the bunkroom/movie room when we finish that space down the line.

We also built the console behind the sofa two years ago, which we made in three interlockable pieces. And the cool thing is that we realized that if we left out the middle piece it almost fit perfectly behind the freshly shrunk sofa. Almost is the key word since it’s still about 6″ too long (over on the fireplace side there’s some overhang) but it works for now, and we’re planning to shorten it so it’s completely fitted for this room.

Living Room Side

After a few years of living with a big padded storage ottoman instead of a coffee table and a console that spans the width of the sofa, we’ve just learned that it’s really functional for our family to have the console (for things like tea at night) and an ottoman (for hiding toys and for Clara to lounge on during the day).

Living Room Straight

Oh and you might notice that the second hole in the brick fireplace wall, which was meant for firewood back in the day, has been covered by a leaning frame. It just felt like a big dark hole whenever I glanced at it from the sofa, and since this fireplace is no longer functional (we’d love to slip a gas insert into it down the line) we didn’t need it staring at us while we gasped over the last four minutes of last week’s Game Of Thrones episode. Seriously, I audibly gasped at least a dozen times in that span of about four minutes.

Living Room Tv Side

As for the other side of the room, we’re keeping the 80’s wet bar closed off with doors for now (we’d love to expand the doorway to the kitchen into that area down the line since we don’t really have a use for it) but I did have some fun putting things on the built-ins in the corner.

Living Room Other Side

Yup, it turns out when my house is full of freshly deposited moving chaos, I like to putter around with books and ceramic animals. So while it looked like this on moving day…

Shelf1

… within 24 hours it looked like this.

Shelf2

The rest of the house still looked completely trashed, but this little corner was happy. #smallvictories

Oh and we took down a bunch of doors on the first floor that blocked off spaces that we prefer to be left open for better flow (the doors on the right block the foyer from the kitchen and the doors on the left block the kitchen from the living room).

Doors On

Now we can peek in on Clara in the living room while we cook in the kitchen, and there’s a nice view of the big bay of windows in the back of the kitchen from the foyer instead of staring at two dark and heavy doors about ten feet from the entryway. Clearly there’s still some crazy color going on when you catch a few rooms in one view, but you gotta start somewhere…

Doorways Open

We also took down the doors that blocked off the kitchen from the dining room. It’s amazing how much breezier it feels – even with a bunch of rooms full of dark blue trim, wood paneling, and a boatload of wallpaper (there are at least five different types of wallpaper going on in our house). Speaking of wallpaper, that’s pretty high on my attack list. I think I’m going to test out a bunch of different techniques for you guys and rate them all (should be fun to see which are urban DIY legends and which ones work the best). And… that’s the kind of thing that gets me excited. Yup. I’m grinning at the computer right now. Get a hold of yourself Petersik.

Comments

  2. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    That’s awesome you were able to do that with the couch. Much better with the doors off too so it’s more open. I can’t wait to read about your wallpaper removal techniques! I’ve heard the score and steam is successful and another one involving dishwashing liquid but can’t think of how that factored in right now.

    Reply

    • Lindsay says

      Score and steam is effective! The other one I’ve heard is a mixture of HOT water and liquid fabric softener! Good luck!

    • Courtney says

      Liquid fabric softener is what my father-in-law (painter back in the day) told me about when we ripped the fuzzy wallpaper out of our bathroom. It worked like a charm, even when we learned there were three more layers of wallpaper (that had been painted over!) SO thankful, because we were snowed in for 3 days the weekend we bought the house and the wallpaper in there was driving me crazy.

    • Katie says

      Yes I’ll have to agree with the fabric softener technique.

      I live in a 70 year old home that was riddled with layers upon layers of terrible wallpaper. The technique I found most success with is to peel back as much of the top layer of wallpaper as possible (I was able to get some pretty sizeable sheets off). Next step is to fill a spray bottle with warm water and liquid fabric softener, and spray the paper backing of the wallpaper (left behind after ripping the top layer off).
      I just waited a few minutes for that soak in, and scraped the paper off with a plastic putty knife. Worked very very well. No chemicals; easy clean up.
      Good luck! Wallpaper removal was definately not one of my most favorite home improvement projects…. however the results are so worth the effort!

      Katie

    • Mandy says

      The preliminary living room looks great!

