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Slow but Sure Progress in the Living Room

by | Jul 8, 2016 | Decorating Inspiration, My Living Room, My Seattle House

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Slow but Sure Progress in the Living Room

Greetings! As I mentioned recently, we had several interior rooms painted over the last couple of weeks. I had been wanting to have the walls painted since we moved in, so I couldn’t be happier to finally have everything freshened up! In case you missed it, you can see what the walls looked like before here. The fresh coat of white paint finally gave us the clean slate I’ve been needing to feel like I was ready to proceed with more decorating.

While we are not yet finished with the room and nothing is final (is it ever?), it feels great to be making progress towards the clean yet cozy vibe we wanted. Adding more layers is really warming things up nicely.

Slow but Sure Progress in the Living Room

There’s a thermostat quite inconveniently placed on the wall above this gold dresser (as always seems to be the case in any house). Our plant does a pretty good at concealing it, though, don’t you think? :)

I’ve really been eager to work on this corner of the room, which is diagonal to our rattan daybed and the opposite corner windows. We are using a lot of what we already had to furnish this room, just arranging or using it in new ways for this new home.

All the furniture was in our old house or a family piece, except for the daybed on the other side of the room.

The gold dresser was actually from our bedroom, and is now being used to hold entertaining linens.

The wood game table has been in our family for years, as well as our vintage blue and white lamp with the new navy lampshade.

The framed botanicals, the cafe chair, the blue plant pot and one of the two baskets on the wall are new (sources at end of post).

The rug was purchased before Christmas and we still love the pattern and color it brings to the space.

Slow but Sure Progress in the Living Room

We had the linen settee as well as the leather sofa and round coffee table in our old house. Any time we can get away without replacing something in this house or at least put off buying something new, I’m all for it! We have been saving up for doing bigger remodeling projects (like our side patio, sewer and kitchen among other things) so it’s nice to be able to save money wherever we can.

Slow but Sure Progress in the Living Room

This herringbone topped wood game table on this wall has a checkerboard center that you can flip over to play games (the checkered part you can’t see for some reason in the photo). It’s a family piece we’ve always loved, so it was nice to find a spot where it could tuck in. It’s also a nice little desk area.

I was going to take the glass out of the framed botanicals (which I find makes it easier to take photos and feels less shiny in the room) but I’ve noticed that at some angles it reflects the water view outside, so for now I’m leaving it in!

Using what we already have and adding just a few new pieces is not just a budget saver, it has really helped make this room so much more like “us” but in a fresh new way that feels right for this house.

Slow but Sure Progress in the Living Room

This room is starting to feel much more inviting and less like we just moved in. We really love the relaxed arrangement; it’s been perfect for chatting with a group, watching the view out the window or curling up on the sofa or daybed to read, nap, or work.

Speaking of the daybed and fireplace side of the room, it has had a couple updates like a few new pillows on the daybed and we added a new mirror above the fireplace (because we moved the other mirror to the dining room). I’ll have new photos to show you, soon.

Last but not least, just this week we installed bamboo shades in our dining room and next we will be adding them to this room, too. They are definitely are the perfect finishing touch to a room so I can’t wait to have them all up!

Sources:

Leather Love Seat // Botanical Art (we found ours on sale at a local garden store, but you can find them online here and here) // Round Coffee Table // Linen Settee (on a huge sale right now!) // Blue and White Rug // Gold Dresser (appears to be out of stock, but it was called the Grace Chest) // Bistro Chair // Blue and White Pillow Cover . . . (more sources and other items I’ve been loving can be found in my shop here)

Hope you have a great Friday! What projects do you have going on around your house these days?

34 Comments

  1. Cathy

    Your living room looks very cozy and inviting! What a brilliant way to hide the thermostat! I also have in my living room a chest of drawers that used to be in our bedroom and now houses entertaining linens (and candles and gift wrap) and has a thermostat over it!

  2. Jenny

    Your room looks great… I know the struggle of moving to a new home and figuring out how to make the new space feel comfortable and lived in and “you”… going through the same thing myself. You’re doing a wonderful job! Looking forward to seeing more changes in your home as you tackle the rest of your project list!

  3. Maggie

    Beautiful. I am wondering where did you get your bamboo shades?

    Thanks

  4. Trish Mahon

    I love the textures and the calm feel to the room. Also as a Dog trainer I love the dog on the sofa. What is your wall paint color please?

  5. Ms. Maggie the Elder

    The rattan/bamboo as well as the darker blue tones are right on point right now. The white walls will give you time to decide on your next moves for the walls. Enjoy!

  6. Candice from Georgetown, Ontario

    The presence of a Doodle in a room always takes the style up a notch ?❤️

  7. Annabelle Woodward

    Looks lovely. Amazing how white can bring alive all the furniture and details to add the texture.
    Please can you upload a crude floorplan of how you have positioned the furniture? We have a long living space which we do not have a clue how to furnish, so I am intrigued how this might work for us.
    Many thanks!

