Room Planning: Living Room Step 1

Everyone loves a good before and after.

Today, I wanted to touch on alittle bit of decorating for your home. One of the most frequently asked questions that I get... is "I don't where to start, where do you start?" So, I thought it would be helpful when I started the task of revamping our front room to be more family friendly, less formal... and more livable to document that here on the blog. So, if you're wondering where to start, I will be doing a series of blog posts building on each other to get you to a completed it's never complete if you're me room.  Or at least a room you can feel good about :-)

You walk into our front door which is below to the left and you are greeted by almost like a row style home. Very long and narrow... but VERY open concept. We have real oak floors in a natural finish and the front window usually lets in alot of light, especially in the mornings. Before, we had a couch we purchased second hand sitting against the major wall to the right and some odd chairs throw into the mix with left over side tables. It was not even remotely close to my style. I purchased that french chair with the hopes of recovering it....and as you can see, I started tearing it apart and took a long break. There's a mis-mash of styles going on in this photo and at this point, I was looking for something for the wall above the couch... something large and that spoke to me.

The couch with the chaise in this room was not working for me so we sold it on a local yard sale page for basically what we had in it...and off to Ikea we went. We picked up two Ikea Jenny Lund Chairs and the loveseat... only,  on the way out of Ikea...I thought I should check Craigslist one last time to make sure none of these items were on there that we could possibly save some money by buying second hand from another family. Low and behold, an Ektorp loveseat had been posted late the night before for a fraction of what we were going to pay new. We basically threw that couch back into its section and left with only our chairs and new covers in tow for the new loveseat/chairs. 

The french chair will be getting recovered and will find a new home at my mama's house. We are completely starting fresh in this room...and if I don't love it, as in gasp when I see it or just HAVE to have it, I don't need it. Folks, that's how you know you really love something. When your heart beats alittle faster when you see it or you just can't seem to get it off your mind.

We opted for a smaller sofa that fits the scale of this space much better as well as the chairs. We need seating for functionality purposes and that was also very important to us. I also have our dog bed behind the chairs because this room is supposed to be comfortable and lived in. I also plan to add some fresh greenery for pops of color in this space...and obviously, personal photos.

 Ok, so above is the space if I'm standing in the dining room... 

I'm right near the entry wall here, very close to our hall way but not quite...

 This wall above is the largest wall as well as the one behind me while I took the photo. Since this is a long and narrow room, so to speak, the walls are very long too! 

And here's a view looking from near the loveseat in wards. My vision is to have a sofa table as well as coffee table in this space. I also plan to have a small rug, some great and unique accessories and a statement piece on the wall. We also need to recreate some storage as well as some functionality when you first enter the door for coats, keys, etc. and also somewhere to put our shoes. :-)

I can't wait to show you the rest of what I'm planning but I'm waiting on a certain store called World Market to have a sale so I can purchase a few things from them... Or they can just send those things right on over to me so I don't have to deal with all that. "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

I'll keep yall posted!

New tv stand & changes coming...

Things have definitely been evolving in our home. And honestly, that's not something that is new around here. Just ask my husband ;-) I'm really loving the calm I feel when I enter our sunroom. The more and more we work on these small and large projects together, I feel roots planted firmly for our small family. We really enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when we DIY something ourselves and it was no different when we finally did the board and batten in the sunroom. If you haven't read our post on how we accomplished our board and batten look, you can find it by clicking here.

I love our cute little cottage style house near the beach but it needs more of a story. It needs more character and more things to bring the life out of it. That's exactly what we're trying to do. Yes, we live here and over the years of decorating, I've let go of the picture perfect room and more so, the picture perfect life. There is beauty in the imperfect, especially when making memories is involved.

Below was how our sunroom looked last year when I could feel my style evolving...again.

 

And here's after we did the board and batten. At this point, I also sold the salvage shutters and the media console because my heart was telling me I wanted something different for this room.

We had our fifth wedding anniversary last week and of course, we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant just the two of us. Between my husbands work schedule and mine, as I work as a licensed real estate agent, have a space in Vintage Living Marketplace and run this blog among decorating jobs, staging, etc... we don't really have a whole lot of time to do a whole lot of nothing. So, that's what we both said we wanted for our anniversary. I didn't want jewelry or anything fancy and he didn't want electronics or typical man things. So, instead of jewelry or fancy things, I wanted a piece of furntiure. And my husband is a good man. :-)

I knew I wanted cupped pulls and a rustic finish. I also really prefer something with traditional lines but that meets the style I was going for and this console did not dissapoint.

