Living Room Update, Part 2

I’d like to begin this post by saying I am not a professional photographer (shocking, right?).  We’ve had our camera for at least a year and I still really have no clue what I’m doing, but I’m working on it.  You know when your friend is trying to show you pictures of the cute guy she likes and after each picture she shows you, she says, “he really is cute, let me find a better picture”.  Well, that’s how my living room pictures are.  It really does look good in person (or so I think), and the photos just don’t do it justice.

Now that that’s out of the way lets get back to the living room update.  I have been getting hassled today to post the update (maybe hassled is a strong word….how about harassed?  No that’s not good either….).  I'm so excited you have all been so excited, and I really do appreciate every single one of my wonderful readers!

To determine what needed to be fixed and where to spend my money, I sat down and decided exactly what it was I (we) didn’t like about the living room and came up with these items:

• Dark colors, specifically the prevalence of green EVERYWHERE
• Lack of our personality in the space
• Matchyness of it all
• The accessories weren’t working for us – for example the candle holders on the DVD stand were always dirty and I hated moving them to dust
• Nothing was really very personal feeling
• Stuffing in the throw pillows had bunched up

 Then I determined my goals for the room:

• I needed to work with what I had and spend as little money as possible. Getting a new couch wasn’t an option and definitely wasn’t needed.  I knew that DIY projects were the key to keeping this project feasible.
• I wanted to brighten it up with accent colors and identified turquoise as a major color for the room
• I wanted to address the wall around the fireplace and give it a purpose.
• I wanted the space to be deliberate and functional
• The flat, bunchy pillows needed to be replaced with something that was unique, functional and would provide pops of color.

I used those lists to decide what I wanted to spend my small budget on.

• Pillows
• Area rug to tie everything together
• Shelf or mantle above the fireplace
• Mirror above the shelf/mantle to brighten the space and create dimension

After finding my inspiration pillow online I headed to Pier One to purchase it.  I removed the old brown and crème throw pillows and was amazed at how much of a difference the one pillow made!

I started scouring Etsy and Pinterest for other pillows and found a lot I liked.  Unfortunately they were all pretty pricey too.  I have a sewing machine but we had a falling out a couple years ago.  However, I was inspired by a bunch of pillows online and figured I could make them myself.  Luckily my mother-in-law was able to reconcile my sewing machine and I and get me started.  I was lucky enough to find a flier of coupons to JoAnne’s and purchased my pillow forms and fabric all at half off.  I ended up spending about $100 for the five pillow forms, fabric, and miscellaneous sewing supplies.  I picked different colors of linen for the pillow base and added felt.  I love how they turned out and the pop of color!  I also purchased one additional ruffled turquoise pillow from Pier One to tie the homemade with the handmade feel.  I should mention that only 3 of the pillows I made live in the living room.  One has a home in the guest room and the last one has been in progress for a couple months…either way 5 pillows for $100 was much better than paying $60 for one.

I also spotted a turquoise lamp at Pier One and snagged that for $35 after using a coupon during a sale.  In addition to being a splash of color, it’s so nice to have the warm light of the lamp instead of the harsh light from the ceiling. 

I also needed to address the wall around the fireplace.  I knew the clock needed to move.  It was too small for the wall and although I love it, it wasn’t adding that much to the room.  We ended up moving the clock to another wall more proportionate to the clock.  I should mention that the shelves aren’t usually that “cluttered” but the house is currently all decked out for fall.

I wanted desperately to put a shelf above the mantle but finding a shelf that long was difficult and much more expensive than I anticipated.  We were able to just find the unfinished mantle shelf which I finished and Mr. C mounted (more on that later).  An amazing family member gave us the mirror, and it really makes the room.  The mirror brightens up the room with the reflection of the light and I really love being able to display holiday or seasonal decorations on the mantle.

If you didn’t notice, the TV had stuck out before with its metallic silver color.  We loved the TV and had no plans to replace it.  Apparently the TV had other plans though and decided to go out in the middle of a very riveting “Private Practice”.  We ended up finding a great deal and I have to admit I love how the TV now blends into the cabinet (looks better in person I promise!).  Apparently even the TV agreed that it was time for a change!

I also moved some things out of the room that weren't being used (dog bed, a few photos that didn't really fit) and organized the drawers and cabinets in the entertainment center, and added a basket under the coffee table to store magazines among other things.  The space feels much more functional and every drawer really does have a purpose now!

I did waste a substantial part of my life searching for a rug for the space but I couldn't find one I was happy with.  They were either the wrong color, too busy, or too plain.  In the end I fell in love with the space after making the other changes and I thought a rug would be too busy. Also, I ran out of money.  Ha ha!

That’s the update!  What do you think?  In case you can’t tell I’m ecstatic about the changes.  The space feels comfortable, complete, and very “us”.  The pops of color just make me so happy too!  I’m still working on something for the coffee table but for now it’s housing our jack-o-lantern.