The McNay Project: Modern Coastal Living Room Reveal

Thank you Bassett Furniture for providing furniture to sponsor this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Today is THE DAY, y’all!

If you haven’t been following along on the McNay project, a few weeks ago, Robert and I got the itch to give our neighbors’ living room a facelift.

King and Heather are two very special people to us. King is a firefighter, Heather is a teacher, and both give so much to our community and our family.

The minute I saw their living room, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it because it was absolutely filled with character!

Those beams! Those planked walls! Those hardwood floors! All of those big windows!

They have a big heart for Charleston and the coastal life, so I really wanted to go in a light and bright coastal direction for them.

The difference is absolutely incredible!

We reached out to Bassett Furniture at the start of this project because I know the 100+ year legacy of their company is unmatched for quality and durability, and their furnishings are made right here in the U.S. with factories in Virginia and North Carolina.

(We wanted to hook up King and Heather with the good stuff.)

Bassett Furniture was so kind to provide the gorgeous chaise sofa, leather recliner, coffee table, and end table so that we could take on the rest.

We spent several days painting the tongue and groove wall paneling in Behr Polar Bear, and even though it was a challenging job, it was absolutely worth it.

The Layout

Since it’s such a narrow room that serves dual purposes as an office for Heather, we broke up the layout into two sections so that the far side could be designated just as a work space.

Decorating Around the TV

We framed out the TV with sketches of Charleston, Columbia, and Wyoming (King’s home state) alongside a couple of plug-in wall sconces since there was no hardwired ceiling light.

It was such a simple change just adding those few things around their existing console table.

The Furniture

We incorporated this gorgeous Davenport chaise sectional sofa from Bassett in Texture Navy that is so comfortable, I’m convinced we need one for our house.

I styled it with this textured white pillow and blue print pillow and a cozy gray blanket for the cooler fall temps. This floor lamp serves as some much needed lighting for the perfect reading spot.

This Magnificent Motion chair in buttery soft Leather Sierra Toast is the coolest recliner I’ve ever sat in.

It looks like a stationary club chair, but it power positions in every way you can imagine with the touch of a button and even has Bluetooth control capabilities.

For a little texture, we included this rustic Verona coffee table. It has deep drawers on two sides for ample added storage.

And this Bella side table provides some storage in easy reach along with a hidden power strip with USB ports as a charging station for devices.

The navy in the sofa works so perfectly with this marsh painting that King and Heather had created by a local artist of the spot where Heather used to play as a child. And this gray and blue rug ties it all together.

The Storage

Since Heather does a lot of grading and lesson planning at her heirloom desk handed down by her grandmother, she needed a designated work space with storage options.

They absolutely hated these tiny squatty closets that had such small doors (and a wet bar from the 1960s inside), they could barely access the shelves. The window seat was more a hinderance than a help.

So Robert cut open the closet doors to turn the closets into built-in shelves and ripped out the window seat to make space for the desk in the window niche.

I decorated the shelves, but Heather has plenty of storage options there now for books and bins of supplies if she ever needs them later.

King and Heather love vibrant paintings of some of their favorite places, and this piece is one of their most treasured from their collection. So we put it right above this accent cabinet I painted in Fusion Mineral Paint Sterling so that she would have a place for a printer and any other items in easy reach.

I kept all of the other items in the space neutral to highlight the painting they love so much.

The Details

For all of the little accents, I wove in a few beachy textures like this rattan tray, wooden beads, and oyster shell dish.

This little air plant placed on top of a couple of books feels right at home.

For the shelves, I discovered a couple of antique round baskets and urns that reminded me of the Straw Market in Charleston.

And I framed a couple of my coastal art printables.

I cannot get over the transformation!

It really is like someone turned on the lights, and those natural beams can now shine in all of their gorgeous glory!

Bassett Furniture has professional designers on hand who offer a variety of design consultation appointments via in-store visits, virtual online appointments, or website chats to help anyone bring their dream piece or dream room to life.

And until October 18th, Bassett is hosting a Founder’s Event to save 25% on furniture and rugs.

We are so grateful to King and Heather for letting us invade their house and take over their living room. But more importantly, we’re thankful for all they do every day for others.

“Our homes should inspire us to go out into the world to do great things and then welcome us back for refreshment.” – Melissa Michaels