LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER

I realized that I don't have before pictures, though you could scroll through old posts from this blog to see the room in its various states.  I didn't set out to make it over - most of it happened over a couple of years.  Yet, this week, it felt "finished."



The couches are what put it over that edge, and once I had the couches, I went ahead and got new (to me!) coffee and side tables.  Speaking of couches ... 😍😍😍.  Our old couches, which have been relocated to the playroom, were over 12 years old and have lived a hard life #understatement.  Did I have visions of white sofas dancing in my head?  I absolutely did.  However, the mere idea of any light upholstery in our living room just about gave John hives.  And since I know myself, and I am not exactly a "wash-my-white-slip-covered-couch-weekly-or-possibly-ever" kind of gal, I knew I needed to PIVOT 😜 on the couch concept for us.



All of this led us to leather.  I asked around, shopped around and fell into an internet research hole.  When all was said and done, we ordered these couches from Article (we got the couch and the loveseat).  We're in love.



They are comfortable, beautiful, wipeable(ish) and made to age and distress, which is perfect, since we naturally distress everything we touch.  A part of my heart is sad that I don't have white couches, but these are so much more livable for us that I am ultimately delighted.

When we moved into our home, the fireplace had a black granite tile surround, and we had it redone with stone probably four years ago.  About two years ago, we had the shiplap done above the mantel, and I guess it was around then that I decided to restyle the shelves.  Now they feel like "me," and I like the items included and the way it looks.

I had one set of rainbow books that I had purchased through Etsy and loved, and this past weekend, I stopped by a vintage sale and the books were all $1 each.  Give me all the rainbow books!  They even go perfectly under my side table that I also scored at that sale.

Here's the original set in all its glory.  I really don't do anything halfway.

It does now feel like a room that I love being in and looking around.  It functions well and is comfortable for our family, and I'm so very grateful.  I do have some light upholstered chairs from Wayfair in the room that I love, but this is part of why we chose not to get light couches.  One child took our address stamper and made sure that if the chair ever got lost, people would be able to mail it back to us.  I haven't yet had the gumption to replace it, because I am not quite certain that we are out of the woods with this type of shenanigan.  From a distance, its not too noticeable. 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️



The rug is also from Wayfair a couple of years ago (not available to link☹️), and we've been SO pleased with how well it hides everything.  I love how it ties so much of the room together.  We went with a larger rug (10 by 14) than we had previously had in here, and I was amazed at what a difference that made as well.  Also, I finally learned how to use the Panoramic feature on my iPhone, so that feels like a win. 😂



Because this room is open to our kitchen and foyer/dining room, there is not a lot of wall space.  Sometime last year, I redid this wall and still really like it.

So that's that.  Our living room that has been slowly undergoing changes for the past four years that now feels like it has "arrived."  Let me know if you have any questions - I tried to link the big stuff that I know is still available.  Most other stuff is vintage/super random, which works for us!  I'm looking forward to adding fall touches soon, and doing this made me want to revamp the dining room. 😬🤣🙄  Once you get on a roll ...