 Here's little Winston just watching mama snap some photos while he relaxes on my (his) blanket. He is such a lover and a good boy. All he does is sleep and cuddle. Sometimes he gets wild.

 

I added some new pillows with a linen feel and stamped with old typography style fonts. I also love the look and feel of an old, leather chair. Nothing is better than not having any pressure to keep things "new" feeling. That's the beauty of old... it doesn't have to be perfect because it's already imperfect. "Old is the new, new."

I also snagged up these cable knit down pillows... not only are they super adorable and super pretty but super comfortable too! And can't ever beat washable covers!  I always get alittle taken aback when folks say, I could never have those... or "you don't have kids, you don't know." Well, actually I do. I have kids over here, we have neighbors and we have friends with children. There is nothing in my house a child can't touch, play with...ruin, etc. The slipcovers, although beige, can be washed quite easily! Same with all of my pillows. I don't buy any pillows unless they have covers that are washable....

 

I also scooped up this chair from Vintage Living Marketplace a couple weeks ago while I was doing work... I couldn't resist with its beautiful finish and linen fabric. Perfect accent chair for the time being... :-)

And here's a pretty iew with the sun going down and the lamps on... We are adding crown molding to the top so that's the corner piece that you see in this photo.

 I'm loving the changes and can't wait to show y'all more... Home should be a place where you can be yourself. And be comfortable. And same with your family. Old is the new, new....and beauty comes in all forms... remember that! I'm finding more truth in the old saying that "less is more..." and that simple can be stunning. I am finding I don't pick up as many things to decorate... and I like to let pieces speak for themselves without overwhelming them with accessories. Sometimes too much of a good thing is just that, too much of a good thing. We are slowly adding a few more touches. I'd like to find another couple of pillows for the couch and we also are going to be adding some family photos somewhere. We're hoping to make those out of salvage wood also. Remember to embrace perfection and find the beauty in the "not done." Life is too short.

New dining room table & some planning

This morning I woke up really earlier because I planned to take some photos of the dining room. Thank goodness the lighting was beautiful and I get to show y'all my new dining room table! If you have been following, you can read a post I wrote about what I wanted in a dining room table here. I happened to get very lucky one night while cruising through Craigslist and saw something with not so great photos but at a wonderful price that looked like something I might like. My hopes were not set very high however because how many times do things on Craigslist really look like what the picture says… well sometimes. But I just didn't have my hopes up…  but man, when the guy brought this huge hunk of love out, I had to contain my excitement. It was THE table.

Originally, I was thinking the base was much thinner and not so prominent but I am SO thrilled that it is chunky and amazing! I am in love and cannot stop staring at it. The same day that I scored this table, I stumbled upon a mutual friends yardsale and found the couch I've been eyeing at Ikea that matches the one in our sunroom…for another steal of a deal! That post is coming! It was seriously my lucky day y'all. And I was feeling on top of the world. I mean, this table. Is. Like. Over. $1,000. Dollars. I love me some Ballard but I have not even begun to prepare myself to pay that kind of money for a table. Not when you're thrifty and try to save/diy/buy clearance for everything.

Is he marvelous? I shouldn't say he. Because it's definitely a she. She has beautiful curves and a gorgeous color. And we did upgrade from a 48" table to a 52" which can more comfortable accommodate dinner guests and lets more chairs come to the table if necessary.

IF you remember, here's our dining room before with our old table. I never really took an up close photo of it because I planned to paint it or do something but I did like the lines of it. The price wasn't bad either so we worked with what we had at the time… It had a much smaller, petite base with drawers on the top part. That was perfect for storage of linens and game pieces… :)

Here's a view of the after standing in the front living area. If you noticed, I took the rug out. It needs to be cleaned from our dogs and some little puppy I know had an accident so I professionally cleaned it and I'm now looking to paint some interesting stripes on it. If that doesn't work, I'm going to order a new round jute rug that hints at the one in the sunroom. I love the texture of that one.

There's a few more things to do in here. I used to set the dining room table but found that the dishes gathered dust and we never really used the formal set as much as people/I would have thought so I have them back in the cabinets. For now, a small antique dough bowl sits in the middle. It's usually full of bright green Granny Smith Apples which are my favorite but I haven't made the grocery run yet. I know, shame on me. I'm not sure if I like/dislike the boxwood wreath hanging on the sunroom windows. But I'm letting it stay for awhile to see. I did order those antique reproduction herb crates by the refrigerator. I had been eyeing them for some time and finally ordered them off of Antique Farmhouse. I love their website and am a frequent customer, even just to browse their amazing items. I would love to team up with them one day to bring an amazing giveaway for y'all.

