Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The living room transformation

I have made a sweeping change in our living room.  Along with the kitchen, it is the heart and soul of our home, like most homes.  Previously, most of what we decorated with was brought into our marriage by each of us and then we kept decorating around that scheme.  Recently, I realized the scheme truly didn't fit our personality.

I'm embarrassed to show you this first photo for a few reasons:  1:  it's a scanned copy from the listing photo 10 years ago and super grainy, and 2:  my husband was fine with keeping the pink.  Yes, I said he was fine with keeping the pink.  What I think he meant is we could live with it for awhile.  Or at least I hope that's what he thought.  


Needless to say, Pepto Bismol walls were gone and turned into this over the first 6 months (note:  this is the first transformation):








Like I said, we decorated with what we had and just continued added to it.

Now to present day, we have a young family and I want our living space to reflect that.  I wanted everything in our room to mean something.  So I started over from scratch.



The TV console was designed by Ana White, just for our family.  You can find the post about the build here, as well as a link to the free plan.


We decided to go with slipcovered couches from Ikea as our crazy dog likes to hide his toys under the couch and then scratch the heck out of it trying to get it back.  The slipcovered bottoms freely move so they come out unscathed.



This vignette wall was exactly what we needed to add to reflect our family.  Besides the birds and frame, everything else was handmade.  You can check out this blog post about putting it together.



I love our Be Awesome Today sign.  It's something I want our kids -- and myself -- to be reminded of every day.  I chose the bright green to add that touch of fun.  Check out this post to see how the sign was made.



I LOVE functional decor, like the barn wood wall ruler.  Here is where I first posted about it.



We had purchased a very boring brown door from Home Depot to replace the original one on the house (as seen from the first few pics in the post).  I posted here how I transformed the door with some chalk paint.  As you can see from these new photos, I have changed the color again to match our more brighter decor.  




The mirror was painted the rust orange for another pop of color.  And I used left over painter's drop cloth (left over from the curtains made for the kitchen)  to make the wreath.  You can find the tutorial here




Although I may have started from scratch, I reused where I could.  So I took these perfectly fine side tables we already had and painted.  Here's the post for that one too.  



I love our photo gallery.  It always gets comments from new visitors and the kids get a thrill out of seeing themselves on the wall.  Writing a post about creating the wall is in the works, so keep an eye out for it.


Before anyone else asks, the curtains are from Target.  They are a super popular design and they still carry this style.

So, that's our living room, where the heart of the family beats.  Where you can find Calliou or Wiggles blaring on the TV.  Where we have impromptu picnics by laying a random blanket on the floor.  Where we settle in with our kids and enjoy.  :)

Thanks for reading!


Debbie

Sharing with:

















14 comments:

  1. WOW! It's gorgeous! I love all of the various pops of color! I found you at The DIY Dreamer-- thanks for sharing, Debbie!

    ~Abby =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh I love your redone living room. It is so inviting and comfy looking, plus very chic and up to date. You've done a great job. Thanks so much for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your living room is so great! Love the blues & grays and all the personalized artwork. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed seeing your transformation! Your living room is beautiful and functional and your stairs look lovely. I like your picture gallery. Great way to use what you have. Fantastic job! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. so many things to love! the painted stairs! the drapery and rods! the openness into the rest of the house! the gallery wall! i feel like our houses are similar in shape (mine is a little cape) b/c of the door/stairs/living room combo. mine is not open to the kitchen, but i hope to change it to be a little more open. we aren't removing such a large portion like your wall, b/c that would mean a major redo in the kitchen, but this is some great inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really like your new living room, and especially that gallery wall leading up the stairs!! And I hope it's ok that I've nominated you for the Liebster Award! Here's the link for details: http://diywithjenandb.blogspot.com/2013/03/kim-at-colors-mixed-together-nominated.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the colors! I am currently "trying" to get our color scheme {the basics are very similar to yours} in our lounge together and I think your post have given me a lot to work with! Thank you for sharing - I now have a little more in mind than an hour ago :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your living room is fabulous. I love the be awesome sign. The slip covered couches from Ikea are great. I want some.
    Ruth

    ReplyDelete
  9. Absolutely love the new look and every last detail!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Debbie, WOW! You did an Amazing job! I love it all, you have inspired me (yet again) to improve my living room. I am so glad you saw my family file system and commented on my blog! The moment I saw your brag post on Ana's site I knew you were inspired! So as the highest form of flattery I copied your idea! Thank you so much for the inspiration! And I love your blog, I am so excited to explore it! By the way I didn't see a link to how you hung your curtains...please tell me I love how you did it, super cute! I am now following you on G+ and subscribing via email!
    Hugs,
    Mindi

    ReplyDelete
  11. now that I found your blog, I'm perusing some of your past post! Would you please share the paint color you used & where the rug came from. Sending to my daughter as she is leaning toward grays and bluish grays in their new house. I also love the rods you used for the windows and would love to know what you used there. Thanks so much. Oh, and I have subscribed to your blog. Great ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great job on both transformations! I think it's great that you went with light blue to reflect where your family is now. I can definitely sense the youthfulness by just looking at the wall colors, and I love how you decorated the whole place too. -Leeanne @ Master My List

    ReplyDelete
  13. Quick question....what is the length of your curtain rods? Did you buy them that way or cut them down yourself? I'm thinking to do the same with my windows - add decorative only curtains. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Quick question....what is the length of your curtain rods? Did you buy them that way or cut them down yourself? I'm thinking to do the same with my windows - add decorative only curtains. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete