Friday, May 13, 2011

1 Year Later...the living room

I decided to make this into a little series. Now that we have lived in the house for a year I thought it would be fun to take a look at the original rooms and how they have changed. So, once a week I'll spotlight the changes in a specific room. Last week was the kitchen/dining room, which has probably had the most dramatic changes. This week we'll move to the other room on the main level, the living room.


Before:

Bland and blah from the beginning. Notice the little 3 month old hanging out on the floor.

View of the stairs and entryway area from the living room

Bay window in living room

Stairs to the bedrooms



After:

View of the living room from the front door


View of the entryway/stairs from living room (yes, we still need doors on the closet)

View of the mantle

View from the dining room

View of the living room and dining room from front door

Just had to show my green thumb...I actually grew some grass

Art above couch...this was DIYed using frames and mats we already had. I added quatrefoil fabric.

Easter mantle
The living room has seen mostly cosmetic changes over the last year. Here's a rundown:
Painted the walls
Painted the bay window
Removed carpet
Installed new flooring
Installed new baseboards
Added some furniture, art, and curtains


Still to be done:
Paint the coat closet doors
Replace the stair rails
Fireplace cleaning and maybe a new mantle


It's so fun to look at the progress and see how far it has come (especially when it can be overwhelming to think about everything that still needs to be done)

Updated: here's some pictures of the mantle updated for summer:





23 comments:

  1. Looks great! I don't think I could even think up stuff so good. But I had to laugh about the grass, good job! My 5 year old did that in preschool too ;) (yours is prettier, her's has a cartoon face on the container and she cuts the "hair")

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  2. Where did you find the quatrefoil fabric? I'm having the worst luck looking for it :(. Lovely redo!

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  3. I love all the pictures on your mantle. And seeing your chalkboards reminds me that I want to get some! Good thing I'm headed out to Wal-Mart today :)

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  4. What a fun idea with the states in the frame....love the whole beach-y feel of the room.

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  5. LOVE the pillows on the couch! And also loving the mantel...the chalkboard and fabric wreath are fantastic! You have inspired me to use a little more chalkboard in my own decor...thanks! :)

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  6. Wow...what an improvement! I really like that blue wall and all your personal touches. I'm jealous of you window too!

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  7. Thanks guys!
    Hayley: the states in the frames are actually free printables from QA designs. You can find them here: http://qadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/free-downloadable-prints.html
    Have fun making your own!

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  8. Jackie: the quatrefoil fabric was a remnant from Jo-Ann's a couple of years ago. Not sure if they still have it available, but I think it's upholstery fabric so they may still have it on the long bolts. Hope that helps!

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  9. Stumbled on this from Kellys Korner and you have done a great job! Simple and cozy!

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  10. I love how you decorated your mantle!

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  11. What a beautiful room! You've done great on the transformation!

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  12. Gorgeous, classy, and comfie!! Loving the colors against the couch and fireplace! Great job! :)

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  13. It looks great! I love your paint color, your chalkboard, the wreath, and the heart state pictures!! It is so pretty and the baby laying in the first picture looks pretty cute too:)

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  14. Your mantle is so creative! Where did you get your rugs? I'm struggling with rugs in my living room.

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  15. Leslie: Thanks! The rug is from Lowe's probably 3 years ago. Hopefully they are still in stock.

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  16. Found your blog via Kelly's Korner, your sofa is so pretty, where is it from?

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  17. I love the room, huge improvement from what it was. :)

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  18. Bethany: Thanks! The couch was bought a local furniture store in NE Ohio, but they are probably sold other places. The brand is Fusion Furniture. Hope that helps!

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  19. The states frame and embroidery circle are so cute! I've been thinking of getting the states that we're born in, as pillows or wall decor.
    You're home is beautifully decorated. The mix of colors and textures is wonderful.
    You've done an amazing job!

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  20. Your living room looks great! What a difference from what it was. Love the stuff on your mantle.

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  21. It all looks so great!!! I actually have the exact same mirror as the one you have hanging next to your coat closet.

    The artwork above your sofa is awesome!! I need to try and do something similar. :)

    And, the state embroidery is great!! I need a Texas one. Love your transformation you've done! Great job! Such a fun link-up!

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  22. I love that blue wall, esp. with the brown prints as accents! I love those and am glad you told us how you did it (fabric) -- I so need to think outside the box like that for some decoration around my house! I am also in love with the "states" frame on your mantle. I need to do something like that since we've lived multiple places too. Thanks for sharing your space!

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