Well the home tour continues today with the new living room! It really feels like a new room. Actually the house feels like a new house again, and now finally, a home. I think we all strive to make our homes a welcoming retreat and a place to relax comfortably at the end of the day, but, it takes time, a lot of time.
Let’s just say I’ve had a few “a-ha” moments and “what was I thinking” thoughts running in my head the past few weeks. It’s been fun and a little humiliating at times. But, we all start somewhere, and it’s all about evolving. :)
So here it is:
Pretty, right? I am really in love with how the room came out. It is so amazing how wood floors add an instant coziness and welcoming factor isn’t it? And of course the new paint definitely helps too. :) I chose to accent with yellow and blue right now, but still keeping it simple and neutral.
I sold our old area rug on Craigslist and used that money to buy 2 of the same rugs from Overstock. I bought 2 because I really liked the rug online, but it was only 5×8, so I thought I would try putting 2 together to make 1 big area rug. And, I like it! That was risky for me. :)
Like the aerial view? :) And in fact, the rug itself was risky for me. It’s not my typical floral traditional rug I would have chosen and I am really loving the fresh new change.
You might be asking yourself why there’s no ottoman or coffee table (yet). I never did move the old red ottoman back in here after I started redecorating. I just couldn’t stand to have that red thing stick out like a sore thumb when I loved everything else so much. I could recover it, but actually now I think I want a nice round fabric ottoman to break up some of the squareness of the room. I’ve been looking and looking but still nothing yet. I may just have to DIY an old round coffee table or something. So until then, we are enjoying the open space. :)
The t.v. nook looks way better than it did, but I still know we need some sort of built in or bigger entertainment center. But at least my darling husband put the subwoofer inside the entertainment center on the shelf instead of the floor so I could add these:
Love.
The polka dot pillows on the sofa were a killer deal.
And when the room isn’t staged with the yellow chair from the office (because I do want one permanently eventually), here’s what is really there.
Yes, that’s the little tyke’s mini recliner. :)
And way too many pics to follow now. Enjoy!
And I hate to ruin this post by adding an ugly before picture, but that’s what makes blogging fun. It shows where we started and how far we’ve come. So before:
And the happily ever after.
:)
Soooo, whatcha think of our new living room? I’ve always loved our house, but now it’s just…a different kind of love. There’s still a few things that need to be done in here, but for now, I’m calling it done. :)
Here’s a source list:
- Flooring: Manufacturer-Castlewood; Color-Winwood Birch; 5inch plank hand-scraped engineered hardwood.
- Paint Color: Balanced Beige by Sherwin Williams (Color matched and used Behr’s paint and primer in one) More details about the paint in this post.
- Curtains: See this post for details plus a discount code you can use.
- Rugs: Overstock.com, found here. Be sure and use a coupon–just google a coupon code and you’ll likely find a 10% off.
- Floor vases & sticks: Michael’s. The vases were $50, but used a 40% off coupon for each one so they were $30.
- Polka dot pillows: Target, on clearance for $4.98
- Yellow Pillow: Also from Target on clearance for $11.
- Mercury glass hurricanes: I found last year around Christmas at Homegoods.
Sharing this post at Centsational Girl’s Paint Party, Thrifty Decor Chick’s Before and After Party, The Inspired Room’s Paint Party and 320 Sycamore’s Putting it all Together Party.
xxoo,
Decorchick!
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{ 93 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful!
Wow! Emily it looks fantastic. So much lighter and brighter. I know you are loving it!!
It looks GREAT! I think the paint color really softens up the room and lets you soak in all the other details, which is really nice. And I love the rug(s)!
Great job!
Emily
I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The colors are just soothing. I could sit and be calm in your room. And being the fiery personality that I am, that’s a good thing…
Bravo!
LOVELOVE LOVE the new rug!! Dont ya just love Overstock. I have never been disappointed with their stuff. As for a round ottoman – thats a great idea. I actually have one that I have been meaning to list on craigslist- I have no place for it-but I totally LOVE it. I would definately have to be recovered and it use to have button-tufting but I removed that when I did a quick recovering job on it.
I hope to meet you at the Houston Blogger meet-up that Megan is hosting!
take care!
Your room is so cozy and welcoming. I love it. Doesn’t it feel so good when you change things up and it’s like a new house.
Great job!
It looks beautiful girl! Great JOB and those rugs are soooo nice!
