'The sofa doubles as an obstacle course': Mum-of-three Carla shares her cosy but stylish living room

Carla’s living room is designed to work for her entire family.

EACH WEEK, WE ask an Irish person with a passion for interiors to share one photo of their favourite spot in their home.

Carla and her partner Clive moved into their self-build home in Co Wicklow with their three children two years ago.

“I developed an interest in interiors while going through the building process and planning the layout of our home,” she says.

This week, Carla (@claritywhispers) filled us in on her favourite space in her home: her living room.

cof Carla Kavanagh / Instagram Carla Kavanagh / Instagram / Instagram

What do you love most about this part of your home?

The living area in our open-plan room is the heart of our home. This is the space where the whole family can chill and relax after a long day playing or working. You’d usually find me snuggled up right in the corner of the sofa, which also doubles as an obstacle course for the boys some days!

What was your inspiration when you were putting the space together?

I take a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram. They are great tools to use to help create a mood board for whatever room you are looking to work on. You can literally find any style of decor you can imagine to help get your own ideas flowing. I tend to lean to a more Scandinavian, rustic style, though.

Talk us through some of the objects in the photo.

The first item is the large corner sofa from Ikea. It’s cosy and practical – it has removable covers, which is a must with our two younger boys! The curtains are also from Ikea, with inner voile panels from Penneys. They are usually always open but on sunny days it’s nice to pull the voiles closed and enjoy the soft glow in the room.

I have a mixture of cushions from H&M, TK Maxx and Wish. The rug was a great buy from TK Maxx. Most of the prints I bought online from Desenio and the frames are from Ikea.

How well does this photo reflect the rest of your home?

I really love Scandinavian style and I am a big fan of the living the ‘hygge’ life. It is important to me to create a livable and functional space that’s cosy and welcoming. Your home is your sanctuary, after all. There are rooms in our home that are still very much a work in progress, however I do feel this picture reflects our home very well.

Be honest: how much tidying did you do before taking this photo?

There was quite a bit of tidying before I took this photo, I won’t lie! I’m one of those people who just tidies the space I am photographing while having a pile of clutter behind me. You would have more chance of finding me with a paintbrush in my hand than a sweeping brush.

If anyone compliments my Instagram account I feel the need to state that my house is pretty messy in real life and not to be fooled by what you see online.

Do you have a spot in your home that you’re particularly proud of? Do you enjoy styling the different rooms in your house? Are you always adding and changing little things to make your space stand out? If so, we want to hear from you! Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your home for a chance to feature in My Home in One Photo.