Brick Home Haven

Creating a Cozy, Modern Living Room

This post is sponsored by Room & Board

We’re thrilled to share a peek into our living room transformation — a project close to my heart completed in partnership with Room & Board.

When we moved into this house, the living room was hands down the darkest room in our home. Picture this: an 80s stone fireplace that felt heavy and outdated, brown-beige walls, and wall-to-wall tan carpet. Not exactly the warm, cozy space we envisioned for family movie nights and slow Sunday mornings.

Still, we saw the potential. We knew this could become a haven for relaxation and family memories. So, we started with the basics — painting the walls (Greek Villa by Sherwin Williams), updating the flooring to wide-plank white oak, and re-imagining the fireplace as an elevated cottagey centerpiece, inspired by the charm of European interiors. But what would really make it feel like home? The right furniture.

We wanted built-ins flanking the fireplace to bring visual balance and draw your eye to the center of the room. And a new sectional was a no-brainer to keep the room feeling open while offering plenty of cozy seating.

A question I get all the time is: “Morgan, what’s your home style?” Honestly, it’s hard to pin down. I love mixing aesthetics. If I had to describe it, I’d say: elevated but lived-in, modern but timeless, cozy and moody — yet still bright.

That’s exactly why I fell in love with Room & Board. Their pieces are beautifully made, thoughtfully designed, and built to last. When I found out they offer custom-sized bookcases, I knew they’d be the perfect partner for this space. We saved so much time on the built-in process — and I loved knowing our bookcases were being handcrafted on the East Coast while we finished up renovations.

Pictured: Woodwind custom bookcase in Maple with Charcoal stain.
Disclaimer: We made some light alterations after our bookcases arrived, including building a simple box and adding crown molding to take them to the ceiling, replacing the included stainless steel hardware with brass knobs, and adding the brass tipping rails to the bottom shelves.

Then came the fun part: the couch.

The Baylor sectional immediately caught my eye. It’s designed for deep, luxurious lounging, but still has a clean-lined architectural look I love. Its down-alternative cushions give you that soft, sink-in comfort with the structure and support you actually need. Details like the wide tuxedo arms and slim seat profile make it modern without feeling cold.

For fabric, I chose Mori Ivory — a durable, ultra-soft chenille with subtle color variation that adds depth. I hesitated on a light-colored couch (mom of three boys here!), but after talking to a few friends, I realized something: having a light sofa just means you’re more intentional about keeping it clean — when a spill or smudge happens; it is dealt with right away. And this fabric is designed to be cleanable, so it’s perfect for busy homes with kids and pets.

Every design I’d saved for inspiration had a light sofa — and now I get why. This one brings so much brightness and softness to the room. It’s the perfect centerpiece for the cozy, timeless living space we imagined all along.

One decision I went back and forth on: coffee table or ottoman? I love the look of a classic coffee table, but ultimately, I’m so glad we chose the Baylor ottoman to go with our sectional.

It’s not only incredibly comfortable (hello, extra legroom), but also super functional. We use a simple wooden tray when we need a surface for drinks or books, but most of the time, we just enjoy the soft, inviting feel. It can stay in the center of the room, or we shift it to the edge to create a chaise-like setup, perfect for lounging. As a mom of a toddler, I also really appreciate not having any sharp corners.

If you’re looking for customizable living room furniture built to fit your space and your lifestyle, I highly recommend Room & Board. You can shop my exact pieces using the following links:

Custom Woodwind Bookcases
Baylor Sectional
Baylor Ottoman

I plan to share more about the DIY side of our living room makeover soon, so stay tuned if you’re interested in hearing more on the full process. For now, we’ll be over here enjoying this gorgeous space.

Bookcases, sectional, and ottoman generously gifted by Room & Board.

Marry Me Butter Beans — A Weeknight Staple in our Home

Marry Me Butter Beans — A weekday staple in our home

The 10-minute comfort meal you need for quick work-from-home lunches, rushed weeknights, or any time you want something warm and delicious.

What you’ll need:

1 small onion or half of a standard-sized onion
2 heaping tablespoons of jarred sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 heaping tsp of minced garlic
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup chicken broth (cream can be increased if broth not available)
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, as well as S+P to taste
2 cans large butter beans
A cup of fresh spinach, chopped or hand torn
1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (grated works best, shredded does not incorporate into the sauce as nicely)

How to make it:

Start by adding a small dab of butter or olive oil to a heated pan and begin sauteing your onions.
Add your sun dried tomatoes, along with some additional oil from the jar for flavor. I try to get at least a teaspoon of the oil in each time I make this.
When the onions are mostly translucent, add in your garlic and saute another minute.
Reduce heat and add your cream and chicken broth, whisking til combined. Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper at this step.
Add in your butter beans and let them simmer in the sauce for 5ish minutes.
Toss in the spinach and allow it to wilt.
Finally, mix in the Parmesan cheese until it has melted and thickened the sauce. Remove from heat.

This can be served with crusty bread, a salad, or enjoyed on its own as the ultimate comfort dish! Let me know if you try it.

The Jaw-Dropping Difference that Color Drenching Can Make

It’s no secret that the paint color in my dining room is popular — it’s what launched my career as a home content creator, and it’s a color that I get questions about on a weekly basis.

We sampled 8 or more beige paint colors before we landed on this one. Our family spends a ton of time in this room, so I knew I wanted to choose a color that would be inviting, calming, and most importantly, timeless. If you’ve ever tried to pick out a beige paint simply by browsing swatches at the paint store, you know how maddening it can be!

Beige can pull yellow, brown, army green, or even pink! Knowing your desired undertone is important, but even more important for us was trying actual paint swatches in the space. You can do this buy buying sample jars at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or any paint store, or by using large peel-and-stick samples from Samplize.

With a south-facing room and plenty of light, we found that the lightest beige options looked cream. At the same time, the one I thought I would love most looked muck brown. It was so discouraging. With a ton of swatches all around our room, we finally brushed one on that stood out from the rest.

It was a warm, glowy netural that didn’t throw any unexpected undertones. After it dried, I fully committed. We taped off our trim and this gorgeous paint brought new life to our room.

I grabbed a quick video of what the paint looked like in the can vs. on the wall and posted it to my TikTok. I quickly realized that finding a beautiful beige paint color was a common pain point for all of us, as the video soared from 1 million to 2 million to 3 million views — now heading for 4 mil!

As I read through the comments, there was a common thread from interior design lovers — “This looks great, but you know what would make it even greater? Color drenching.”

Having never color drenched a room before I did my research before proceeding. Painting a ceiling is no joke and especially not fun to do over again if you don’t like it. But the more I researched and scrolled Pinterest, the more confident I felt to take on the job.

After the kids went to bed, I got my long roller out and started painting. Stroke by stroke, I grew more and more positive that I’d be painting this back white within the week. It looked SO dark while the paint was wet (it was also dark outside), but I carried on. I was committed and this point, and needed to see the finished look in morning sun for myself. I not only painted the ceiling and crown molding, I painted the window trim and baseboards as well. The one bonus to color drenching — minimal taping required. But it’s definitely tedious to paint something like window trim. Multiple super thin coats is key.

I went to bed with neck pain, but when I woke up, what I saw made it all worth it! The room looked like a new space. My 8 foot-ceiling felt like a 10-foot ceiling. There was an immersive, high-end vibe that simply wasn’t there before. And right away, I understood what they hype was about color drenching.

Since then I’ve color drenched three other rooms in my home. I understand it’s not for everyone, but for us, it made a huge difference. Tell me honestly, did you like the before, or do you prefer the color drenched look?

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