      Tips for wallpaper removal, since I just went through it: While dry, remove as much of the top layer of paper as possible, score the leftover liner paper with a Paper Tiger, spray with a 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 hot water mixture and let sit for 15 minutes. You should be able to peel the remainder off with your hands at this point – be careful not to damage the drywall (its very easy to do so while wet). Sand and spackle rough spots and wipe off dust and leftover paste with a moist sponge. FWIW, I tried the stuff they sell at hardware stores called DIF gel and it made a sticky mess and wasn’t all that successful. As a bonus, the vinegar water is cheap, natural, helps to clean off the wallpaper paste residue, doesn’t leave a film, and does not smell when dry. Good luck, wallpaper removal is an evil process – afterwards, I practically had to resurface my walls with an orbital sander in order to paint!

  3. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    Isn’t wonderful how a bit of organization can keep the world calm in the midst of the opposite?

    We sold a few IKEA pieces this past weekend and now the kids room has a fresh new liveable look (complete with a moving box or two for extra ambiance- or reality).

    We also finished a toddler puzzle from the Macklemore Half Challenge day…

    http://www.newmomstalk.com/2013/06/10/diy-wooden-toddler-puzzle/

    Yep, victories are not measured by their size.

    Reply

  4. Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says

    I am in love with your sofa (okay that is a weird confession) but it looks so comfy and cozy. Can’t wait to see all the improvements in your new house. Are you going to paint the brick fireplace? What colours will you paint the walls? LOL – this is like the beginning of a good novel. Can’t wait to read all about it.

    Reply

  6. Emma (Broke Ass Home) says

    Hey! It’s starting to look like you guys could relax for five minutes in there! This is a perfect explanation as to why I love my Karlstad- not only is it rearrangeable, and recoverable, it sits low enough that you don’t block any windows with the couch. I love the chair and the sectional together!

    Reply

    • Mishellie says

      Yes! I love mine. Since I’m 24 I just bought a loveseat for now, but I DREAM of getting a chaise lounge piece and having my own little mini-sectional. And I want that gray cover. So bad. Someday.

    • Alex says

      Mishellie, can you do that? I have the 3 seater and I was under the impression that I couldn’t extend it… Could well be wrong, this may require some more googling!

    • JMK says

      Sometimes if there is an ottoman available to match the sofa you can use a clamp to attach it infront of the seat at either end of the sofa to create a chaise effect.

    • mishellie says

      Hm.I have the 2 seater, and it has the dettachable armrests so I was assuming that I could jsut hook the chase lounge up to it, so it would be a 3 seater w/chase on one end. Maybe I cant! I’d have to actually try it. :( I don’t know why you couldn’t though, since the chase stans on it’s own with 1 armrest… thought maybe the 2 seater wouldnt? I guess I could then do some DIY legs for the 2 seater to keep it all even… But then the slipcovers!

      Hmmmmmmm. Maybe Ill end up with the ottoman and a clamp :( But that would be sweet too (probably more my size since I’ll probably need to put it in a studio eventually…) and I’d still like it!

  8. Sarah says

    Fabric softener and extra arms to help were my fave remedies for removing wallpaper, but I’ve never had access to a steamer. Hopefully the glue will be old and loose!!

    Reply

  11. Amy says

    Fabric softener and water = the best way to remove wallpaper. We just moved into our 1960’s house a few months back and there was wallpaper everywhere and I mean even on the ceiling. I bought a fancy wallpaper removal steam system which wasn’t getting the job done, as soon as I scored the wall and used the spray, that paper fell off. Plus your walls smell like fresh linens. =)

    Reply

  12. Shelley says

    I am so impressed with how you can make a room so comfy and cozy in such a short time!
    And gasping is the perfect word for that episode! I still can’t believe it!
    Have a great week guys: )

    Reply

  13. Shondra says

    We have an 1895 Victorian and had to take down 8 rooms of wallpaper. Our best option was a steamer (we tried homemade remover, store bought remover, scoring, ripping, you name it), so it’ll be really interesting to see what works best for you guys!

    Reply

  14. Elle says

    Okay I’ll admit that this was the room I was most skeptical about (even aside from Karl) but it already looks awesome. New paint will definitely help, though. ;-)

    If you end up using the other pieces of the sectional in a different room one day, are you going to have to come up with another name? Karl and Karla maybe?