I know you are so happy to have your room put back together. It turned out beautiful.
LOVE! AND I love the little chair.. Adds the perfect amount of family whimsy. :) Keep it there.
Beautiful! The pillows are such a great find. :)
Oh.Em.Gee!! What a difference!! I love it! It’s so open and airy feeling. I love the dark leather furniture, too. So long country, hello modern!
In LOVE! It Looks AMAZING!! Yes I’m Yelling!!!! :D and the Pillows!! Are You Kidding ME!! I have been looking for The Perfect black, and cream pillows for our sofa’s also!!! Love those, and the Price!!! LOVE it ALL!! :D
Thanks Margie! The pillows are actually a dark purple though. :)
I love the room, it looks warm and inviting. I like the height of the drapes and the pattern of the rug. Great choices! I love the cream chair but feel it looks a little lonely, maybe another would be nice with a table between. Just a thought. On a side note I love the photo of your daughter, very cute.
What cream chair? I said in my post that office chair was only put there for staging for the pics because I wanted another yellow accent. And didn’t you see the chair that is really there on a daily basis?
Sorry, I’m confused.
LOVE it girl! The paint color, the rugs….ahhhhh. :)
I love it!!! It looks so great with the new floors and I am just in love with the shelf displays. It looks comfy, well put together and just perfect!
Absolutely beautiful!
Love it! I esp love the hardwood floors. They always make a house look so much better and easier to keep clean than carpet. I like the vases you got at Michaels. I might have to go shopping!
I love it! It looks fantastic!! Still cannot get over what a big change the curtains made for the price! I’m holding a living/family room link party this week (part of a room-by-room series through the summer), if you care to join us. No pressure though :) http://houseography.blogspot.com/2011/04/house-tour-party.html
I LOVE it..fantastic..LOVE your windows, hubby loves your BIG tv! ha ha :)
I know, it looks so massive doesn’t it??
Emily this looks SO GOOD!!! Those floors (!!!) and the paint (!!!) and the rug…ahh!! I seriously would have never thought about doing that with two rugs…such a simple & great solution. I even love the mini recliner. What a perfect family room…it makes me want to start working on ours.
Your room is gorgeous!! I love everything about it! It looks so cozy and sophisticated at the same time… LOVE!
xo,
Laurie :)
Looks wonderful. I am going through a similar thing. We are moving, and we are painting everything in the new house. The previous owner had one red wall in the family room, and the other 2 are a medium taupe/beige/color (they look lighter in the pictures). The kitchen is connected to a nice open dining area (with white tile throughout), and the family room is an open area straight off of the dining area. The room is not that large (19 x 14), so the 14 feet makes it appear narrow. The red wall on the side makes the room look even more narrow, so I want to get rid of it. I have never been a fan of one red wall anyway. I’m thinking of lightening it up a little bit. The carpet is a medium to light grey color, so I’m thinking a little bit lighter grey/taupe over all the walls. The main focus wall in the front has a huge brick fireplace with a cathedral ceiling. The fireplace kind of overwhelms the room. It has brick from floor to ceiling, and takes up over half the wall going from right to left, just across the peak of the ceiling. The owner had a couch on the left and right side of the room, which also narrowed the room. I’m just so confused with this room, and the living room also, which has blue carpet that I’m stuck with. The living room has 3 taupe/beige walls and one dark brown (which I also want to change). I hate country blue, so I don’t know what to do in here either. I love looking at your ideas, and what you have done. If you have any ideas for me, I would appreciate any help. I’ll post a link to my realtor’s site which has the pictures if you feel like looking. Thanks.
Linda
http://www.lurobbins.com/Fox%20River%20HIlls%20Drive,%20417/417%20Fox%20River%20HIlls%20Drive,%20Photos.html
It looks wonderful! I just love your style, traditional but with modern accents. Beautiful!!!
Karen
Love the wood floors! They made such a huge difference. It is amazing how light and bright it looks even with such dark floors. Great job!
OH!…..OH!!!! It’s GORGEOUS! WOW! I’m. In. Love! I Can’t WAIT to have a house!!!! It looks fabulous!!
Your room looks great, but one thing. The picture over the sofa is hung too high. Try it lower, and you might like it. I especially love the way you draped the windows.
