Home Tour | Room for Tuesday’s Modern Classic Living Room

Designer Sarah Gibson of Room for Tuesday decided her formal living room—the place her family uses daily to unwind—could use an elevated design refresh.

Their home was a 1990s new build, with an exterior inspired off of classic Georgian Colonial architecture. However, the interior remained bland and builder-basic. As they’ve been renovating room-by-room, Sarah and her husband leaned into their traditional style for the foundational elements—adding much needed character and interest—knowing they will incorporate modern furnishings for an eclectic mix of modern-meets-classic. After knocking down walls, installing beams, updating the fireplace, and adding built-ins, they were ready to invest in quality furnishings that were durable, comfortable, and timeless. They turned to Maiden Home to find those pieces and, in keeping with the overall design of the house, chose modern, ultra-comfortable silhouettes with traditional detailing to reflect their unique style.

We chatted with Sarah recently about her traditional-meets-elegant home—where the perfect balance of romantic detailing, texturally luxe fabrics, and inviting silhouettes create a comfortable elegance that her family could enjoy.

Pictured above: The Carmine Sofa in Slate Blue Mohair with Charcoal finish paired with The Dune Chairs with Swivel in Alabaster Performance Chenille.

Pictured above: The Carmine Sofa in Slate Blue Mohair with Charcoal finish paired with The Dune Chairs with Swivel in Alabaster Performance Chenille.

Pictured above: The Carmine Sofa in Slate Blue Mohair with Charcoal finish paired with The Dune Chairs with Swivel in Alabaster Performance Chenille.

My home is actually a newer build (built in the 1990s), but in the style of a Georgian Colonial. I love the exterior architecture and have tried to use that as a guiding point for the interior renovation. My husband and I have slowly been renovating room-by-room, updating and replacing fixtures, finishes, and millwork as we see fit. My aesthetic skews toward updated traditional, a bit eclectic (because I love incorporating vintage pieces), and perhaps it even has a touch of grandmillennial mixed in. I try to incorporate interesting pieces we love, while keeping things comfortable, inviting, and designerly.

This past year really shifted the way we think about and use our home. My husband and I were both working from home for quite awhile, we were shifting furniture between our home and office, and our house felt like it was in a constant state of flux. It felt like the right opportunity to give a space we use everyday to unwind, our formal living room, a refresh. I wanted to invest in pieces that will be around for the long haul, are durable, comfortable, and will withstand the test of time.

I immediately fell in love with The Carmine because of the gorgeous shape. The rolled and pleated English arms really spoke to those traditional lines I love and incorporate throughout our home. The petite size was the perfect fit for my living room, and the Mohair fabric felt so luxurious. It’s really my dream sofa!

The Dune Chairs felt like the ideal seating option to flank the sofa because of their swivel function. You can either swivel in toward the sofa to hold a conversation, or in the opposite direction toward the fireplace for warmth. I was really looking for a chair that was super comfortable, that we could sink into after a long day and relax. The overall shape and fabric feels more casual, which is a nice contrast to The Carmine Sofa. The pairing really balances each other nicely.

As a designer, I know the importance of choosing the right fabric! I ordered lots of swatches to look at in my space, checked the specs for durability and the rub count. I wanted to land on a fabric that can withstand our two dogs (who love to jump on the furniture), all while fitting nicely with our existing color palette. Being able to touch, feel, and analyze the fabric in person is invaluable! I always order swatches. Eventually I landed on performance fabrics that are easy to clean and maintain. I went lighter on the chairs and selected a fun Slate Blue Mohair for the sofa. It’s a playful, but sophisticated fabric pairing that feels classic to me.

We’ve been spending even more time in our formal living room since our furniture arrived! The Dune Chairs may be the most comfortable chairs I’ve ever sat in—it truly feels like you’re sinking into a cloud. The Carmine Sofa is also very comfortable, but the aesthetic and Mohair fabric definitely takes the cake for me. It looks perfectly tailored and adds beautiful feminine lines to our living room, which were previously missing. This sofa checks all of my boxes and provides some much needed balance!

Pictured above: The Carmine Sofa in Slate Blue Mohair with Charcoal finish paired with The Dune Chairs with Swivel in Alabaster Performance Chenille.

I’ve always been interested in art, design, and pursuing creative outlets. As a teenager, I’d hoard piles of interior design magazines, and eventually went to school for design and began designing for clients. When it came time for my husband and I to purchase our first home, our small budget allowed us to buy a tiny foreclosed home that needed to be gutted and completely renovated. We decided to take the project on ourselves, and it really escalated from there. Since then we’ve renovated a few homes, have made a lot of friends along the way (thanks to my design blog, Room for Tuesday), and have recently opened up a shop to share our decor finds as a curated collection. My design, style, and place in the industry is ever evolving, but I love that I get to be creative on a daily basis, and each day looks different with new challenges.

My favorite part is definitely styling! At the end of the process, when everything arrives, you see your hard work and vision coming together. It’s one of those magical moments where you pull everything together, add the finishing touches, and step back to admire a vignette, room, or home that only existed in your brain months prior. Of course in my own home, I love living in the finished space as well. It really makes me appreciate and enjoy all of the hard work that goes into designing a room.

Pictured above: The Carmine Sofa in Slate Blue Mohair with Charcoal finish paired with The Dune Chairs with Swivel in Alabaster Performance Chenille.

Pictured above: The Carmine Sofa in Slate Blue Mohair with Charcoal finish paired with The Dune Chairs with Swivel in Alabaster Performance Chenille.

Switch things up! Don’t be afraid to move your furniture or floor plan around, swap pieces that are no longer working for you, put a fresh coat of paint on your walls, or even a simple restyling session can help to freshen a space. I swapped an area rug in our home and suddenly it feels like a brand new room… textiles are another easy trade!

Initially I was attracted to the furniture design, but upon further investigation, the quality, price point, and attention to detail is what sealed the deal. I love that everything is made here in the USA (in the furniture mecca of North Carolina, at that) by skilled tradespeople who have been building furniture for years. I received email updates of the entire construction process while my pieces were being built, and it felt so personal, all while keeping me in the loop during production. Maiden Home really bridges the gap between the consumer and access to quality, custom furniture.

I’ve been loving so many things lately: sculptural art, rich wood tones, pedestals, use of color, textile layering, and the continued use of natural materials like marble, mohair, wool, linen, and wood, to name a few. Usually I’m very inspired by traveling and we obviously haven’t been able to do that lately, so I pulled out old design books and print magazines that have felt really inspiring to me.

Sarah’s living room features The Carmine Sofa 80” Wide in Slate Blue Mohair with Charcoal finish, alongside two Dune Chairs with Swivel 32” Depth in Alabaster Performance Chenille. Discover our Maiden Home Sofa Collection and Chair Collection and order your set of complimentary swatches from our luxurious fabric assortment to start your own living room refresh.

Our pieces have been featured in some inspiring designer spaces—explore more home tours to get inspired for your space.