Emily Henderson's recently redesigned 1930s living room includes a $15,000 couch – we've found where to shop the iconic pieces and how to find the style for less

We all love a transitional space, and Emily Henderson's most recent living room renovation is a lesson in blending styles and mixing old and new. The home is a 1930s gem, with a ton of character and original features. The owners, Emily's friends, brought her in to advise on the finishing touches, the furniture, and the decor, and she, of course, chose perfectly, working with the existing style and architecture to bring color and character.

All the pieces are beautiful, the green leather rug (yes leather, and we have found the exact one), the statement stone coffee table, and most notably that gorgeous blue velvet sofa. We did some digging to source the couch too, and found it's a piece designed by Sarah Sherman Samuels and retails at a sweet $14,900 – an investment piece for sure, so we also did some digging for some chic alternatives too.

Taking to Instagram in a tour of the whole transitional living room, Emily explains, 'This house is 1930s and very traditional, but their style is not, it's edgy, cool, and modern.' Let's have a closer look at the space, and the iconic pieces and styles that create this unique look.

Despite the traditional architecture of the living room, Emily has acknowledged the owners' unique tastes that draw upon the eclectic interior trend.

Emily has a fearless design approach that strays from classic transitional design rules. She explains, 'We have wild colors and a lot of edgy lighting, but they are really good choices.' She goes on to explain a bit of background – her friends started the room's renovation and 'made a ton of decisions without me, and brought me in when they needed help. Some of the decisions they made were good, like this Farrow & Ball wallpaper. I wouldn't have chosen it, but it's awesome.' The print is bold yet subtle in color, making it a fun choice that suits the transitional style of the living room.

'Where I came in is with the furniture and decor as that's my favorite thing to shop for,' Emily continues. And this is where that beautiful sofa comes in as the starting point for the rest of the furniture. 'We started with this sofa by Sarah Sherman Samuel. Once we decided on the sofa, we thought, what about the rug? We thought it's a pass-through room, so you need something really durable. I found this green leather rug that is basically indestructible.'

To balance the room, a large coffee table was the right choice. Emily explains 'We needed a massive coffee table (which by the way there are not nearly as many big coffee tables on the market as there should be). It's a table that you can spread apart or put back together if you want a simple rectangle.' Emily chose the Soho Home Gia Coffee Table Set, as she says it is huge, essentially two coffee tables in one.

Moving to the living room lighting, Emily explains, 'They didn't have a fixture up here and it's a pretty wide room with these low ceilings, so I found this insane fixture that's still really shallow so it works for the lower ceilings.' Emily added the Stamp Triple Floushmount from The Urban Electric Co, which is a statement, without being a super long pendant, which just wouldn't work with the lower ceilings you often find in this era of home.

Although the room doesn't follow a typical transitional color scheme, which tends to focus on a lot of neutrals, it still feels balanced and not overwhelming.

Shop the look

Emily's choices for this living room are luxe and incredible quality, hence the steeper price tag, but we have also included some more affordable options along with pieces found in the space, all of which will create a colorful, characterful but really sophisticated space.

This living room is a lesson in blending styles, shapes, colors, and patterns, and yet with so much going on, the space feels very chic and cohesive. Each piece of furniture is a focal point in itself, and none of them compete. As Emily says, 'We have a lot of things going on; blue velvet, rust velvet, green leather, marble, and wallpaper. It seems wild but it's so beautiful when you're in this room. It's an incredible vibe.'