Yes, I’ve heard that before about the picture. Will be adding wainscoting soon so it will balance out don’t worry. :)
I love the simplicity of the New living room. You integrated all the beautiful “things” we creative women can’t live without, but kept the overall look simple, open & clean. I’ve been trying to do the same thing all over my house. It’s not as easy as it sounds!!! I am thrilled that you shared the photos. I now find myself ready to go out and simplify…….
Ooooh looks good Miss Emily! Love the rug and of course those drapes!!!! Thanks for letting us into your home : ) Hope you are having a fabulous day!
What a transformation! Goodness it’s gorgeous! Love the flooring :) Jenny. PS-your welcome 2 come over anytime & give me advice.LOL. Awesome.
Looks fabulous! The yellow and blue accents are very fresh. You scored with the rugs and I would say the risk was well worth it. Enjoy your new space!
Okay seriously, that is amazing! I have to say that my favorite part of the entire makeover is the curtains. Adding that height makes your room feel about 50 times bigger. My second place fave is the rug. I love that you pieced two together! What a great idea. I love the geometrical print against that FANTASTIC hardwood! You did a great job. I can only imagine how excited you are to have it completed :)
xoxo
*sigh*
Color me absolutely green with floor envy! Oh wait — better make that like deep, deep emerald or something & add your gorgeous drape-y/pool-y window treatments on to that…
Awesome make-over, Emily!
I love it so much! I actually really like the entertainment nook as it is. I’ve never seen one like that before and I like how it’s kind of tucked away.
when can I move in?! :)
It looks amazing Emily. The flooring is just what I would like in my house. I’m just a teensy bit jealous.
Its crazy how different it looks! Great job =)
Love it!! I think the old red ottoman would add a great pop of color though. Even better, you could redo it in some fab grey n yellow fabric!
Absolutely stunning, Emily! I am in love with your rug and am now going to Target to look for those adorable pillows. You did a fabulous job!
Your room looks lovely! What a difference from the before pic – the wood floors make an amazing impact :)
Just beautiful! Great job.
The floors were worth every penny!!! So elegant.
lalalala love it.
LOVE the rug it was the first thing that caught my eye! AMAZING redo! Do you have the link to the rug? I’ve been wanting one similar to the PB Moorish and I like yours more!
It’s beautiful!
be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
You SO bought the rug I’ve been coveting! Now tell me is is more blue or grey in person? I can’t tell from online. I’m thinking of it for the living room as well.
I love the look, really fresh and modern. Go you for taking a risk, it looks great!
Hey Jessica, it’s definitely more blue like the reviews say, which was fine with me since everything else in the living room was neutral. But be prepared for blue. :)
Wow! It looks terrific. You did a great job pulling everything together. Love the rug!! Enjoy your new room!
Emily, it looks amazing. I am still not over what a difference those drapes made. And I am sooooooo jealous. I tried to buy that rug about three weeks ago but it was sold out. I wonder if they have more. You better put them on lock down as you might notice that you only have one when you wake up!! ;)
Hi Emily, I’m loving your blog! I just started reading in the blogosphere and now I can’t stop! I live in Katy, in a house we built about 9 yrs ago. We are recent empty-nesters, but our son may come back home soon so he can attend college. I want to start a blog on my upcoming projects. As my husband and I get older, it’s getting harder and harder to climb those stairs. So I’ll be checking your blog on a daily basis to see what wonderful things you’ve done lately! Thank you for sharing your experiences with everyone. PS: I’ve forwarded your living room reveal to my hubby who is in Jordan right now, so he can check out the flooring. We are wanting to put new flooring in our master bedroom :-)
Edna; edna@etchedinthread.com
Oooh, so glad I just checked in! I love your new living room and especially the look of the two rugs put together! James and I want to come over!! :)
This room looks so elegant & beautiful. I’m crazy about the area rug! What a brilliant idea to put two together. I’m impressed.
Warmly, Michelle
Maybe we can figure out a way to put backlit stained glass panels in those three little windows. I’m itching to do some glass work, but don’t have the time to scratch these days.
Love your redo! It looks great!
Debbie
It looks great! The rug(s) is awesome! Great risk. :)
This looks lovely, hope to see you at My Dream Canvas.
Love the new room. The rugs are fabulous.
WOW! It is just beautiful. You did a wonderful job & should be so proud.
CAS
Visiting from Funky Junk’s SNS party…..
As someone who works as a Home Stager, I can tell you that your room looks much better ‘after’! Really pretty and light and fresh and airy! What a lovely job!
(sorry, that’s my anonymous comment above….accident!)
