After living in our current house for nearly a year, it finally feels like we’ve made some real progress in how the place works for our family. A month isn’t enough time to settle in and refine things, but twelve consecutive months gives you room to experiment, learn, and make meaningful changes—like living with a floor plan for almost a year and then finally knocking out a wall we’d wanted removed since day one.
Over the past year we’ve gradually moved from using hand-me-downs and quick fixes to making more intentional choices about furniture and accessories. We spent the early months on major, practical purchases—our sectional, the first rug, the bed, and the dining table—and then focused a lot of energy on building DIY pieces (a budget console table, a long desk, laying our own patio stone, and opening up a kitchen wall). In between those projects we picked up inexpensive secondhand finds to fill gaps, which let us save for pieces we really wanted.
With savings built up and some store credit from a side collaboration with Joss & Main, we felt ready to invest in a few larger living-room updates. Because the living room gets daily use, it seemed like the right place to splurge thoughtfully—specifically on a larger rug, a properly sized ottoman with storage, and a replacement chair that would hold up to family life and still look good.
We’d loved our thick green shag rug for baby play and toddler tumbles—its plush pile was perfect for little knees and for grown-ups who inevitably found themselves sitting on the floor. But as Clara got older, two issues became clear.
First, maintenance. The deep pile trapped crumbs, milk drips, and crushed crackers in a way a lower-pile rug wouldn’t. We don’t enforce a strict no-food rule in the living room—we like a lived-in, not-museum vibe—so a rug that was easier to clean became more practical as our toddler started snacking and exploring independently.
Second, scale. In our previous house most rugs were 5 x 8 feet because the rooms were small, and when we moved here an 8 x 11 foot rug just felt wrong in a much larger living room. The sectional barely fit within its borders, and the rug made the room feel disjointed rather than anchored.
So when we spotted a large 10 x 14 wool rug at a substantial discount on Joss & Main, it felt like the solution we’d been waiting for. Rugs that size and quality typically cost much more, so this was a chance to finally get something appropriately scaled, low pile, and durable without breaking the bank.
We almost laughed at the coincidence: I had the rug open on my screen to show John, and he had already found it and left it open on his computer too. We’re careful about purchases—we don’t buy what we don’t both love—so when we both agreed, we went for it. Yes, there were sweaty palms, but it felt right.
Alongside the rug we wanted an ottoman that actually matched the scale of the sectional and added storage. Our temporary, undersized ottoman didn’t have a lid and looked lost in the room. The tufted leather storage ottoman we found not only offers nearly fourteen cubic feet of hidden storage but also has a soft surface that’s toddler-friendly and a lid that can be used with a serving tray. The sale price made this practical upgrade possible.
We also replaced an aging parson’s chair that had developed cracked faux-leather from heavy use. A modestly priced, comfortable replacement chair rounded out the trio of updates and helped balance the seating arrangement visually and functionally.
Our old Target chair, a thrift-y find, had done its duty for years but had started to show wear quite visibly:
When everything arrived on the same day, it felt a little like Christmas. We declared these purchases our joint gifts to each other, a reward after months of DIY work and careful budgeting. We’ve been frugal by nature—secondhand finds and thrift-store scores are still our go-to—but it felt good to spend on pieces that improve daily life and are sized right for our space.
We plan to reuse the old ottoman and rug elsewhere in the house and might even slipcover the worn faux-leather chair for another room, so nothing will go to waste. There are still plenty of projects on our list—the office rug is the wrong size, our TV and media cabinet are undersized for the room, and the entryway and several rooms (including a playroom and sunroom) still need attention—but that’s okay. Our first house took 4.5 years to feel finished, so taking time to make thoughtful choices here removes the pressure to finish everything at once.
Living somewhere for a year gives you perspective: you can see what works, what doesn’t, and what’s worth saving for. For us, that meant swapping a high-maintenance, too-small rug for a larger low-pile wool rug, adding a storage ottoman that fits the room, and replacing a tired chair with something both stylish and durable. Have you noticed a similar tipping point in your own home—when a longer stretch of living somewhere made it click and you started making smarter, more confident decorating decisions?
Note: Joss & Main runs short flash sales, so the exact items we bought may not always be available. If you’re hunting for similar pieces, look for sale events and check retailers for comparable rugs, ottomans, and chairs to find the best value.
