A 1-Day Room Makeover for a Family Following Their Passion

This post is sponsored by The RoomPlace.

There are times when we’re fortunate enough to help problem solve, makeover and be hands-on for our friends’ and families’ rooms. Today, we’re sharing one of those rooms! We couldn’t be more proud to team up with The RoomPlace, a Chicago-based home goods store with brick and mortars across Illinois and Indiana – and web specials available across the country (with free shipping!). When they asked us if we’d like to team up for a room refresh, we thought, let’s do you one better.

A quick note: Our local The RoomPlace location is Lincolnwood Town Center, but there are also locations in Peoria and Dayton, Ohio for any of our friends in those areas! You can also see all their locations right here.

Meet Nithin + Rachel

We shared with them the story of our friends Nithin and Rachel and their 1-year-old daughter Tavi, who is arguably in Lucy’s top 5 favorite people (only slightly behind the grandpas and, hopefully, us). Easy to love, they’re a happy-go-lucky family that we feel fortunate to have in our lives. Recently, Nithin took a leap – a leap we’re all too familiar with – and left the corporate world to follow his passion. Music! For more than 20 years of his life, Nithin has taught music and toured the world as a drummer and bass player, but he ultimately left it behind to join the corporate world. Now, he’s going back to his roots by teaching children and adults alike to play the drums using a proprietary approach he refers to as Limb Autonomy. Says Nithin:

“Playing drums and teaching it to others has always come to me naturally, providing me with an unparalleled sense of joy and fulfillment.”

I remember the day that Nithin told us he’d be pursuing teaching music full time. We celebrated! 2020 is going to be your year!, we said. It’s been a handful of weeks, and he’s already surpassed his projected student count. There’s something incredible about seeing your friend do The Thing that makes them truly happy, and we’re in complete awe. (And not just because we don’t have a musical bone in our body, but there’s that, too!)

Let’s Do a Room Makeover!

There was just, um, one thing. He’s teaching from home, in a small room off of the finished basement. The basement has been mostly bare bones for as long as they’ve lived in their home, with the exception of a corner filled with Tavi’s toys and a hand-me-down sofa. Do you see that door in the photo below? It leads to the music room:

Lounge + Playroom| Before

Ideally, the large space outside that music room door would act as a waiting area for parents, a compact stage for small recitals and, well a family room for Nithin, Rachel and Tavi. It also needed to remain Tavi’s play area – oh, and bonus points if we could squeeze in an empty sliver for their daily yoga! Let’s face it: That’s a big job. But we knew that we could fulfill every need on their wishlist using furniture solutions from The RoomPlace!

Lounge + Playroom | After

On the television wall, the media console left cords and electronics exposed, but we knew the right console would tidy that right up. Let’s do another before and after, because isn’t that the best part?

Media Wall | Before

Media Wall | After

The Waiting Area / Family Room

Striding the line between a comfortable family room and a waiting room for young students’ parents had us stumped at first. When you think of a waiting room, maybe you see a row of stiff chairs, stacks of magazines and table lamps? But when we gave it further thought, we realized: A waiting room doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, but it does have to be functional.

We paired the 6-piece Charlotte sectional with a pair of Elwyn taupe tables – one on each end for drinks and snacks, which features a small drawer (perfect for tucking away remotes and notepads). Deciding on the sectional configuration was a fun challenge, but we finally landed on a U-shape, offering up both conversation and comfort. A bonus for leaving the floor open: Should Nithin hold a recital, each sofa section can be repositioned in a long row, leaving a small stage for the students!

For parents that need to bring along younger children, we sprinkled small stuffies and childrens’ books around, too! Having Tavi’s play area nearby is another perk.

A Calming Corner

It’s no doubt that we needed to incorporate a musical element into the space, and this private, calming corner was the perfect place for it. We hung Nithin’s bass guitars on the wall and rolled out his yoga mat on the floor, and we DIY-ed large canvas art using sheet music from Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” which – fun fact! – was Nithin and Rachel’s wedding song! (Really, how cute are they?)

Maximizing the Media Wall

The media wall simply needed to be tidied up. We loved the fun shape of this Hudson & Canal floor lamp, and it gives off the best ambient glow! It’s a great budget buy, but I personally like that there’s a satisfying pull chain to turn it off; no frustrating foot pedals to mess with.

Nithin and Rachel have a fuss-free media set-up, consisting of not much more than a television and Xbox. There is more than enough storage in the Dimplex console, which is finished in a handsome warm, dark gray. I found a box filled to the brim of vintage art books that once belonged to Rachel’s grandma – be still my heart! Those are mostly hidden behind closed doors, but I opted to display board books in the open for sweet Tavi.

Adding Softness + Texture

Last but not least, can we talk about this rug? Oh my, the rug. It’s absolutely stunning! And thick. And soft. So soft! The deep navy base makes that sectional sing, and we couldn’t have planned how nicely the warm creams and taupes played off of the wall-to-wall carpet and wall color. We peppered in blue, moss and silver pillows along with a few of the homeowners’ own decor, and gosh, it feels meant to be.

The entire room took 1 day to whip into shape, and their reaction was priceless! (I’ll have to share more in Stories, be on the lookout!) Tavi immediately scooped up her stuffie, and Mom and Dad were absolutely thrilled. We’re so happy that we could do this for them, but even happier that this family is following their hearts.

Thank you to our sponsor The RoomPlace, who helped us bring this room to life for a family we love. This room features the Charlotte sectional, Surya rug, Elwyn end tables, Dimplex media console and Hudson & Canal floor lamp.

PS: If you’re in the Chicagoland area, between the age of 1-100 and are interested in drum lessons, you can reach out to Nithin here!