How to Style Your Living Room and Home Office Like a Blogger
For Jessica (jessicabrigham.com), morning means a latte on her tufted velvet sofa (which she’s dubbed “Blue Wonder”) and quality time with her dog, Murphy. (Not pictured: cats Marla and Sylvester.)
Photography by David A. Land
"All you need is a paintbrush and a nail gun," says Connecticut-based Jessica Brigham, a photographer by day and a talented DIY decorator by night. With her trusty tools, a little elbow grease, and her endless energy for hunting down deals at thrift stores and on Craigslist, she turned the 1934 Craftsman bungalow that she bought with her husband, Christopher—their closing was two days before their wedding!—into a vibrant, personality-filled home.
The transformation didn't happen overnight. Two and a half years after they moved in, Jessica painted an upstairs bedroom indigo and became a moody-color enthusiast. She then started pinning ideas for an emerald-hued home office. After debating for a year, she finally pulled the trigger on Benjamin Moore’s Hunter Green for the walls, which kick-started a full room redo. She ditched her old desk and bookcase, then got to work making a space-saving wall-mounted storage unit with supplies from the Home Depot.
Jessica runs her photo business out of her home office, which was inspired by old library designs. She rediscovered that tiny mid-century desk, which she used as a kid, in her mother’s basement. The leather chair is by West Elm.
Photography by David A. Land
At around the same time, the tides began to turn in the adjoining living room. Jessica fell hard for a big blue sectional by Article that anchored the space, then gave the walls two coats of white.
Photography by David A. Land
Wood details and a dark sofa help ground the airy living room, while a jute rug adds texture underfoot.
Photography by David A. Land
“I never met a plant I didn’t like,” Jessica says of her collection, which includes air plants, succulents, and a 65-year-old cactus she found at an estate sale and named Myrtle.
"Our living room is a wild child. White walls make the best blank canvas for colorful accents."
Photography by David A. Land