I am still loving the lantern chandelier. I grabbed the pillows from the sunroom and tried them on the chairs and I am thinking about ordered 4 more of them for each dining room chair. I love the stripes and texture that it brings to the table. I still would like to find something interesting to put a top of the old cupboard I have there. Right now, a plain jute bowl with hydrangeas sits…but I'd like some type of conversation piece sooner than later. 

Here's an up close and personal view. Isn't she lovely? Whistle!

I just adore this table and I am thanking the big man upstairs so much for blessing me with such a wonderful day and great friends, shout out to Lucky Day who helped me in getting my new sofa and this table! If you haven't met Dawn, you're missing out. Wonderful woman who I adore!

And I'm surprised I didn't post on Facebook but I attended Florida's Fancy Flea in Plant City, FL. I found a few things, one of which is this cute and darling little ice cream table that now sits in my sunroom. I love the lines and wanted something a little different than the other antique table. That other antique table will be headed to the shop soon after I paint her…AGAIN!

I love the rustic wood top and iron black legs. Swoon worth if I don't say so myself! I love these lamps….and have had them for some time but I am wondering if I want to look for something alittle more interesting. I'll keep my eye peeled! Until then…

If you liked today's post, feel free to hover over each image and post them on Pinterest. If you haven't started following me, you can do so by clicking here!

Linking up to…

Miss. Mustard Seed
Liz Marie Blog

A new couch & a yardsale chair

I woke up this morning ready to find some great things for our store. And I didn't find a darn thing for the store. But I did find a nice, super cute, low profile… leather chair that is worn and lovely. With cute little queen anne feet and a nice little body. I was totally excited about that because I've envisioned something like it for our sunroom for some time now. I still can't decide if I like these feet or if I should order new chunky ones to make this chair feel a little more masculine. What's your take?

I figured I'd snap a few photos this evening because the lighting was gorgeous in the sunroom and show you a little more of our new couch and this new yard sale chair and also share with you some plans that I have for the space… I love the light in the photo below. Gorgeous evening.

It is very rustic… not brand new looking but not torn and rough. Just looks worn and sat in a lot which I like. Leather does look better with age, after all. I plan to find some cute pillows for my new couch as well as a small one for this chair. The antique table near this chair got painted matte black and I'm not sure if I am loving it but I am letting it sit to see if I like it or not. I just draped a throw across this chair for the time being and I really need to work on the table top decor of that table but for now, pictures of us and a boxwood will do. I love those lamps still though.

A few scratches and imperfections which all add rather than detract to the character and age of this chair. It is not an antique or probably even old at all but I still am loving it! See what I mean about the feet? I'm thinking something chunky but with a nod to an antique style.

Here's a better shot of that corner. Soon, I plan to add window molding to make above the windows chunkier and create a larger impact when walking into this room. For now, this chair adds just the right amount of contrast to this neutral and cozy room.

Here's a peek to the left of the room where the tv sits. Above the tv is an old rope bed that was already past gone so I cut off the headboard and plan to use it as a pediment for wall decor. I want to add either a bible scripture or a quote to it. I'm still unsure if I love that there as well. I added the chunky frames to either side of the tv and again, still not sure if I like those either. I moved our antique window frames into the master that I am currently trying to get done so I can reveal to y'all! Maybe I'll look for more window frames for either side but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for them like usual.

Also in that corner, I purchased a large peace lily plant for some greenery color. I love the depth and color that plants add, including my favorite boxwoods. 

Oh! And here's the peek at new couch. It's the Ektorp from Ikea that I have been eyeing for awhile forever! You can find it here. We opted to have the chaise in this sofa because my husband liked that option. We went with a new light beige cover called Tygelsjö beige that they just came out with. I really like the look of white but this soft beige seems more cozy to me. I am still on the hunt for throw pillows, a nice luxurious throw for the couch as well as an area rug. I am still leaning towards a nice jute rug but am hunting around for the best deal of course. And in case you were wondering, I am still loving the tv stand. I still would like to also get baskets for inside the doors of the tv stand.

And another peek to the right. The accessories and window moldings will really make this room pop! I am attending Fancy Flea in a few weeks with my partner in crime (Lucky Day Design Co.) so I am hoping to find a lot of great stuff for our house as well as for our shop!

I have a weakness for these pulls and lots of drawers. Oh, you too?

