Living Room Redo!

Another before and after!

I am planning to post the whole house before and afters within the upcoming week! So excited! Also, get ready for a big announcement! I have some exciting news to share with you! ;)

The living room was dark and dreary. The paint was dull. The blinds looked like something you'd find at my dentist's office. The carpet was blue. Dull. Boring, Scuzzy. The only thing that I LOVED was the existing ceiling. So cool. And it was in great shape.

Got rid of the carpet. My Dad and I  refinished the hardwood underneath. Next I knocked out part of the wall dividing the living room from the kitchen (as seen in the photo below). This opened up the space nicely.

I have the hardest time picking paint colors for myself. I can help anyone else out easy peasy lemon squeazy. I do it at work all the time. For my own house though - a whole nother story. I spent $30 on those little paint samples and tried them on the wall. Originally, I wanted a very light gray. I tried gray after gray but just wasn't felling it. I landed on this blue - Benjamin Moore (always love BM) Yarmouth Blue.

There are a few more things to be done here - artwork on the walls, more pillows for the couches, etc. But I love how it's coming along.

And of course the shelves. I LOVE a wall of shelves. I will have one in every house I live in. Initially, I was hoping for wooden built ins. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford them. There were tons of alternatives/DIY projects I could have tackled. I decided to go with this set up. I got all the material at Menards. My Dad helped A LOT putting these up...okay he basically put them all up for me and I watched and talked the whole time. So spoiled. Blessed. Anyway, the whole thing cost about $180. So worth it to me - adds so much warmth, interest, and personality to the space.

Those exposed wires drive me CRAZY! I tried to hide them in the basket the best I could but as you can see, it's looking pretty trashy. If anyone has a solution let me know!

One of these days I will dedicate a post solely on the set up of my shelves and where I find all my little knick knacks and books.

Remember this couch? $100. The lamp - gift from my mom. Love the base, looking for a different shade. End table - trash, $0.

I got all of these plant stands in the trash!! I will post about them in detail another time.

I got this rug at World Market for $130. It's cool, right? And a great deal! It's huge!

This trunk is pretty much my favorite possession. I will never sell, never paint it, never alter it in any way. It belonged to relative of mine (E. Ramsey). It is priceless.

A close up of the cool ceiling.

Well there ya have it! My favorite space in the house!

How you like to add personality to your space? Shelves? Photographs? Family heirlooms? Do share!

Have a beautiful day and be a blessing,
Han