Just when you thought the duplex was getting all the attention, we squeezed in some beach house updates. The backyard is slowly coming together (shed, patio, fence — I can’t wait to show it when it’s further along!), but today we’re focusing on the living room, which feels lighter, brighter, and much more beachy.
This space now looks like it’s a few blocks from the shore. The best part is that everything here is sand- and popsicle-friendly — a necessity for us since we fill this place with family, friends, and lots of kids. Our aim wasn’t to make a precious room: we wanted a light, airy aesthetic that’s also durable, wipeable, and as worry-free as possible.
We used some pieces from the furniture line we designed, including a new sofa in performance fabric — total win for durability. We started with our Mellow sofa. It’s sold out at the moment, but the other styles are on limited-time sale, so if you’ve been eyeing one of our designs, now is a nice opportunity to grab it at a lower price.
Our old Ikea sectional, “Karl the Karlstad,” had a good run, but it was time to donate it. Moving a sectional from house to house left us with awkward layouts — the chaise often cut into a doorway or blocked useful seating. Photos didn’t always reveal these daily-life annoyances, so we finally decided to pass Karl on to a local charity after eight memorable years.
One way we brightened the room was swapping the vintage rug for a patterned gray rug that reads lighter and more beachy. The vintage rug now happily lives elsewhere. The patterned rug’s mix of tones makes it forgiving — a huge advantage with kids around.
The new sofa’s smaller footprint opened up space for additional functional pieces. Finally, there’s a side table at my end of the couch — hello reading lamp and a spot for tea. Small changes like adding a side table can make the room much more livable.
White-painted wood furniture is an easy, affordable way to lighten a room while keeping things durable and wipeable. A quart of good paint and primer can refresh a coffee table, end tables, or a bookcase in an afternoon. Light walls and washable curtains complete the breezy look.
Our three-tier side table is a favorite for corralling magazines, small toys, or whatever you want within arm’s reach. We liked it so much we ordered more for another property. A smaller version exists too, and I’m considering a coffee table version down the road.
I added two small art prints from an artist I found on Instagram and framed them in simple frames with linen-like fabric behind for texture. Affordable art paired with inexpensive frames is a quick way to personalize a space without a big investment.
We also swapped our darker coffee table for a lighter scalloped version. Visually it reads much airier and the size suits the room better. There was a brief moment of panic about the scalloped edge — would it get in the way of propping up feet? — but it turned out to be perfectly comfortable and practical, even for board games. The scalloped lip actually helps keep pieces contained, and the table includes a shallow remote drawer that’s perfect for hiding small clutter.
Layouts are tough — trust me, we’ve been iterating on this room for more than a year. One lesson we repeatedly learn: a smaller sofa can actually create more seating opportunities. Removing the chaise allowed us to add separate chairs, breaking up seating and making conversation easier. The sofa seats three adults comfortably, and with three additional chairs in the room, there’s plenty of flexible seating for guests.
We’re still hunting for more relaxed chairs for the window wall, but the thrifted chairs we revived are working for now. A little paint and new upholstery can make thrifted finds fit the room perfectly, and they might end up in another of our homes down the road.
We did encounter a slime incident that left a grease stain under the old chaise, but after trying several remedies, white vinegar followed by careful scraping and a dab of nail polish remover removed the mark completely. That experience reinforced why a rug with varied tones is so forgiving in a busy home. And the new sofa handled an accidental chocolate stain easily — a quick dab of water and it vanished, thanks to performance fabric.
On the dining room front, we replaced the old capiz fixtures with slightly heftier chandeliers from a lighting collection we helped design. They tie into the other polished nickel details throughout the living room and kitchen, and the previous fixtures moved on to another home where they belong too. Swapping fixtures and furniture between rooms is one of our favorite ways to refresh a space without always buying new pieces.
So that’s the latest from the beach house. Remember: it’s normal for rooms to evolve over time. Moving pieces around, experimenting with layouts, and repurposing items you already own are all part of the process. Sometimes small swaps — a rug, a sofa, or a light fixture — can make a dramatic difference.
If you want to catch our furniture on flash sale, it’s available for a limited time on Joss & Main. And if you’re curious about the furniture design process or our paint trials, we’ve written about both and shared more on a recent podcast episode.
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