The Great Living Room Reveal

Way, WAY back in July or August, we started our living room re-do. And, 6 months later, we finally have the finish product to show off....

We have lived in our house for 8 years now, and the only room that hadn't had a fresh coat of paint was the living room. The trim was dinged, the ceiling was dingy, and the color was not quite right.

Two major factors made me decide to hire out the paint job: the project scope and having a toddler. Our  stairwell is 2 stories high, and I would have been performing some crazy gymnastics to paint it. I wanted the trim, walls and ceiling painted-which would have me taken several days. Several days of wet paint to touch and open buckets of paint to spill. Murphy's law...

I hired our local CertaPro franchise. On the recommendation of my designer friend, Ben (who is subsequently also building my new website) I decided to go with an off white for the trim-Behr W-D-420 Beach Wave. The ceiling is a fresh coat of white. I kept the living room walls green-but a barker green with more blue tones than yellow-Behr 440F-4 Athenian Green with one shade darker for the stairwell/hall-440F-5 Winter Hedge. 

this is where the 2 colors meet. It really isn't very obvious. It looks more like a trick of the light than anything else.

Here are some views of the living room from different angles....

my writing corner...right by two windows. Lots of light...

The major factor holding back my grand schemes for a living room reveal post was the fact that we didn't rehang our art and photographs until January. (It only took a couple snow days and a lot of visualization.) The bare walls were nice for a while. Plus I didn't want permanent holes in my paint job until I knew where I wanted things hung.

Our former picture arrangements had no rhyme or reason. They were based on where the former owners had nails and where I wanted to cover up former holes. I know, sophisticated reasoning....

We ended up putting a lot of paintings and scenery pictures in the living room and my baby photographs in the stairwell.

Sorry for the glare and such. I have come to realize that my camera is way outclassed. Way out classed. But, at least you get the general idea.

truth: the frame and matte make or break the piece.

I have found that the little things are what make things special. Accessories...

I had a little money leftover in my painting budget, so I decided to splurge on bronze switch plates. Wow! It took things from plain-Jane to very swanky. In one simple step... The bronze pops on the green.

I have quite a bit of dark wood in my living room. The piano, buffet, rocking chair, quilt rack and spindles. The bronze switch plates helped compliment and accentuate the dark wood and tie it in with the greens. I am not a home decorator blogger, or I'd probably be able to say that better. But, right words or not, it looks fabulous. Like I knew what I was doing or something....

And, though it isn't terribly obvious in any of the pictures, part of my budget went towards buying new, wide Venetian blinds for all the windows. Now I feel like my house/life isn't completely visible to any who might care to take a peek.

This corner was empty. It always has been. I decided I'd play upon the darker wood themes plus fill this empty corner with a floor vase and dark reddish-brown sticks. I love how it draws the eye.

For actual accessories and doodads, I pretty much used things that I picked up on clearance or second hand over the past couple years. I wanted to do lanterns, so I have been looking for them at each thrift shop I visit. I found some great ones, and then I purchased two from IKEA. The one on the floor is almost 18" tall and was on sale for $10. The smaller one on the buffet was $5. I use them all the time.

more bronze on the lamp

I recovered the love-seat last summer. It looks worlds better, and has worn very well. (for the blow by blow tutorial, click here.)

I love this bookshelve that Mr. Hippie salvaged on a job a couple years back. It fits perfectly in that corner between the heat vent and the staircase.

good books make for great decor...

So, that's it. Maybe not up to Martha Stewart's specifications. But, it is livable and practical but still pretty for our family at this stage. And I love it.

(Tomorrow we are going to be talking frames and mattes-and their importance. You'll want to come back for that. It is going to be nail bitingly exciting. Snort.)

Do you have any house projects on the boards?