When I moved into my NYC apartment, I just kind of set everything up and left it there.

Does it function? Yes.

Does it make me happy? I mean…it doesn’t make me mad?

Does it bring me whimsy and joy when I need it? Hard no.

Well, one day, when I was in a bit of a slump, I just reached my breaking point.

Life is hard. The world feels heavy. And I needed to look around my home and feel JOY.

And beyond what my home looked like, I needed to do something for the sake of joy—something just for me. Something that wouldn’t benefit anybody else.

That day, in true ADHD-side-quest fashion, I kicked off Project: Living Room Whimsy.

And the rest is joyful, whimsical history.

Before and after. I mean…😍

It all started with a storage ottoman…

Listen, when I tell you my NYC apartment is small, I mean it is small. Especially with a family of five living entire lives within its walls. (Counting Chuckles, obviously.)

So it makes sense that this entire saga began with a storage ottoman.

I started out looking for a practical piece, probably because it benefited more people than just me, which let me ease into this whole “buying things for the sake of my joy” thing, which I’m still not completely comfortable with. (Working on it.)

But real ones know that no ADHD side quest starts and ends with the initial task. Oh no, friends. The ottoman was just the beginning. From there, I “Give a Mouse a Cookie’d” it (IYKYK), going from Pinterest to Etsy to Wayfair to Alice Lane like a monkey swinging from vine to vine.

It’s a cute storage ottoman, though, don’t you think?

Step one: Secure this cute ottoman from Anthropologie.

Step two: Photoshoot with Chuckles 📸

Next up:The picture frame TV

The next thing I wanted to do was get an actual frame for my picture TV, which had been living up to only 50% of its full potential for years.

In a late-night, Coke-fueled research session, I found somebody on Etsy who made vintagey ones that are just a little extra. Being me, I did the most, and sprung for the fanciest one. (But it had great reviews, okay?!) That set the vibe of vintagey.

I mean…look at this detail!

Let me tell you, when I got the frame up, it made such a difference, like on a soul level. 100 times a day, I used to walk past this big, black, uninspiring box hanging on my wall. Now, 100 times a day, I walk past one of my favourite things to look at in my apartment.

Whimsy ROI: 10/10 🤩

Then, I went down the rabbit hole of art for the frame TV. It comes with a few preset options, but I learned (through ADHD hyperfixation research) that many paintings you’d see at places like the MET are now in the public domain. And there are people on Etsy who’ve categorized and formatted them specifically for frame TVs.

I peeked through catalogues, found one with good reviews, bought it, and now it’s almost like going to a museum in my living room. I get to see art from all the different periods every day, without leaving my house.

Picture TV frame from Undine Gallery on Etsy

Picking art every day, like getting dressed, has helped my mood so much. I can match the art to my vibe, and it makes me feel good. It’s fun to pick as a family, and it’s really made a difference for me, this little choice I get to make for my decorations every day.

ISO: Plants I wouldn’t kill

One thing I know every design blog says is to include greenery in your home because it makes your space feel alive. But Josh has allergies to lots of plants, and was about to remember to water anything? No. So off I went down a fake plant rabbit hole.

Even though I wanted fake, I didn’t want anything that looked dumb. Nothing dollar store-esque. I searched every website and ended up finding one on Amazon, a Monsterra, that hangs down. So we have it hanging down in the corner, and it’s so pretty!

I also grabbed a ceramic vase and faux hydrangea stems from Alice Lane Home to decorate the ottoman. The green hue is glorious on the limelight flowers!

Not bad for fakes, right?

For the “big light” hater in me…

We also have these big, black sprinkler pipes hanging across our ceiling. (It’s an industrial vibe, where things are exposed.) I started thinking, How can I make that cute?

Originally, we thought greenery, but instead, we did fairy lights. It’s so easy—they just plug in. Josh stole borrowed a tall ladder from the basement to hang them. and now at night we turn the big light off, the fairy lights on, and it’s an instant mood setter.

Honest, I could have stopped here. The lights, plus greenery, plus the frame TV were enough.

But then…

Nothing tops unique and localart pieces

I stepped back to look at my living room and was like, “Okay, we have the plant on one side, but this wall needs more.” I thought about doing a gallery wall, searched Pinterest, and the one that caught my eye came from an article where the designer said 3D objects can be part of a gallery wall, and they had this little bench. I was instantly like YES!

We used to have this old lawn chair-looking thing for Chuckles to sit on. But I started thinking, what about a bench? Wayfair had a bunch I liked, and I ended up getting an “end of bed” ottoman with a little bit of texture. (I knew I couldn’t have too many more colors because I already have a pink and gold ombre rug, but I wanted texture to keep it intriguing.)

The reviews are in: Chuckles love it! He stretches out on it. His family is just as enthusiastic.

