This post is sponsored by Article.

There are many functions of a home. I believe the primary function of a home is to serve as a sanctuary from the chaos and busyness of the outside world. When you walk into your home you should be able to exhale a sigh of relief that you are in a safe, comfortable space. I’ve partnered with Article to refresh Rennai Hoefer’s (my photographer’s) living room with Article’s latest Refresh Collection, and breathe new life into a space that hasn’t felt very relaxing and comfortable to Rennai for quite some time.

When beginning a room design, most people focus on the function of the space. For example, a living room is used for conversation and watching TV, so seating orientation and the amount of seating matters. However, we forget that spaces evoke emotion in us. We also forget that we laugh, cry, fight, celebrate, mourn and live out life’s various emotions in our homes. So, the amount of light, the colors, the textures...all of these variables impact our experience in a space just as much as its functionality.

To break it down even further, you can purchase the right amount of seating and orient the room for optimal TV viewing, but you can feel incredibly uncomfortable even though your design goals have been met. Thus, when you begin designing a space, be sure to identify the emotions that you would like to experience when you are in the space in addition to the function of the space.

Because of everything I just mentioned above, design matters. Article is a company that carefully balances function and form - never sacrificing either with every piece they create. Article is attune to offering various colors, textures and surfaces while paying close attention to the lines and functionality of the pieces. You can’t go wrong when designing a space with Article home accents and furniture.

Before I refreshed Rennai’s living room, Rennai’s seating consisted of one oversized sofa that couldn’t fit many people. The sofa became worn and tattered, and it didn’t allow for much else in the room. It also focused all of the attention in one direction of the room ignoring the adjacent dining space and kitchen. The gray-ish brown color of the sofa also overpowered the room creating a drab experience.

We solved their functionality issue with one sofa that comfortably seats three people, one bench that could sit three kids (or two adults), one large reading chair, and one conversation chair. Seven or more people can easily have a conversation in this room now. But, more importantly, we breathed relaxation, serenity and comfort into the space with various wood textures, warm gold accents, soft leather, wool and velvet fabrics. We also played with a cheery green color, which communicates life, growth and energy heavily used in Article’s Refresh Collection.

When we finished designing the space, Rennai texted me the next morning saying, “The morning is so pretty. The colors are very serene and calming and peaceful inducing. It’s like therapy in a room right when I need it.” That’s when you know you have done your job well. When someone can feel like their home is a sanctuary, you have completed your goal.

Of course, rooms are constantly evolving. Sometimes when you set a up space you continue to iterate on it to achieve the optimal experience. Just be sure to start with quality furniture elements (i.e. sofa, chairs, table) as a solid foundation and build from there.

Stay tuned to see how this space is tweaked over the next couple of weeks to achieve our ultimate living room experience.

Also, if you didn’t know Article has FREE SHIPPING for orders over $999. They go out of their way to make everything easy down to the box.

List of products used:
- Green Burrard Sofa
- Ivory bench
- Leather reading chair
- Leather conversation chair

Photos by Rennai Hoefer