Updated Living Room

A couple weeks ago I shared the new great room wall color with you, but I focused on the dining room area of the great room. So I figured I should probably show you what the living room looks like now.

Our living room looked like this before the new wood laminate flooring, updated baseboards, and new paint color.

I was getting kind of tired of those curtains my mom helped me sew five years ago. So I changed out the curtains and curtain rods. You may notice that I also moved the curtain rods up closer to the ceiling to make the room appear taller. Remember, hang those curtains high and wide, my friend.

I’ve never been a fan of our leather couches. They’re comfortable and practical when living with a baby/toddler, but not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I have found that if you drape a cute blanket over one arm, the attractiveness of the leather sofa increases by 10%.

After having the new hard surface floors installed, we knew we needed a rug so Owen could play comfortably on the floor. My friends at RugsUSA were kind enough to send us this 8×10 Persian distressed rug and pad. I love the colors in the rug. And while it has a traditional pattern, the distressing makes it not so uptight. The pad adds a little extra cushion and keeps the rug in place– a necessity with an active toddler.

The $50 Craigslist dresser turned TV stand still resides in the living room. However, it also functions as a bookshelf now.

Since we don’t have a playroom, I keep a lot of Owen’s toys in baskets in the living room. The rest of his toys are stored in the hallway linen closet just off of the great room. I showed how I organized the closet here. And more of his toys are kept in his bedroom closet.

The dresser my mom and aunt used as kids is still in the living room. But I added the mirror, lamp, and ginger jar. The mirror has a slight dent in it so I was able to score it for a nice discount. Which is why you should never be afraid to ask if you can get a better price on something if it is flawed.

In the reflection of the mirror, you can see two of my peony photos that I had printed and put on our picture ledges for spring/summer.

I love that basket for storing some of Owen’s toys. It makes clean up so much easier.

To give you a better perspective, this is what the great room looks like.

I separate the two areas by facing the couch away from the dining area. There’s also a sofa table behind the couch that helps define the space.

The room is so much brighter now with the light-colored laminate floors, which help bounce the light around, and the light gray wall color.

 SOURCES

wall color … Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray, flat

trim color … Sherwin-Williams Extra White, satin

TV stand … Craigslist– tutorial here

rug … RugsUSA

curtains … Merete from IKEA

gray striped blanket … Target

mirror … HomeGoods (similar // similar)

pink lamp … HomeGoods (similar)

blue and white lamp … HomeGoods

ginger jar … HomeGoods

basket … HomeGoods (similar)