Then, I saw that a lot of people with these benches have pillows on them. It’s perfect! Instead of frames, I could just have pillows.

First, I checked Anthropologie, but before I bought, I decided to check Etsy, and I’m so glad I did! I found a vintage, needlepoint Cavalier pillow that looks just like Chuckles. I took a risk, and I love it. Creep the pillow in the photo above. (If you’re looking for decor things, please check Etsy! They have even more niche things that feel like you.)

Then, I wanted wall decor, and I stumbled upon this site called Wescover that had gold butterflies by ceramic artist Elizabeth Prince that took my heart right away. Some are white, some are covered in gold foil, and she stamps them with a pattern. They hang on a nail, and you can arrange them however you like. It was a big splurge, but it was so special, I got to support an artist, and I love them.

Gold butterflies by ceramic artist Elizabeth Prince

A room everyonecan live in

You’ve got to make your living room something everybody can be excited about. After all, it’s a family space, right?

We have sensory-seeking kids who love turning the living room into a jungle gym. We’d heard sensory swings could be good for them, so we got them one for Christmas. Finally, 3 months later, we had the margin to put it up.

I almost got it in blue, but I knew if it were blue, I’d want to take it down instantly. So I went with greige, because I thought it would bother me less, and I’m so glad I did, because it doesn’t bother me at all.

Now that it’s up (and it stays up), they sit in the swing and watch TV or play Minecraft together. It’s a calming place, and also somewhere they can get their wiggles out.

One last thing for me…

Before ending this quest, I wanted something for my room.

I have a lot of jewelry, some pieces I wear every day, and it’s all sitting in these different dishes. I wanted to display them, but not in an ugly way. Life’s too short. I ended up getting these old Italian wall hooks with roses.

Side note about me: I try to put roses wherever I can because my middle name was Rose, but when I got married, I made my last name my middle name, and took Josh’s last name, and I regret it. So, that makes these just a little extra special for me.

Italian rose hooks from ChicTrezures on Etsy & Pressed flower art

I also got this cute little catch-all bowl from Alice Lane Home for the mess that had become my side table. I love how unique it is with the red pop!

Before and after magic!

My advice: Find what you love. Not what’s trending.

Where something could be functional, if it can also be whimsical, or emotional, or tie you to an artist. Yes, you could do a command hook (or whatever), but just a teeny bit more googling or Etsying, you might find something that really reflects you and solidifies your style and your joy. And it’s worth the extra thought.

If you’re about to get a new piece, just bump around the internet a bit. Look at several. There might be a functional or visual aspect you really resonate with. And for something that’s going to be a big part of your life, it’s worth seeing what draws you out of that “function” mindset or pulls your heart.

And don’t just choose what’s trending or what someone else loves. Even if I’m that someone! I put links here for those who find joy in the same things I do. But I’d much rather you find things that speak to you than the ones I’ve chosen for me.

Find your version of joy and whimsy—at home and in your closet.

This ADHD side quest for whimsy got me thinking…

Don’t we all do this exact same thing with clothes?

Just like I set up my living room with a couch, TV, and table, and called it good enough, we all buy the pieces that “work” well enough. The ones that cover our bodies. Let us move with our kids. Meet the dress code. Don’t ruffle feathers at church. That kind of thing.

And don’t get me wrong—sometimes, that’s all we can or need to do. Like when budget or our season of life demands it, or our attention and intention are needed somewhere else more.

But if you’re here, I’m betting you’ve had that breaking point moment, like I did, where you looked around your closet (or in my case, the living room), and said, “I’m tired of functional. I want joy!” And I just want to tell you that it’s not selfish, materialistic, silly, or anything else that’s easily dismissed.

Because life is short. We get one go at this. And yes, it’s “just clothes” and “just decor,” but on the other hand, why shouldn’t we romanticize every little thing we can? Why shouldn’t we find joy in our closets? Why shouldn’t we see whimsy in our living rooms and dance in our kitchens?

This is why, even though this post is about what I added to my living room (and why I included links for those of you who I know are gonna ask 😘), it’s actually not about what I added to my living room at all.

Because interior decor, clothing, colors…they’re all just a vehicle for something bigger. For finding yourself. Expressing yourself. Loving yourself. Romanticizing your life.

It’s also why, when you’re not feeling yourself, these things can become a symptom of whatever is making you feel off or blah or distant from the version of you that you used to know and love hanging out with.

I hope that, if nothing else, this post inspires you to spend some time with that version of you—the one who gets excited about cute little rose-shaped wall hooks—because she really is beautiful. And she deserves joy, too.

XO🥂, Lindsey from Created Colorful

Hang out with us on Instagram! We talk colors, style, and we dance to club hits from the 2000s.

Adding Whimsy To My Living Room