    Reply

  15. Lawren says

    I just moved, too — and I organized a shelf while my house was still a wreck and most boxes were unpacked! haha sometimes it just makes you feel better to look at one little organized piece and know it will all get there one day!

    Reply

  16. Megan says

    I like the way your sofa fits in the new room! We have the same sofas (bought while we lived in England) and we’re worried about how they’re going to work in our house in the US. :/ Probably not so much.

    Although, if you want to ship a corner piece to St Louis, we’d take it off your hands! lol. We have the 2 and 3 seaters and we really want a sectional. Alas, they don’t sell the corner separately. Oh well. Our Karls are probably going to live in my husband’s music room in the basement.

    Reply

    • Stephanie Phillips says

      I recently convinced my best friend to white-wash her 1980’s brick fireplace. Once she was on board, it took about three hours and one sample can of paint. Best makeover, ever!

  20. Amy J says

    Sherry and John,

    When attacking wallpaper…try the good oldfashioned (and cheap) mixture of fabric softener and water in a spray bottle. I mix about 1/4 cup of softener to an average sized spray bottle of water, spray it on….leave it for a few minutes and then take a straight edge and scrape away! It works like a charm!

    Good luck….I love your blog, and you new home!

    Reply

  21. Rachel says

    I love the difference taking the doors off makes! So much lighter and airier. Can’t wait to see how much better it’ll look again when the rooms aren’t such different colours!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The rooms at this house are different sizes, so our giant living room rug only fits in the master. Thank goodness we love it with our headboard, and we love the dark sectional with the bedroom rug.

      xo
      s

  24. Brittany says

    Funny thing… when I saw the title on facebook I laughed. I just watched “Honey We Shrunk Ourselves” last night on netflix!! It was fun to watch because when it came out I was 11. Things sure have changed alot since then :) Love all the progress!!

    Reply

  27. KarenH. says

    I agree that taking down the doors, which seems like such a small thing makes such a HUGE difference. If you needed to cut off noise to nearby children’s bedrooms, that would be one thing but with Clare’s bedroom upstairs, the doors just don’t seem that functional.

    I always try to make one tiny space completely moved in right away (or shortly thereafter) when I move, too. It just makes the rest of the mess tolerable to me in a way that I don’t think I could ever actually explain. :D Well, at least not in a way that made any sense except to someone else who does it, too :)

    Reply

  28. Kelly says

    Wallpaper removal: I was pregnant when removing wallpaper and found this concoction worked well…equal parts warm water and vinegar with a splash of dish soap, put in a spray bottle. Spray a large section, let soak in ab 10 minutes, scrape with a putty knife. Worked like a charm…happy scraping!

    Reply

  29. Sarah says

    Gotta love the Karlstad’s functionality! We have the exact same one down in our rec room and it’s so great to know we can easily switch it up to work in a future house someday. Your living room is looking incredible already! Nice and cozy.

    Reply

  30. Paige @ LPD says

    If you stalk the IKEA as is section (including asking the associate working there) you can often find karlstad arms for ten bucks a piece. Just a thought if you eventually wanted to use it as a loveseat somewhere, or sell it as a loveseat on craigslist.

    Reply

  31. KarenH. says

    Oh, and the more pictures of your house I see, the more urgently I think that butler’s pantry has to go. Weird, huh? Get right on that, won’t you? ;)

    Reply

  32. Emily says

    I’ve been taking down a ton of wallpaper lately, and I’ve found my favorite tactic is using just plain water in a squirt bottle. I scrape off the top layer of paper with a razor of flat blade, soak the paper backing for a few minutes, and then it comes off easy-breezy.

    Good luck! It’s a messy job :)

    Reply

  33. Anne @ Planting Sequoias says

    Can’t wait for the wallpaper removal expose! And I love how you are repurposing things for your smaller space. I find small spaces hard to decorate, and unfortunately, our entire space is small and choppy. :)

    Reply

  34. Kara says

    Take the #smallvictories any way you can! I can’t recall if the house had other water issues besides a leaky roof? I am in the processing of buying my first place, which is just a townhouse, but there was a mysterious water leak in the upstairs bedroom that the inspector could NOT figure out where it came from. A roof inspector came by and installed a metal cap on the ridge. Is that gonna be a good enough fix? No idea if I should still follow through with this place?!

