Defining My Style: Living Rooms

Today we're continuing the series I'm calling "Defining My Style." For an intro to this series, head to the first post about it here. The gist of it is exactly what the title implies - I want to collect photos of rooms that say to me: yes, that's it, that's what I want or house to look like. But I don't want to do this alone, I want you to chime in too! What's your home design style? I'd describe mine as modern, comfortable, coastal cottage. 

As I mentioned at the end of Friday's post, we're headed into the living room next. I'll let you browse these pretty images and then I'll talk about what they have in common at the end...in other words, why I love them so. :)

{Canadian House and Home}

{Erica Burns via House of Turquoise}

{Elizabeth Newman via House of Turquoise}

{Milk and Honey Home}

{Love and Marriage Blog}

{Jenna Sue via 6th Street Design School}

{HGTV}

{Jones Design Company}

{Southern Living via Centsational Girl}

{Four Chairs Furniture via Hiya Papaya Photography}

Hmm, let's talk about the obvious things first...apparently I'm a huge fan of white and light-colored furniture. :) I'm not usually one to go for a saturated color look, so this isn't surprising. We do already have a white couch and white chair in our apartment's living room. I'm all about bright color in small doses though - for example, I LOVE that bright yellow pouf ottoman in the last photo above. How fun and unexpected is that?

One thing I noticed when putting these photos together was that every photo I pulled had lots of seating centered around a big ole rectangular coffee table. I think this comes from the idea that I want my living room to be comfortable and inviting with plenty of room for people to gather around. Building community is really important to me, and I absolutely love having people over and hosting, so this desire is reflected in my decorating style.

I also love incorporating texture and natural elements in some form or fashion. This really brings a sense of warmth and invites people to hang out and get comfortable. Each of these photos has that - whether it's a woven basket, planked walls or beadboard ceiling, a natural fiber rug, or even something creative like the wood shingled fireplace from Jones Design Company. This "look" certainly goes with the modern coastal cottage-y vibe I'm going for. 

So to summarize, my "ideal" living room style incorporates:

• A white/light foundation with room for pops of color
• Plenty of seating for guests
• Natural textures
• That feeling of openness that invites you to come on in and make yourself comfortable!

What do you think? Did any of these images speak to you or your design style? What's your goal when you're thinking about decorating your living room?

To see other posts in this series, click on over here.