View from our near the leather chair. I am also on the hunt for a french door or older door to use for our sunroom out to our back patio. Oh, the searches… they never end!

Oh! And finally! If you follow on Facebook (here) you saw that I got new headshots for the blog and for my new real estate venture! Here's a few of my favorites below! I am always happy to hear from y'all so let me know what you think of everything and what you have found lately for your spaces!

Talk to y'all soon! XO

Dining Room Reveal & Source List

I suck. I want to get better about posting…and I will. I'm in a mindset right now for turning a new leaf for myself. Maybe I should save all of that for another post, a more "personal" post. So, today… I thought I'd clear off the table and show you where we are at with our dining room. Nothing is every truly "complete" in our home but we are loving where we are at. Probably just a few more accessories and this room really won't need anything else. And maybe a pretty dining set too ;-)

We choose to go with a round table for this house. As you remember, this was our old table and it really crowded the space. We have a very open floor plan and it just wasn't working no matter how much I loved the table. It was too many straight lines and needed something to soften up the space…

So, enter a connection through Home by Ally and I found a table for a very fair price that I didn't hate and that could work for the time being. I wanted something with more of an ornate base or something a little more rustic… but ya know, you don't even see the base. So, why would I spend a lot of money on a table for the base when you don't even see it? I do plan on painting this at some point… I've just let it been soaking in the past month so I can get a feel of what I am wanting out of it. 

We also have not had a chandelier really since we moved in because I've went through about 4 of them and haven't been satisfied. So, what do you do when you are frustrated and indecisive? You go back to classic. You go back to things you LOVE and look for that. I LOVE lanterns. Especially lantern chandeliers. I pin them all the time on my Pinterest where you can follow me here. So, I got on Overstock.com and found one that beautiful AND VERY much in our price range! Talk about a breathe of fresh air! You can find my lantern chandelier here. It is a great price and I fully recommend it because it looks amazing! Just make sure if you order one that you are sure the scale & dimensions are right for your space. Ours is a smaller space so this worked for us. Currently, I am obsessed with Overstock.com and am really loving their products thus far. Maybe one day I'll get to work with them!

If you saw in the original photo of our old dining room table, you saw that this antique cupboard was against the wall. This is in my top 3 favorite pieces of furniture to date that I have ever found. I adore it, never tire of it and won't ever sell it. I decided to catty corner in to give the room more presence and again, soften the lines versus having everything straight. It works being in the corner. 

Of course, we had to put our signature mini-boxwoods on the paneled doors and a woven bowl full of hydrangeas. Which reminds me, they are totally fake. I need to dry some out so I can fill them with beautiful, real ones. Beside the hutch to the left there is a mirror I have had for a few years. I've just never found the right "spot" for it until just a few days ago. Perfect scale for that tiny area. It was originally from Tuesday Morning. Here's a better shot of it.

Here's the view walking in from the front living area. Don't mind my obsession back there of boxwoods. Some are going to the store while others are finding new homes. If you noticed the chairs, they are from Ikea. They are the Henriksdal chairs that you can find here. I have four of them and I'm actually very impressed with how comfortable they are. We had to purchase the white floor length slipcovers separately and I am hoping to get another set soon. You can find the slipcover and chair here. I got lucky and searched my local area and on Craigslist. I got the chairs on a yard sale site and just had to buy the slipcovers. But since I had my OLD slipcovers, I sold them on Ebay which off set the price of the new ones. I do a lot of trading in and out and it works and helps with the budget.

Another thing in the picture I haven't spoken about was the rug! It was also from Overstock. You can find it here. Sign up for Overstock's emails because they are ALWAYS running sales so every time I buy something, I make sure that I have a coupon code handy!

 The bowl in the center of the table is a tin bowl that was painted long ago. I'm not sure if I should put anything in it that we will consume so for now, I am just loving the "chippyness" of it. I found it through a local vendor at our antique mall. Perfect for a centerpiece for anything.

I'm really loving our progress in this space and hope you do too. It's always a work in progress and all of us get so caught up in everyday that we don't take the time to appreciate the little things in life. I wanted a space that was cozy, sophisticated and most importantly, comfortable. That is exactly what I feel like this is… The chairs are holding up well and I've washed them a few times… but they have lost some length although I washed them on cold. I guess that is expected. Everything else has been great! Hopefully I'll be back this week with a few furniture makeovers!

Let me know what y'all think and if you love any of these pictures, feel free to hover over the image and pin them on your Pinterest! Have a great Sunday!