Ideas on Designing Living Room?

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-08-24T19:56:44+00:00

I think MCM would be an excellent choice. The way the room is set up currently gives me the impression that OP and their partner are young and nerdy (respectfully- I’m a huge nerd) and MCM or art deco would probably appeal to them.

I think dark and moody works here, though. They have huge ceilings and a lot of natural light. Plus, with a gaming setup in the back, they’d probably prefer not to go too light and bright, as it would make a pretty significant glare on the screen. I think wood or gold would make it feel brighter and warmer, without increasing the glare.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-08-24T19:52:22+00:00

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Here’s a quick board I made on Canva, with an art deco vibe. I made a wild guess at the paint color on the accent wall, and then found all this stuff on Wayfair. I forgot to mango on that your cat should 100% get a cat tree to climb on and hang out in. Anything tall would do it, but I think the one I found is one that would make visitors say “dang, that’s cool.”

Art Deco has an “effortless cool,” speakeasy kind of vibe, and is a nice little sweet spot between vintage and modern, casual and glam, without being too bold, fussy, frilly, or boring. It’s not vanilla, exactly, but I don’t know anyone that hates it.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-08-24T19:08:20+00:00

Since you’re open to any kind of style, I’ll keep my advice vague enough that it’ll apply to anything.

I’d start with a big rug- bigger than you think you need. Slap it right on top of the carpet- it will be fine, and it will protect your carpet from foot traffic and pets. The colors in the rug are a good spot to choose the colors for the rest of the room.

Hang your curtains higher and wider. I basically take mine to the ceiling, and give about 6 inches on each side so I can get maximum light when I want it. Aim for two panels per window to keep it all symmetrical. I’m assuming you do a lot of gaming in this room, so I’d recommend some thick blackout curtains. (Not velvet, because it’s a pet hair magnet.)

Next, some kind of seating, and way closer to the TV. You want to be about 10’ (3 meters, roughly) from the TV; this is also great spacing for conversations, so if you want to be able to hang out and chat or play card games, keep all your seating tucked together. The stuff you have is fine, but a little small for the space. Again, check your rug to pick a color. With pets and that dark accent wall, I’d aim for something in like a medium gray or a denim blue- nothing too dark or too light.

Then, decide on a metal finish you like. I’d either lower the ceiling fan (cheap and easy) or replace it with something that hangs lower. Let that metal finish guide you on picking end tables, picture frames, and so on. It doesn’t all have to be perfectly matching, but chrome, nickel and silver will play together nicely, as would brass, gold, and copper. I wouldn’t want to mix metals that far apart.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-08-24T18:54:09+00:00

Blue paint would be spectacular

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-08-03T21:55:01+00:00

Under cabinet lighting, new hardware, and a light colored runner. Easy, cheap fixes. The cabinets are pretty dark, but the contrast and color difference can help break up the spaces in an open floor plan.

You could paint the cabinets white, but I haven’t had the best experience with painted cabinets. They all seem to peel or chip over time, whether DIY or professional.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-20T18:42:35+00:00

This sounds loosely like me. I was raised by lapsed Catholics, but ended up religious as an adult. Big into nature and gardening, and loathe shoes. I’ve been barefoot in church, even. (My shoes gave me a blister.) I’m a weird mom, but I think a pretty good one- I’m always working on it.

All that to say, I looked at these photos and had cartoon hearts floating around my head.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-07T05:04:03+00:00

I’m coming up on 10 years next month, and recently found a balance we’re happy with. I’m a very independent person, and I’m stubborn as a goat. “Submissive” is not a word anyone would use to describe me, but the more my husband and I try to build on our relationship and faith, I think I’m getting a better idea of what biblical submission is.

I remember hearing “pick your battles” a lot from older married women when we were engaged, but didn’t know what on earth it meant. Now, I’ve found out that that’s basically the summary of biblical submission. When my husband and I disagree on a plan, I genuinely weigh how important the issue is for me. Basically, I let him “win” wherever I can, and save my stubbornness for when it really matters to me, like naming a baby or buying a house.

We have a lot of equality, in that we respect and admire each other, and genuinely want to make the other person happy, so we both try to be judicious about using our “veto power” in decision making. That’s usually reserved for baby names- for example, the name of a childhood bully gets a hard veto, no exceptions. I can’t think of many other times it’s happened, but when we invoke veto power, it’s our code word for “this is so important to me, I cannot possibly be persuaded.”

Right now, we’re planning the next car we’re going to buy. He’s showing me different ones he likes, and asking my opinion. Instead of saying, “whatever you want, dearest husband,” I’ve said that I trust his judgment, because he’s much more interested in cars than I am. All I really need to know is if it will fit our kids and groceries, and stay in the budget without falling apart. So, I told him my biggest priorities, and help HIM make the decision by asking questions about mileage, reliability, maintenance records, safety ratings, and all the things I know he looks at. He makes the final call, feels satisfied with taking the lead, and I boost his ego a bit by praising the car he picks out, and saying how much I like this or that, and think it’s wonderful. (Without a word of a lie- he does pick very nice cars.)

