crate and barrel lounge sofa | The Suburban Urbanist

The last few weeks have been packed; I had my last day of work in the corporate world, enjoyed a week in beautiful Minnesota visiting family, am enjoying my first days staying home with my son Noah and kicked off a design project with a wonderful new client. But I did manage to find some time to put the finishing touches on my sunroom design, or as I named it, my Midwestern Coastal Retreat.

You can read more about my design plan here, but this room has been a long time coming. After several false starts and purchases, I am thrilled with the result and it was well worth the wait. Not only do I love the look, but it is super functional, adding a ton of seating, storage and play space for Noah.

I kept the base of the room neutral which will allow me to easily switch out accessories to change the feel of the room by season or holiday. I also added a second pair of curtains around the patio doors to soften the walls and bring in some additional texture.

I added pillows along the bay window to create an additional seating area. I found my pillows during multiple trips to Home Goods, TJ Maxx and the Pottery Barn Summer Clearance Sale. Several of them are actually outdoor pillows that work great inside and clean up easily if ever spilled on.

I created one focal wall of photography above the sofa to showcase some favorite family pictures. All white frames and matting help keep the look consistent.

A tray from West Elm on the ottoman allows it to double as a coffee table, saving space and money. The white accent table next to the chair is also an outdoor furniture piece from Pottery Barn picked up during the summer clearance.

An important component of this room was function, and adding some much needed storage. The ottoman opens up to reveal storage inside.

Baskets and wooden crates from Target also help conceal toys and books for Noah.

An inexpensive red table from Target provides storage for books and puzzles. The canvas print hanging above is a piece I made and had printed at Costco.

Overall our family is loving the space and all the warmth it brings into our lower level. And after many false starts, I am happy to say this room is finished!

Source List:
Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Macadamia
Sofa, Chair and Ottoman: Crate and Barrel Lounge Collection
Curtains: Cotton Canvas Window Panel from West Elm
Rug: Gilt Group Website
Tray: West Elm Rectangular Laquer Tray
Red console table: Target
Red lamp: Home Goods
Large wood side table: World Market
Small white side table: Pottery Barn
Silver floor lamp: Target
Blue throw: Target
Pillows: Home Goods and Pottery Barn
Large floor basket: Target
Wood storage crate: Target
Picture frames: Ikea, Target, Hobby Lobby
Artwork: Custom, made by me

So this isn’t the first time I have made a design plan for the sunroom. Since we moved into our house I have been baffled with what to do with this room. My first run at a plan was a couple years ago with this Mid-Century inspired design.

I started down the path, purchasing the sofa from Macy’s, chairs from an antique dealer downtown and making curtains from a Calico Corners fabric. Then I departed a bit from the original look to go with a more neutral scheme. Here is what the room looked like this past Christmas, with the addition of a Target Rug, West Elm Curtains, a dumpster coffee table find and our piano.

But despite multiple changes in direction the room just didn’t feel like it was coming together. So my husband, who is always encouraging of my design ideas, convinced me to start from scratch. So I posted the sofa and chairs on craigslist and within hours they were sold, I had an empty room and cash in hand for a new design plan!

So, it was on to a new design plan. I needed a starting point and I knew we wanted comfortable furniture that could stay with our family for years to come. So after a trip to Crate and Barrel we decided to invest in a couple pieces from their Lounge collection. I am not usually a fan of matching furniture sets, but this one fit all of our needs and was COMFORTABLE. And a big thanks to cousin Bente who hooked us up with a 10% off coupon which saved us a few dollars.

So while we waited the three months (yes an eternity for me) for the custom upholstery pieces I got to work on how the rest of the room would come together. I was inspired by the coast during our recent trip to Hilton Head Island and decided it was just the way to bring some elegant comfort into the room. I loved the reds, blues and stripes, I guess mainly found in our wardrobes!