I have been puttering around the house this past week…adding a few more bits of spring to our main floor, planting spring flowers here and there, and adding a few new pillow covers. As I’ve been fluffing and freshening, I’ve also been thinking about renaming our little “living room” the keeping room.

Doesn’t that just sound more charming? I first heard the term “a keeping room” years ago, and it instantly reminded me of how we use this space and the reasons behind our renovation of our main floor (which I’ll talk about below).

I’ll share some of my recent spring updates in this post, including some new affordable pillows and a darling and practical idea for my dining bench, so scroll down to see!

PS I put a lot of my favorite spring Amazon decor here in my Amazon Storefront, and I continue to update my Spring Shop as I stumble upon other things I think you’d be inspired by.

A small keeping room for spring, and every season

Homes & Gardens defines a keeping room as “a small, cozy space off the kitchen for guests, family, and friends to relax and socialize before dinner is ready to be served. A room connected to the kitchen so the host isn’t cut off while cooking — but separate enough to keep a bit of the kitchen chaos at bay.”

The name itself, a keeping room, comes from the idea of “keeping” the household together. I love that.

In the colder months, we’re definitely drawn here for the fire! I love sitting here even alone, drinking my coffee in peace with the fireplace to keep me warm.

Historically, keeping rooms were common in early American homes where families gathered in the warmest room of the house (usually near the fireplace) during the long winter months. It was where conversations happened, where children played at their parents’ feet, where the ordinary rhythms of daily life were kept close to the warmth of the fire.

And while it may be the coziest place to gather in winter, I think a keeping room can be just as special in spring.

This little room continues to draw us to it.

In spring and summer, we open the doors to let in fresh coastal air or to walk out to the tiny porch, to watch a sunrise or sunset on the water.

It’s still where we sit before and after dinner, where grandbabies and pups play around our feet, a room where we “keep” family close.

Closeness is a part of having a small room and home, but it’s more than that. Rooms can invite us to linger and enjoy all of the seasons together.

The proximity to the kitchen and dining room make it an even more inviting place to gather for the people we love.

Swapped the kitchen and dining room

When we renovated our main floor, we didn’t add on at all! We did our best to work within the existing footprint, making each of the three small rooms feel “connected” and functional as a whole, without losing the warmth and charm of each room.

You can see in this “before and after post” how we swapped the kitchen with the dining room to create a better traffic flow between rooms and added a few thoughtful details that make it function beautifully for our family, and still feel cozy for the two of us. Here’s the kitchen reveal post, and a renovation floor plan we shared before we began the project.

Added seating and storage in small spaces

One of the things we did in the renovation was add this bench seat in our dining area, which maximizes space both in seating and storage!

You might remember our bench seat cushion was a “simple DIY solution” when we renovated, to buy us time to have a bench cushion made. Our DIY no-sew cushion has served us well for the past couple of years!

I usually swap out the “cover” with different blankets (I simply wrap them around the cushion, nothing fancy!) but for spring I tried this tablecloth and I love it…the tassel trim is adorable. Easy to wash, too, after the grandbabies are here :).

Created visual connections

Now that our dining room and living room are more connected, it’s fun to mix and match pillows and patterns between the rooms. This makes the overall space feel coordinated visually like one room, but with the furniture arrangement they feel cozy and special on their own.

I got a few new affordable pillow covers for spring. I picked up this pair of sweet floral covers and this set of a block print pattern—each finished with the cutest striped ruffle trim. I loved how they looked so much that I bought one more set in a green. They mix and match beautifully with the pillows I already have and feel perfectly springy, yet versatile enough to use all year long. 

Designed flexibility between rooms

Since this room is more connected to our dining room/kitchen, it means family can wander between rooms, with plenty of room for everyone to have different conversations.

And we can expand seating or tables into either space for playing games, dining or gathering!

Now our main floor functions as one large room, or two or three cozier spaces with distinct purposes.

The renovation really made our small home work well for us, without adding on!

Would you like to hear or see more from our renovation? I’ve shared some of the decisions we made for our kitchen in videos in our HomeBody membership, and I may add new ones so I can answer more questions and show you more details!