I changed almost everything in our green family room this year. The sectional everyone loved? Gone. The red rug? Replaced. Even the layout that seemed so perfect got completely reimagined.

For the past 18 months, I’ve been slowly undoing decisions I was once completely sure about—and I want to tell you exactly why. This room has been a fan-favorite since I first shared it, so I know some of you might be wondering, What went wrong?

Nothing went wrong. But something shifted, and I want to bring you inside the entire evolution, including the doubts, the year-long searches, and the moment I knew the sectional had to go.

How I originally designed our family room

The Original Family Room Design

When I first designed this room in 2020 and 2021, I was obsessed with the idea of enveloping ourselves in green. I wanted the family room to feel like stepping into a garden, something that was lush, cozy, and a little moody. The green sectional was the anchor: oversized, incredibly comfortable, and a piece that created a tone-on-tone effect with the walls that I was really proud of.

I’m always drawn to tone-on-tone color combinations, be it in fashion or decor. So, of course, it felt like the perfect choice. The sectional could seat our whole family, the green-on-green moment was bold, and everyone who saw it loved it. For a while, I loved it too.

But as the months went on, I started noticing small things that bothered me. The way we always ended up facing the TV. How dark the room felt on overcast days. The fact that when friends came over, the sectional’s layout made real conversation feel… off. I tried to ignore it. I’d just designed this room! But the feeling didn’t go away.

The day our pink velvet sofa duo arrived, I knew I’d made the right call.

All the Changes I Made in Our Family Room

A Pink Velvet Sofa Set

I know some of you loved the sectional. Here’s why it had to go.

Replacing the sectional was the scariest decision I made this year. That sofa was the heart of the room. Everyone loved it, and I’d spent months choosing it. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the layout was all wrong.

I wanted a more formal seating arrangement that looked like this: two sofas facing each other, the kind of setup that nudges you toward actual conversation instead of zoning out in front of the TV. The sectional kept us isolated in our own little corners, always staring forward. This new layout completely changed how we use the space. Now, when we sit down, we’re facing each other. Game nights feel more communal. Conversations feel more intimate. It’s the single thing I love most about the updated room.

As for the color of the sofas, I was torn between tan and pink for months. The green-on-green had been beautiful, but it darkened the room significantly. I kept coming back to pink. It felt unexpected but somehow right for this space. Lighter, softer, but still bold enough to hold its own against the green paint color.

Large-Scale Artwork

It took 18 months to find this artwork.

I knew I wanted something large-scale for the wall behind the sofa, but I couldn’t find anything that felt right. I looked at hundreds of pieces. I’d save things to folders, come back to them weeks later, and feel nothing.

Then I found this abstract garden piece, and I had that instant recognition you get with art that’s meant for you. Even then, I didn’t buy it immediately. I waited until the sofas were confirmed. (What if the pink didn’t work? What if I changed my mind again?) But once they were ordered, I pulled the trigger.

The scale creates the perfect focal point, and the colors (the soft pinks, the greens, the organic shapes) bridge everything that’s already happening in this room. It was worth the wait.

A Pair of Petite Ottomans

These little guys are proof that small changes can completely shift the energy of a room.

I chose ottomans in this chintz floral pattern as a way to bring in lighter, brighter tones that balance all the richness of the green walls and pink sofas. They’re also incredibly practical: easy to move around, pull up to the sofa for extra seating, or use as footrests during movie nights.

The best part? Because they’re small, they’re low-commitment. If I get bored with the pattern in a year, swapping them out is easy. But for now, they’re perfect.

Patterned Rug

But there was one more problem I needed to solve… the red rug had to go.

I loved it when I first brought it in. It was bold, it added life to the space, and it felt like a statement. But once the pink sofas arrived, the red suddenly felt… wrong. Too much. Too… red. It was fighting with the green instead of complementing it.

I moved the red rug to the dining room and replaced it with this blue and green patterned rug, a vintage find from Chairish I had in another room in our home. With this shift, the family room instantly felt lighter and more cohesive. The blue and green hues pick up on the walls without being matchy-matchy, and the pattern adds visual interest without overwhelming the space. It’s one of those changes that seems small on paper but transformed how the whole room feels.

Coffee Table

The black oval coffee table is a placeholder, and I’m okay with that.

I actually thrifted a coffee table last spring—a beautiful handmade maple piece with the perfect shape—but I still haven’t decided on the finish. So for now, this black oval is holding down the fort. I like its organic shape, and its smaller silhouette creates better flow through the room (the old square coffee table was a beast).

But I’m excited for the day I finally commit to a finish and bring in the permanent piece. Sometimes you need to live in a space for a while before you know what it needs.

Piano Corner

One of my favorite additions to this room is something I never planned for: a piano corner.

Joe played as a kid, and Bennett has been asking to take lessons for over a year. Having the piano here has completely changed how we use this room. It’s not just a place to watch TV anymore. It’s where we practice in the afternoon, where we gather for impromptu sing-alongs, where the room actually sounds as good as it looks. Well, eventually it will. I got a keyboard with volume control, which is nice.

It’s a reminder that the best design decisions are often the ones you don’t plan for.

Our homes have to evolve with us. They evolve with how we actually use the space, not just how it photographs.

Why Rooms Are Meant to Evolve

If you’d told me two years ago that I’d replace almost everything in this room, I wouldn’t have believed you. This was my favorite space. I’d spent months getting it just right.

But here’s what I’ve learned: “Just right” is temporary. Our homes have to evolve with us. They evolve with how we actually use the space, not just how it photographs. The sectional was beautiful, but it wasn’t serving us anymore. The red rug was bold, but it stopped feeling right.

I used to think that changing your mind about design choices meant you’d made a mistake. Now I see it differently. It means you’re paying attention. You’re letting your space grow with you instead of forcing yourself to live in a room that no longer fits.

This family room will probably evolve again. Maybe in a year, maybe in five. And I’m okay with that. Life doesn’t stay frozen in time. Nor do our spaces. The ones that keep evolving, changing, and moving with the times? They’re the ones that keep getting better.

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Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.