A Living Room Refresh with The Citizenry

As you know from yesterday’s post, my house has been on embargo for the last few months as we were waiting for the Real Simple feature to go live, which meant that any and all new projects, design posts and shoots in my place had to be put on hold. Which to a stylist – is like giving a child a piece of candy and then not letting them eat it, basically pure torture. But just because my house was off limits doesn’t meant that we couldn’t make our way into some other homes to refresh them in the interim, which is exactly what happened with this living room makeover.

In case you missed it a few months ago we showcased some of The Citizenry’s beautiful bedroom products with our good friend/go-to photographer here in LA, Tessa Neustadt. When they reached out again to showcase some of their new living room pieces, along with a brand new art collection they debuted this summer, it was a total no brainer that we wanted to see and use the product in person for a makeover. We have loved The Citizenry ever since they first introduced themselves to us years ago, and although small at the time they had a business plan that we could stand behind and beautiful goods that were all too easy to fall in love with. As a socially conscious company, they work with local artisans and communities around the world to handcraft capsule collections featuring a variety of products from a specific region. With fair trade practices, sustainable products and giving back 10% of proceeds to the community in which the designs were created, they have quickly made a name for themselves in the world of design goods.

So, we pulled some of our favorite products from their new collection and let Tessa transform her blank space of a living room with them, and we are very into how it all came together. But let’s first take a look at what it looked like before:

When she started the space was pretty blank and empty space of beige on white on taupe. Full disclosure she had just moved into her BF’s place and although he had some simple and totally usable pieces already in the room like the couch and the long media unit, overall it was lacking some design direction and those special pieces to bring some character into the space. He just hadn’t devoted any attention to it yet or really designed it other than bringing in some of his old furniture. This is where The Citizenry came in.

We love how neutral, layered and casual the space feels now and since she mixed in loads of texture and a few graphic elements like the black accessories, black iron work and graphic pillows it does not feel boring or expected. Starting with the rug on the floor, the Caminata Cowhide, it created the perfect palette for the rest of the room what with its creams, whites, browns, and blacks. It is tonal which visually creates interest without creating chaos in the room, and in case you haven’t heard my spiel about cowhide rugs – here it is. They are indestructible. We used to have one in our old living room and it withstood two kids, two cats, lots of accidental spills (wine, coffee, play dough – ANYTHING), and plenty of wear and tear and still looked so good when we moved out and styled the space to sell. If you have a high traffic area, are worried about dirt and spills, or have pets then these kind of rugs are such a good option for your space, so it was a no brainer for hers as she has two dogs of her own.

Moving up to the sectional which was the ultimate battle for them (and all couples to be honest). He loved how comfy it was, she loved how well it fit the space and the neutral tone of it, but neither of them were obsessed with it. And although as a designer if a piece doesn’t work you can often suggest a replacement, that often doesn’t work for everyone’s budget or they don’t want to spend money replacing something that totally works. So by adding some different textured throws, pillows, and a sheepskin pelt to it, the couch got a new lease on life.

She mixed a handful of their pillows in different colors (navy, light blue, grey, black) and patterns which works again as they are all subtle tones and the scale and size of the pattern is different on all of them so they play well together rather than compete. The colors in the textiles also help to pepper in the colors from the art around the room and make it all feel cohesive and intentional.

Speaking of art, The Citizenry’s new collection of travel art prints is pretty wonderful. They worked with some very talented photographers to showcase some of the areas of the world where  their products are crafted. They have so many good options in their collection that can work with so many different styles. They also come in a range of sizes and frames. Tessa used their Cactus print here with their Aldama chair, and it is all working very nicely together if I must say so myself. I wouldn’t mind my morning cup of coffee in that chair.

She obviously got the green thumb gene as well, as this little plant seems to be loving its new little setup.

Behind the chair is her long media cabinet which she did some magic on, styling it out with some more of their art and accessories. Fun fact – those weird drawings were by my grandma. I didn’t even know Tessa borrowed it from the prop closet, but I sure do like them here 🙂

I love that cow print so much, and although I don’t have a space for it right now, I’ll be hoarding it for when I get a chance to design my country farmhouse.

She snagged that wooden chain from the Round Top Team Shopping trip that she came along for, and man do those things make styling look easy. It pairs perfectly with The Citizenry’s pretty little soapstone lamp and leather folding stool.

Their simple wood and metal coffee tables from Mexico work perfectly in this space, and I love that they are just the right size to be used in doubles like she did here. Put them side by side to create a larger table or you could use them as side tables on either side of a couch or bed.

I could get very into binge watching some TV on this couch nuzzled up with their pillows and under one of those soft blankets. It looks so cozy, casual and inviting. Speaking of, is anyone else watching Younger as much as I am? It might be my new favorite – thus the braid and choker craze I’ve been on (that Brian is both disturbed by and attracted to …. ).

So there you have it, a simple white room that was infused with texture, graphic accessories and a few beautiful pieces of art to give it a whole new look. Thanks again to The Citizenry who sponsored this post, and who created all the beautiful pieces.

Be sure to click through and support them as they are such a wonderful company that continues to introduce sustainable, beautiful, and stylish products to the market all while having a business model that gives back to the artisans and makers (Find the full look here). And a big thank you to the talented Tessa Neustadt who let us take over her living room and who styled all of it so beautifully to pull this post together.

1. Chair | 2. Sentido Blanket | 3. Grey Vase | 4. Donegal Print | 5. Tweed Pillow | 6. Black Bud Vase (similar) | 7. White Dish (similar) | 8. White Tray (similar) | 9. Candle | 10. Black & White Box | 11. Horse | 12. Camp Stool | 13. Woven Basket (similar) | 14. Oaxaca .03 Print | 15. Side Table (no longer available – similar here)| 16. Console (similar) | 17. Pedestal Bowl (similar) | 18. Coasters | 19. Rug | 20. Modular Table | 21. Black Vase (similar) | 22. Marisol Pillow | 23. Marina Pillow | 24. Wood Lamp (no longer available – similar here) | 25. Stone Chain (similar) | 26. Soapstone Lamp | 27. Blue Vase (similar) | 28. Black Bowl | 29. White Planter (similar) | 30. Sheepskin Throw | 31. Brass Dot Box | 32. Ceramic Vase | 33. Estrato Pillow | 34. Oaxaca .01 Print | 35. Pink Linen Napkin (similar) | 36. Wood Plate (similar) | 37. Gold Spoon (similar) | 38. White Cup (similar) | 39. Helado Throw | 40. Urbano Pillow | 41. Sofa (similar)

*** Photos by Tessa Neustadt