It’s beautiful! I really like the geometric pattern of the rugs, what a great idea to pair them. Yellow touches are gorgeous!
Love the room, especially the rugs, may have to get one for myself! Way to go!
You did a wonderful “happily ever after job”. It looks great, I specially love your leather couches and your whole decor is just perfect! Lovely job!
HUGS
FABBY
The room looks very composed, grown up and lovely. You did a super job with it and every detail of that shows in the photos. The use of the two rugs is very graphic and well done. The other very difficult thing in that room are the windows, which are handled superbly! You’ve got a great eye and I hope you’ll enjoy all the compliments that will come your way. Happy Easter. Jane
It all looks fantastic Emily! I really love the way you put together the tv nook area. So much better! I remember when you first were gathering ideas for that space. I love, LOVE the 2 rugs together. It’s great graphic pattern and looks great in there. I’m sure you’re happy it’s done!
Thanks so much Anita! Can you believe it’s almost been a year since that tv nook post? Wow!
Everything is gorgeous!!! I am redoing our family room and have been inspired. The drapery is gorgeous and I have fallen in love with your rugs. You definitely have an eye for design :)
I like the “after” shots! Your “Balanced Beige” adds a calming sophistication to the room. :)
WOW! I love it!!! I love your style and choices!!! Excellent job! Thank you for sharing!
LOVE it, Emily!! The rug really makes the room…love the graphic print and color!
:-)
shaunna
I love your redo. We are in the market for a new leather couch. Where is yours from??
I love your livingroom….esp the rug and curtains….you did a wonderful job…..the only thing i would change is the height of the pictures above your couch…they appear too high and seem to float. Pictures are usually about 7 inches above the couch. Try it and see if you agree. Besides that….simply love your room and beautiful style…..
Emily, such a great job on the room makeover! I am still floored by the gray walls! And the blue colors… just gorgeous! I wouldnt have thought to put two smaller rugs together… genius. Ok, I’m running out of adjectives :) Love it, girl! xo
I see the 8 x 10 of that rug there.
It was not available at the time I bought mine. Plus, it was cheaper the way I did it. :)
It’s so pretty!!! I love that rug so much; it pulls everything together so beautifully. I just redid our living room too and am also searching for a round ottoman or coffee table to break up all the squareness… good luck with your search!
LOVE the rug, I think it contrasts nicely with the furniture……………Overstock is sold out, maybe they should thank you for the sales. Great job on the room!
Not sure if you’ve seen this but overstock now has an 8×10 of the rug you’re using! I love this rug and I have the 5×8 in my “dressing room”!
Hey Sara, yea another reader told me this morning too. They didn’t have it at the time I ordered, but it’s ok. I like the 2 together! :)
What a gorgeous room, I love it!!!
What a difference those hardwood floors make – they are gorgeous. You really know how to put a room together!
Your living room turned out really great. I bet it’s wonderful to sit down in your living room and look around and admire how all your hard work came together. It’s amazing.
~Robin
I love that rug! I almost bought the same one, but was worried it would be too grey. It looks more blue than I thought, which I love! I really love how it all turned out! BRAVO!
I am a new follower to your blog! :) Love it! Erin
http://www.healthybranscoms.com
I love how it came out! You picked a beautiful color for the walls. I have a color like your before in my living room right now and I wiash I had picked something more like this. I love how the dark furniture plays with the lighter elements now. And hooray for flooring and rugs! The rug is certainly the star now. You have great taste!
I’d love to hear your feedback on my playroom/guestroom makeover if you have the time! I’m using a light shade just like yours on the walls and also have some dark woods in there.
Wow, looks great. Total transformation. Love the rug choice by the way.
I think you are genius for putting the 2 rugs together! What a beautiful space~I adore the pillows as well!
I don’t know if you found out, but it looks like the RSS registration hyperlink is not performing fully. I just tried clicking on it earlier and it sent me to a 404. .. simply a heads up!
Your room looks great! I love all the paint samples in your before picture! That’s what my house looks like right now.
I love your website!! I love your curtains in the living room and want to order from the same website. But I have a question for you. I have never ordered drapes before and my window is 120 inches. I don’t want them to sit perfectly on the floor and I want them kinda drappy on the floor. The next size that curtainworks has is 144 inches. Do you think it would be too much if have 24 inches in a pile on the floor? They are only for decorations. Thank you! Tiffany
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