Thursday, April 14, 2011

Living Room Tour

You've seen our newly remodeled Mud/Laundry Room and our hideous kitchen....now welcome to our cozy Living Room!


"Cozy," at least, is the look I'm going for :)  I don't necessarily have a style, but I want my family and friends to be able to feel comfortable and welcomed in my home.  It's a put your feet up on the table kinda place!
You probably remember from my kitchen that the previous owners of our house loved the color blue.  Like a lot.  So this "before" photo (taken at our home inspection) probably won't surprise you...


Clearly, it could be worse.  Some of you might even like the before better than the after, and that's okay.  But it's definitely not my style.  We were super thankful that the baseboards, chair rail and moulding had recently been painted white ~ the only room in the house where this was the case ~ the rest were hunter green, tan, and you guessed it....blue.  Here's what the same view (mostly) is looking like these days...
I love my Pottery Barn Adeline rug and Farmhouse Armoire....I know the cool thing to do is have a flat screen tv mounted on the wall, but I just really prefer a great piece of furniture that I can close the doors of and pretend the tv is not even there!

Although we added recessed lighting, we live in a shaded area and with a porch directly in front of the living room that blocks a lot of the sunlight, this room is still never too bright, so sorry about the lighting!  You have probably noticed on the walls the lack of many decorations, and that is for two reasons....one:  I like to keep things simple, and two:  it takes me sooo long to decide what to put up on my walls!!  One of the pictures I do have was a wedding present from my dear friend, Sonya!  I still love it, friend!!  (Sidenote:  Sonya and her friend have started an etsy shop.....be sure to check it out....maybe someday she will add some of her photography!)


Another "before" picture...


I didn't get the exact same view for the "after" shot, but here's a few from that side of the room...

Eventually I'd love to create a gallery wall above the couch, but for now my framed poppy poster from Michael's is working....even if I still think it's hanging a few inches too high. 

Another thing we'd like to do eventually is have a fireplace insert that is actually inside the fireplace and doesn't stick out...and hopefully one without any shiny bronze!  I do loooove my chair & ottoman ~ they are super comfortable and you'll never guess where I found them......Walmart!  Who knew?!

Continuing around the room...


My side table is also from PB.  Our couch and loveseat were bought at a turniture store when we were first married...probably not what I would pick today but they are neutral enough to work with anything!

You've probably noticed that I love Pottery Barn, and now I feel like my reputation as a frugalista is at stake!!  I want to mention that we do live near a PB Outlet, where we got our armoire for an incredible deal because of a few scratches.  The rug is from PB but I actually bought it on eBay, and the side table was bought with a combination of money I received for Christmas gifts and some really good sales & coupons!  And, this transformation took place over a course of several years - not one major shopping spree.  There, I feel better now.  Do I think something needs to be a famous brand name or cost a lot of money to look good?  Absolutely not!!  Case in point ~ our coffee table (pictured below with my remade cloche).



Made from reclaimed wood and purchased at one of our favorite antique/thrift stores for $20!!  I smile when I think about when I purchased it (over five years ago now) and the picture I must have been at 8 months pregnant trying to shove it into the backseat of my Dodge Neon.  :)  I love how uneven and imperfect it is....great for our young kids and we don't even need to use coasters!

Although it's not yet in it's perfect state, it's a comfy and warm place for our family.  I hope you enjoyed the tour of our living room!!



Linking up to a few of my favorites!

18 comments:

Meri said...

Wowzas that is a lot of blue in the befores! I love what you have done, the colors are so serene and definitely cozy!

Don't feel like you have to explain yourself about your PB stuff. There is nothing wrong with investing in good pieces of furniture. Along with my redone and remade thrift store stuff, I have a lovely Ethan Allen bed that I can't even claim that I got on sale! ;) lol

Alison Agnew said...

what a blue-licious before photo...yikes...love the after much more...your wall color is very similar to what we used in our upstairs/downstairs hall and i adore your rug and accent pieces...well done!

alison
stuff and nonsense

Kortney said...

Hey Ange! Love your blog, its so cute! :-) Your house looks great!!

Janelle Ganson said...

i love it pookie! :)

Unknown said...

Wow, that is a ton of blue! It looks SO much more calm and cozy now. The room actually looks bigger, too! Great job.

Jessica said...

You definitely accomplished "cozy"! I love the warm colors you used. Great change from the original blue :)

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Wow what a great transformation! It looks so much better. You did an excellent job!

Nicole@Thrifty Decorating said...

WOw...that was a lot fo blue! I love the colors that you picked....warm and inviting! It looks beautiful! :)

Dragonfliez Made said...

That was a BUNCH of Blue. I like blue, but not that much!

Love the cozy look you have going there. What color did you paint the living room? Look similar to Tobacco Road by Sherwin Williams which I just painted in my living room.

Visiting from remodelaholic

Carrie @ Hazardous Design said...

Man! That was a lot of blue! You did a great job transforming it. Now it looks like a room you'll enjoy spending a lot of time in :)

Jessica said...

I like it, definitely an after person here. :) Is that a swan on the mantle?

I think a gallery wall behind the couch would be great. I've always heard that hanging pictures 57" on center (the center of the picture, including frame, is 57" from the floor) is the "right" way to do it.

Rachael@Lovely Crafty Home said...

Looks very cozy indeed! HUGE improvement from the blue! Stopping by from TT&J

My Dream Canvas said...

This looks lovely, hope to see you at My Dream Canvas.

Anonymous said...

It looks SO MUCH BETTER!! I love the transformation. It looks so warm and inviting!

Jen said...

Okay, that blue is seriously RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-) What a crack-up! (I know we chatted the other night, but totally forgot to comment on the B-L-U-E room WOWZA!) YOUR ROOM NOW IS GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I love it. It makes the room look bigger. How do you keep your kids from touching that cheese dome???

Annie said...

Yes! That's the coffee table I had envisioned! I can't wait to open it up on my computer so that I can pin it on Pinterest!! Thanks!!!! Gorgeous! I hope you don't mind that I'm going to totally copy you. Hehe.

Unknown said...

I love your home's new look! The wall paint and the lighting is a perfect match. Did the previous owners have it inspected before you bought it? I hope they did, or at least you had it checked by property professionals first before you made a deal. It's a beautiful home and I hope it will stay that way for many years to come. Have a great stay!

Edwin Allen @Inspectitin Corporated

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