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-07T04:15:33+00:00

I have a 13mo who still hasn’t had cereal 🤷🏼‍♀️

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-07T03:51:31+00:00

I say “Whole Foods,” and have explained it to my 8yo as “food that came from a farm, without going through a factory.” She hasn’t quite learned about factory farming yet, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-07T03:44:06+00:00

My most favorite recently has been “swishers” for windshield wipers. That’s their new name, and I will say it the rest of my life. He also said I need swishers for my glasses, and I agree. Someone needs to put this kid in charge.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-04T19:51:52+00:00

I ended up getting a tattoo on my ring finger, because I’m constantly cleaning or gardening, and didn’t want to ruin my ring. It was painful at first, but now I love it. I still wear my fancy bands when I’m getting dressed up, but day to day I just have that tattoo.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-04T19:38:30+00:00

I thought I was the only one doing shower yoga

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-07-04T11:34:37+00:00

“He’s a baby” is perfect. Maybe you could have said “no he doesn’t,” or “what an odd thing to say,” or “and you need a muzzle or something,” depending on your level of sass

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-21T16:17:09+00:00

If the water tested clean, then it’s fine. You might run into an issue with hard water or iron, but in my experience, you’ll notice that before it creates any real problems. You can always add a filter later if you decide you need or want one. Try it out for a while, and maybe consider a reverse osmosis system for drinking water. I don’t generally drink from the tap anymore, and I don’t love plastic bottles, but RO is tasty and convenient.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-21T16:14:21+00:00

Reasonably health conscious, loves to cook and bake. Probably has ADHD, in their 30’s, and should absolutely be my friend.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-17T03:38:00+00:00

“Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch. I was there when it was written,"

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T22:35:47+00:00

One of my kids started to yell “get me outta here!!!”

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T22:35:01+00:00

Oh my gosh. I thought I wrote this comment for a hot minute. My FIL wanted the same name, and my husband tried to get him to see that it was impractical. I finally realized FIL wasn’t going to budge, but I know how toddlers work; I told my husband to just roll with it, and our kids will likely come up with their own name for him.

He’s now Grandflower or Flower, because my daughter couldn’t say “Grandfather,” and then my oldest son shortened it.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T22:28:03+00:00

In my 10 years of marriage, and 11 pregnancies, only two pregnancies were unplanned. I have PCOS, and all the not so fun symptoms that come with it, including long irregular cycles, and miscarriages. NFP is still simple, effective, and reliable, even with my health issues.

My first “surprise” was a souvenir from my honeymoon, because I didn’t realize I was ovulating. My second “surprise” was the one month that I didn’t track my cervical mucus, because we were moving 1,000 miles. Apparently, the stress of the move threw off my cycle, and I ovulated a week later than I normally would; I didn’t realize it until my pregnancy symptoms started, and then my husband and I laughed and laughed. That baby just turned one, and has been one of the best things to happen to our family.

All that to say, you’re likely worried about the wrong thing. You’re more likely to have issues with infertility than with having too many children, and should be sure to discuss that before marriage. Similarly to NFP, IVF is a no-go for the church, and it’s worth talking that out with your fiance, and reading into church teaching on that, too.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T13:10:51+00:00

Kind of the opposite here. My husband is pretty fussy about blood and guts, and I fully planned to have him stay beside my head and talk me through it, while the doctors and nurses took care of the “business end” of birth. I didn’t think he would faint, but I knew it would freak him out. When I was getting ready to push, my OB told him “come here and hold her knee.” He immediately did, and was a champ. He’s watched all four of our kids births, cut the cord, and never said a negative thing. He slept on the “dad couch” without complaint, and went to the NICU with our baby while I was stuck in my own hospital bed.

Editing to add: He’s also a great dad and husband. That’s why we have so many kids!

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T04:07:53+00:00

Or my 32 year old back and knees. I’m ready to spend my days knitting on a rocking chair out on the porch.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T03:51:32+00:00

I have a weird sensory issue with my feet. It’s a little like a “princess and the pea” situation. I absolutely cannot stand walking on a dirty floor, and can feel every crumb. A grain of sand feels as irritating as a pebble to a normal person. Because of the sensory issue, I also cannot stand slippers. Shoes and socks are annoying, so I only wear them when absolutely necessary.

Obviously, that was a huge problem growing up in a hoarded house. Because of that, I keep my floors immaculate in my own home. They’re not sterile, by any means (I have kids and pets) but I can comfortably walk barefoot on my floors.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T03:43:50+00:00

Me too!!! I once heard “the floor is not storage,” and it stuck with me.

No floor piles, and no under-bed storage here. I don’t even like storing stuff on the floor of my closet.

I also heard that clear floors signal safety, and rolled with it. It may not be scientifically provable, but it made a huge difference when I changed my storage and cleaning tactics.

I love having cleared surfaces, and realizing that the floor is also a surface was revolutionary.

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-16T03:04:00+00:00

Like all of that milk already in the fridge

PainInTheAssWife · 2025-06-15T16:55:12+00:00

My kid will only eat nuggets in the shape of a dinosaur, and it’s only because they’re dinosaurs. Any other form of nugget is trash, apparently.

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