Yes. My new living room. If you don’t follow on instagram, you’ll have no idea what I’m referring to, so I’ll try to explain it.
We have desperately needed more space since we moved here 11 years ago. Three kids, only three bedrooms, and 1,500 square feet. For real. **And** we are both musicians with lots of musical equipment and no where to store any of it. My husband has taken some of it to the studio, but he doesn’t actually have storage there either, so we had guitars under everything and in every space we could find. He also works from home some and had been working in the master closet, which was, of course, not ideal.
Adding to the outside has not been financially feasible, and knowing it would not be any time soon, I came up with the idea to get rid of the huge island in the kitchen, which I’d wanted to do forever. That led to moving my dining table into the kitchen temporarily, but I ended up loving it so much, I decided to give up the dining space for a small office/studio. Does that make sense?
So with around $200, some drywall, 2 x 4s and trim, we enclosed this dining area (from last fall), and wish we’d done it sooner.
Basically, my living room is the same size but simply reoriented the other direction. And oh boy do we love how it turned out.
Maybe it’s actually having a wall that I never had, or breaking up that huge rectangular space, but whatever it is, we love it.
There were a few other changes as well but the one with the most impact was changing out the drop cloth draperies for real ones. My mom had given me this fabric, so I could not wait to make curtains out of it and also added some vintage lace embroidered sheers.
I also sold the cream chair I had bought for my husband and purchased this leather one from amazon. I searched and searched for a good deal on a leather recliner with tufting, real nail head trim and no leather match or bonded leather, and was excited to find this one on amazon for $549. For real. And it’s gorgeous and really well made. I was a little nervous based on the photo and no reviews, but was more than pleasantly surprised. And by the way this is **not** a sponsored recommendation in any way, I did the work and found the deal myself and liked what I found. It really goes well with the other furniture I have and so much better than the cream one.
I had my two antique channel back chairs here, but liked how these barley twist chairs look, and they’re really comfy. I suspect I’ll change them back and forth with the channel back chairs like I do everything.
I put my antique settle in the bedroom and brought out my great grandfather’s dropleaf table for this corner.
I love how this corner is working as a comfy spot for reading or for drinking a cup of coffee.
I’m sure I will change some things as we’re still getting used to a new space, but what a huge difference it made to put up a couple walls.
I’m seriously happy to have a little bit of separation in this living area now, as I have grown bored with open space and the limitations it presents. Something about the definition a wall makes, as well as something for light to bounce off of makes this a cozier and more defined room.
And I’m super happy about that.
There is so much more to share, as everything got moved around, so I’ll try to share here, but in the meantime follow along on instagram for updates.
I’ll be joining:
Love how you use splashes of red with the other colors! The last photo shot is my favorite, because from that angle, it truly gets it all in! Beautiful Anita!
Thank you so much Deborah for those kind words:-)
Wow, Anita! I would have guessed your home was MUCH larger because of the way you have used your space over the years. It looks fantastic…and where everyone else is tearing down walls and opening things up you have gone the opposite way and LOOK at what you have gained. Fantastic!
Thank you!! Ha I know — I always think it looks large when I'm shooting, because I do try and creatively capture the space, but someone I know remarked how much smaller it was in person after seeing only photos — much to my dismay:-( We really do feel like we gained so much more than we lost, so if it works for us, we're happy!!
It looks gorgeous, I love how the room is oriented now too. It looks so welcoming and inviting.
Thanks so much Marty!!
I love it! I wouldn't change a thing–well done!
Thanks so much!
Good for you and your husband adding the wall to make two rooms. Being honest about not able to add on too. Looking forward to seeing how your dining table looks in your kitchen:).
Kathleen in Az
Thanks so much Kathleen!! I think it's important for people to know you can have a beautiful and functional space on a budget:-)
Beautiful! I can't wait to see the Kitchen!
Thanks Janet!! We're hoping to hang a light fixture this weekend, and I ordered fabric for my chair seats then I'll hopefully be ready to share!!
Oh Anita…it all looks so rich and beautiful! The leather recliner looks great in the space, and coordinates so well w/ your barley chairs. And I LOVE your curtains…they're gorgeous against the backdrop of your wall color. The whole space exudes such warmth and welcome…just like your bedroom. I do understand about the open space. We have a modest 90's house, but it has a more open concept on the main floor. And just a few days ago, I was expressing to my family that I really wish we had more walls. The open space can be nice, but I long for more separation and wall space so I can hang things…very few walls and I miss that after now living here for five years. I also have drop cloth curtains in my LR, and can't wait to change them out once new paint's on the walls. Yours add such a dramatic difference…love all you've done w/ your spaces…just beautiful!
Thank you so much Roxie!! Something about those little changes that really make a difference!
Absolutely love your "new" Living Room!! The colors are fantastic!! Love the drapes…I think they make the room!! The rug, the chairs and your grandfather's table are stunning! Such a charming room!! I love all the colors which make this room so warm and inviting!!Thanks so much for sharing!! And thanks for breaking away from all the "white" that is out there and for not doing "Farmhouse"!!!! We need more Bloggers with individual style like yours!!
Hugs,
Debbie
Thanks so much Debbie!! I am definitely into my own thing, and the version of farmhouse out there, I just don't recognize as remotely authentic anyway, so I'm not drown to it at all. Now the real thing, yes, and because I love American styles I'll throw some in here and there, but I really try to be authentic and of course, colorful:-)