It's been a while, I know.
My new "mom life" kinda took over for a bit...
But my babe is just a couple months shy of his first birthday, so I thought it would be safe to give the blog some attention.
And, I wanted to make sure I show ya'll the living room before it doesn't look like this anymore! There have already been several changes since I took these photos, but now that I have a new couch it is really starting to reflect my true style better.
I took a while (3 years) but I've finally got all of my hand-me-down, garage sale, and thrift store items working harmoniously in the living room - after lots of painting of course.
Let me remind you of the BEFORE picture.
When we moved in this room had gross, stinky carpet, a granny valance in the bow window, and lots of other problems.
Like those beautiful baseboard heaters...all the pipes were burst.
A true Fixer Upper.
This room wasn't too expensive or hard to fix up...basically just new flooring and paint did the trick.
New windows will come shortly, and then it will be 100% complete.
I know, it's hard to make a gigantic black TV look pretty.
There is now a sign above it, which helps ever so slightly.
Definitely not the best angle of the living room, but I want you to get a feel of the lay out.
The console table in the entry way is always changing.
It's one of the few places I have to actually display decor.
My beloved church pew (a gift from my MIL and from the church my husband went to as a child) fits absolutely perfectly on this wall and is a great landing place for bags when coming in the door.
Still on the hunt for the perfect wreath to hang on my barn door, but until then I'm just enjoying it as is. The major rustic element in the room to help balance all the romantic pieces.
My corner hutch doesn't fit in the dining area.
When we first moved it in to the home I thought it would be so weird to have it in the living room, but I have grown to love it in here. It makes a statement and adds height.
Q: How many candles is too many candles in a vignette?? ;)
This room gets really nice natural light in the early afternoon.
All of my whites really help make it that much brighter.
Light and bright is what makes me happy!
~~~
I got the rocking chair for $10 at a garage sale. It needed a bit of work, but it is an antique that used to be in an old school house in my town. I know I got a killer deal on it.
We purchased this couch from Wayfair.com once I discovered how much I hated our old couch when I started breastfeeding. It was so low and deep and there was no support for my back or arms.
This one is perfect! The exact opposite.
I will admit, we were a little nervous about buying a couch that we couldn't try out. We had no idea if it would be comfortable, and it was hard to get a sense of the color from the pictures and comments. I was looking at the pictures daily and starting to feel like I may have made a big mistake.
Then it showed up, and I ended up loving it even more than when I first saw it in the pictures!
Wayfair win.
I do love having a church pew... it is also great during parties for extra seating.
My Calla girl striking a pose...
I sometimes look at this barn door (that I pulled right off of a barn that was about to be tore down) and laugh because I know the person that built it had no idea it would end up hanging on some lady's wall one day as decor. There are nails all over it that were pounded through and then back down.
It adds a lot of "character", that's for sure.
It works out well that my dog matches my decor...
Mostly white with some brown spots :)
She knows neutral is in!
I would like to find a beautiful dried floral wreath for the door.
If I can't find what I'm looking for I may attempt to make it.
Or I may settle for the overly trendy cotton stem style wreath, we will see.
It is fun looking at the living room now that things are coming together.
I have been collecting things from garage sales and thrift stores since I was in high school, not really knowing how it would all work out together.
I think it...mostly...does. Right?
I chose the stain for the TV stand my husband built before I totally knew my style. ;)
Someday it will probably get refinished...maybe white washed if he will let me.
But I also dream of a big armoire with old doors that will just hide the TV.
Thanks for taking the living room tour!
Things are always improving around here...little changes being made, but it is finally in a place where it's actually presentable and not embarrassing anymore.
I hope you all have a beautiful and blessed spring (yes, I am signing off using a "season" because who knows when I'll be back with another post!).
Blessings,
Olivia