    Reply

    • Amanda B. says

      Kara,

      I am far from an expert (far far) but is the issue related to the windows? There was a place we looked at that had loose windows and the condensation came in from the windows into the room!

    • katalina says

      my leak in my bedroom was from a storm’s direction and a ridge vent. it was dry in the attic so I painted it.

      had another ceiling spot in master bath from attic fan and not enough flashing on roof around it and had that fixed.

  35. Carolyn L says

    It feels like Christmas morning – like a long Christmas morning of unwrapping sweet progress and potential with your new house!!! I’m so excited to see what you do with it and love that you’re embracing some pretty rustic, white-washed brick!

    Reply

  37. Angela S. says

    The first thing we did when we moved into our house was take down doors too. I have two doorways from my kitchen. One to the dining room and one to the living room. We took them down because we wanted to see our kids while in the kitchen!

    Now we are in the middle or a huge kitchen remodel and will have a high bar and I’ll really be able to see/scold my three kiddos from the kitchen!

    Reply

  38. Stefanie says

    Based on your inspiration for the living room- it seems like you’re going with a more traditional route with this house…which is fitting to its colonial style and your more “grown up” approach:) I love that your changing it up and not going with the same style as your second house. Can’t wait to see what you have in store!!!

    Reply

  39. Elizabeth Phillips says

    We have a similar looking family room. (We’re Southsiders too, so it’s not too shocking.) Love the art over the hole idea. We’ve tucked a basket full of toys for our littles in there. But I think making it a secret basket with some art in front might work. (Except for when my 3 yr old climbs in the hole a la Cinderella.)

    Reply

  40. Jen. says

    I had no trouble with removing the paper part, but the GLUE … omg. Several nights, I would think I finally had it all, and then the light of the morning would prove otherwise. I’m curious to learn what you discover!

    Is the link for the brick idea working for anyone else? came up with a broken picture link on the page for me.

    Reply

  41. Shannon says

    I am sure it is “reader error” but I don’t remember that blue chair in the corner. Was it somewhere else in house 2?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s the gray chair from the corner of the kitchen that used to sit across from the fireplace in our last house. It looks blue in that Instagram pic thanks to the filter, but in real life it’s charcoal.

      xo
      s

  42. linda terra says

    You are inspiring!! That living room looks welcoming. love how you made Karl work in that room! It’s a treat to see the progress you are making!!

    Reply

  43. joyfulT says

    As someone who has stripped a lot of wallpaper (7 rooms) in the past two years, I highly recommend using liquid fabric softener and hot water. This method has worked on primed plaster, painted plaster, bare drywall, and wood paneling. Plus, it makes your hands really soft!

    Reply

  44. Sally G says

    I love that picture you shared in the link about the brick color. It is gorgeous. I hope it works well. Th light colored brick as opposed to the full-on painted brick is genius. I’m really stoked to see how it turns out. I like that there is an element of embracing the brick without letting it best you! :)

    Reply

  45. Leah says

    My friends said they rented a steamer to get up all their layers and layers of wallpaper in their old house.

    When I helped my mom remove all the wallpaper in their house, we did the TSP, scoring, and peel route. Lots of work. I’m tempted to go the steamer route if we ever move into a place with wallpaper again.

    Reply

  47. lisa says

    looking better already! i’m looking forward to how it all transforms! i also had wall paper in every room in my house (built 1923) when i bought it and was horrified with the way the wall paper smelled after you soaked it with solution and water and then peeled it off….every smell that passed through the house in the past seemed to come alive. eww! luckily the smell stayed on the wallpaper itself and went with the wallpaper when we threw it out! where a mask! but we found that perforating the wallpaper plus using the solution/water mixed together was the best and easiest way to remove it.

    Reply

  50. Cheryl says

    I want to give you a “gentle nudge” towards putting the gas insert in a priority spot on your to do list. We have lived in our current home 7 years, and finally put a gas insert in our unusable fireplace 2 years ago. We LOVE it so much, we wish it had been one of the first things we did. It makes the room so cozy. It adds great atmosphere, and when you are in between seasons and don’t want to turn on the furnace, having the fireplace is perfect!

    Love what you have done so far. I am impressed by how fast you can make it feel like yours, even before paint!

    Reply

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