remodel reveal : living room
see remodel reveal : dining room for a little more history.
my living room, last summer:
again, going for the craftsman bungalow/library feel. i was really beginning to hate it.
i wanted color, and more light. i replaced the front door with a glass door, and all windows are bigger. it’s much better now:
this room wasn’t as cheap furniture-wise as the dining room. i eventually got over my fear of investing in furntiture (seriously, i always felt it was silly to spend more than a fresh-college-graduate’s budget on furniture, for fear that i’d hate my choice a year later and still be paying for it.). the original idea was to go with ikea, but what would a sofa from ikea feel like 2 years from now? so the furniture budget changed quite a bit. the couch, chair, and ottoman are from room & board. the console is from bludot: i agonized over the price, but in the end i couldn’t find anything i liked more. i still was frugal, though, and purchased the coffee table, cabinet, shelf unit, light, rug, and throw from ikea. grid cushions by my friend alex, ikea fabric cushions by jenn.
the green wall was inspired by pantone 612 u, which i matched to behr 380d-6 leapfrog. i don’t have anything on that wall yet. i imagine 1 giant something, or 2 big somethings will reside on the wall, but i am not in a hurry. they will come. the rest of the walls/ceiling are the same off-white in the dining room.
after i took these pictures, the wall above really does seem busy. but i love my segments made by cynthia, and they are staying where they are. the frames above the sofa contain an etching from patricia, a photo of my mom, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother from 1967, and another etching from an german artist monika meiser, whom my sister lived with as an exchange student in berlin. i still adore the ceramic houses by vicki hartman, and the red/blue etching by dutch artist marjan smit i brought home from amsterdam a few years ago.
even with my savings drained, i am happy that i took on this project. i look forward to the time i can spend in my living room to relax, and i do most of my work on my dining room table. having more natural light is so wonderful, and i see myself staying in my little house for a few more years to fully enjoy the new rooms.
happy weekend!
June 25th, 2010 at 6:54 am
Great job all around.
These rooms look very inviting.
June 25th, 2010 at 7:18 am
You did such a beautiful job. I love that console. You must be so pleased.
June 25th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Love the new LR and DR. We have very similar taste. What a great job you did!
June 25th, 2010 at 8:12 am
BAM A LAM!! I think you nailed it, and you know if you ever need a house sitter I’m sitting here with my hand raised. Pick me! Pick me!
June 25th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Lovely all around. Being there in person, it’s not as busy as that one picture would make it out to be. Plus they are the personal touches that make it special.
June 25th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Looks fantastic, Jen! We’re in the market for a new couch and are in the same boat about not wanting to spend a ton of money but also not getting something too cheap (read: Ikea). Haven’t looked at Room & Board yet, but will now thanks to your suggestion. Great, great work!
June 25th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Love it. Happy Weekend to you too.
June 26th, 2010 at 4:18 am
what I gigantic project! So much changed and it looks so gooodd! congrats!
I think the same about furniture… however, in the past years we’ve started changing the ikea furniture for “real” wood, massif oak furniture. One at a time. With a small kid around though… better not spend too much money on stuff. See, we have a gorgeous -non ikea- L shape couch- suede…and two little hands full of peanut butter just landed on it… great!
June 26th, 2010 at 6:39 am
looks like home. (:
June 28th, 2010 at 6:13 am
the living room looks wonderful and i love how you flip flopped the colors – in here the green is on the walls and the gray is on the furniture. the windows are wonderful, love that style. all of your art work looks great and you have such a nice collection. i’m glad you showed us your reno and your cute dog, too!
July 1st, 2010 at 8:12 am
This just makes me want to curl up with a cup of tea so I can watch the world go by. Oh, and the Pantone chip thing? I love it! And I am now resolved to bring more of my everyday life in line with my chip book. What a great idea!
July 16th, 2010 at 8:34 am
Your home is lovely! You have such great decorating instincts…I could definitely use your help!