Family room summer decor makeover

I wanted to lighten up our home this summer – make the summer decor more simple, more purposeful and above all, easy to clean up. During the summer I really like to shed the fussiness of the winter and even the spring décor and create spaces that allow me to take a deep breath.

Also, we spend so much time outside in the summer tending to the farm, garden and our property that when I get inside, I just want to relax and feel like there is nothing to do and nothing to clean up.

Our family room has been a room that’s been a bit of a work-in-progress for me this season. We’ve done a few things to change the space this season and make it feel more like us. Really, this whole second year has been more about making Sugar Maple Farmhouse feel like our home versus “the farmhouse”. The summer decor makeover was really important to me for this reason and as we evolve, this room will evolve with us.

Summer decor makeover highlights

First, we got rid of our grey same-as-every-other-color-in-the-house rug and replaced it with a Ruggable rug. You can read the review of that {HERE).

Second, we replaced the coffee table that we’ve had for the last 10 years with one that better reflected the space and us. You can find more about that {HERE}.

Lastly, we removed some old bookshelves from IKEA and replaced them with some simpler buffet pieces we are using as storage to help with decluttering. You can read more about those {HERE}.

Overall, the family room has had a bit of a facelift. It was much needed. It was needed for my sanity and I think Kevin’s too. Here’s a few ways I decided to shake things up in here, simplify the space and make it feel more like us.

Do away with all grey

I have to tell you guys, I’m so tired of grey. It’s a shame really because it’s on all my walls in this house and almost all the family room furniture. We bought this furniture from the previous homeowners. Our old couch (which is now in the barn) is a sectional and we didn’t think it would fit this space and their furniture was basically brand new. It included the couches, arm chairs and the rug. All the SAME. EXACT. COLORS.

In the beginning, I loved how it looked, but as we’ve let ourselves soak into this space more, it just started feeling so one-note. Not only that but the rug has been destroyed by our old dog Frenchie who lost control of her bowels in the months before we lost her. Then we added two new puppies. We did our best, but there’s a certain point where you just can’t do anymore.

We tossed the rug and went rugless for a few weeks. I love that it gave me a break in the grey but with dark-as-night hardwood floors, we could see each spec of dirt Bailey, Daisy and the kids tracked in…always. Everyday. Even right after we cleaned.

In June I finally bought a Ruggable washable rug. You can read my full review of that {HERE}, but one of the things I love about it is that it broke up all the grey! Sure it has grey tones, but it also brought back beige, which I love, and some blues, another of my favorite colors. And because everything else is grey, I couldn’t go in a completely different direction. However, this new family room summer décor was the first step in kissing grey goodbye. There will be more steps.

A new heart for the room

In early July, I purchased a new coffee table to sit at the center of the family room space. We had had the same coffee table for the last ten year and I loved it, but I needed something more weighty and lighter.

The old coffee table was actually a chest from world market with a dark, mahogany stain. Between those dark floor, the dark grey couches and the other dark elements, I couldn’t deal with it.

I selected a new coffee table that was a splurge but I’m in love with it. The clean lines, the reclaimed hardwood, the color…all of it spoke to me. It’s lighter so it works for the family room summer décor (and it will work year-round). It also give the room more of a modern farmhouse feel, which I’m really happy with.

Lastly, the clean lines on it with a little bit of flourish in the legs makes me happy. You can read a more detailed review of the coffee table {HERE}.

A lighter mantle space and florals

If you saw my spring mantle makeover, then you know I love to decorate the fireplace mantle. But for the summer decor, I just wanted to tone it down a bit. I left the greens, but removed the flowers (which were fresh). Overall, I just wanted it to feel simple but pretty, Earthy and bright. I removed the light blankets from the spring and the firewood too. We won’t be needing any of that with the 90 degree temperatures this summer.

I also added in fresh florals that I’ll be able to rotate out. I love having fresh flowers in the house all year round, but in the summer time they give spaces a little more magic. Not only that but the hydrangeas are our hydrangeas! I know that does seem like a big thing, but when we moved in last year there were no cut flowers to be found here. I planted a couple of hydrangea bushes this spring and love that we already have blooms.

Less things in the space

Another thing I needed to do was to simplify things for the summer decor was remove the books and toys. Well, at least I removed them from view.

We used to have two large bookshelves on either side of our big picture window full of books. Then we also had baskets and baskets of toys. I would pick them up, they would be out again. I would pick them up, they would be out again. The good thing is, I guess the kids are playing with them, right?

I turned our spare bedroom into a playroom for the kids and moved most of the toys up there. They still have one basket and their art area on the main floor, but it feels so much lighter than it did!

I also removed the bookshelves and put one in the kids’ play room with all the kids’ books. The other one went to Kevin’s office.

Then, I brought in two media cabinets to hide the rest of the books (which are all mine) and add some lighter wood tones to the room.

I simplified the summer decor on the media cabinets by using an old calendar for art. I didn’t frame the prints but used large paper clips to hold them up. The casualness of this spoke to me.I also love that these add some color to the room and help to break up that grey. I think they feel warm without feeling overdone and love the paper itself even looks a bit vintage.

Then I added a few of my favorite plants, a couple of my favorite books and my vintage cameras to cap  off the summer decor. You can read my full review about these cabinets {HERE}.

Overall, I’m happy with how much cleaner the family room space looks now with the lighter summer decor. I can look at the room and feel like it’s not caving in on me. Sure, it still can get messy. With two dogs and two kids, it’s expected. But now, clean time is faster and when everything is in its place, I feel like I have my place that allows me to take a deep breath and remember the craziness won’t last forever.

What do you think of the farmhouse family room summer decor? I’d love to hear in the comments below! For more farmhouse decor, click here.

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you’ll come back soon and see what else we’re up to at Sugar Maple Farmhouse.