  8. Sandra@lookingforpotential

    Your room looks so pretty, I love the botanical prints. Did you purchase them or frame them yourself? It does take time for a room to come together and feel at rest with it.

  9. Anne

    Lovely room! I especially love (beside the darling dog) all of the pops of blue. I just painted my wood paneling a warm white and want to incorporate blue accent pieces in the room. Timeless look I believe. ( And your beautiful book looks lovely on the coffee table) I also use an old chest in my dining room for placemats, etc.. my favorite part of the room.

  10. Rya

    It looks beautiful and very well thought out. Thanks for your inspiring posts – I’m changing the colors of my walls to white as well. Can you share which white you used?

    • Rya

      Aaah – I found the colors in you other post – BM Simply White and Glidden Swan White. I have a big test swatch of Simply White on my wall now, but I think I need something warmer. Will try a test of the Swan White. Thanks for the tip!

  11. Kathleen

    I just love that rug–where did you say you got it from? I have multiple projects going on, from my front porch, to my bedroom & living room. I keep jumping from one to the other. Do you have any tips on how to concentrate on one room at a time???

  12. Kathleen

    Oops, sorry, just saw the link for the rug.

  13. Mary Burchette

    Great idea to place a plant in front of the thermostat, Melissa ~ I couldn’t even tell it was there! ;) We’re have a similar annoyance in our den. The builders put the breaker box IN THE DEN!! Crazy and so unattractive! So I got creative and hung a picture over it and the entire eyesore is concealed. Have a wonderful Friday! :)

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Ha! We have one in our new office and it’s hideous. Hoping to find a wall hanging to cover it but it’s a doozy. :-/

  14. Karen

    Love how fresh and summery it looks. Realizing my living room is still trapped in darker winter colors. Time to figure out how to lighten it up! :)

  15. Deanna Rabe

    It looks wonderful and I love the Navy you’ve added in! Fresh and beautiful!

  16. Linda Stoll

    Don’t you just love moving stuff from one room to another, reimagining would it could be in an entirely different role or location?

    So fun!

    ;-}

  17. Debbie

    This little corner is just so beautiful! I adore the “collected” look of it all with gorgeous pops of blue and tons of texture. So much inspiration for my living room. Thank you for bringing us along! (And the lounging dog … oh my goodness – stop!) :))

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you, Debbie :) I’m so glad you like it! We are so happy to see our old and new coming together.

  18. Abby Lovett

    I love what you have done! And I love that you reuse items that you already had, but in new ways. I find that I don’t want to part with most of my pieces, yet I feel like it needs updating sometimes. Adding in one or two new things, changing how something was used really makes a difference. Thanks for the inspiration and I can’t wait to see the next thing!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you, Abby! It is fun to see how you can update your look without buying all the latest items! :)

  19. sharon / theprincipledtype.blogspot.com

    I played Where’s Waldo (or, Where’s the Thermie, in this case) looking for your thermostat, with no luck until reading the rest of your clues. And I have an eagle eye! (Really!)
    Love your space. Ever evolving and all!

  20. Jo Jo

    Your room has really come together so beautifully. I absolutely love that leather sofa! Loving the blues! I use cream and blue too…always so fresh! As far as what projects that I’m doing in my home…well, Im trying to figure out a display of some blue & white platters and collection of Longerberger baskets for my dining room wall. Hopefully by next week I’ll figure a nice artful arrangement ( I use all my baskets and platters…just pop them off the wall when needed) and they’ll be hung! I’ve a much larger wall to display them on in this home then I did in my previous home. Wish me luck! ?

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Oooo fun, good luck Jo Jo! So fun to have a new house and more room to display what you love! Enjoy!

  21. Michelle

    Your room looks so fresh, vibrant and inviting! No wonder that cutie pie doodle likes to lounge around in there. Thank you for allowing your readers to follow your “making a house a home” journey. I’m loving that live plant you have on your gold dresser. Do you mind sharing what it is? I’m always looking to expand my “indoor garden.”

  22. Hillary

    Melissa,
    What color of white paint did you use? We are moving into a new house at the end of this month and I want to do a coat of white paint to freshen it up. I’d love to know more about how you choose the right color white for a space based on the lighting, style, etc!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Our living room is Simply White by Benjamin Moore. Our hallways and guest room is Swan White by Glidden. We love both! In both areas, we wanted a warmer white to be a refreshed backdrop (we didn’t want glaring or cold) and to complement the style of our home. The best way to choose (in my opinion) is to bring several samples to your own room and test them. I couldn’t believe the difference in how the same whites looked from room to room! We have more natural light in our living room than our hall or guest room and different flooring in each, which really impacted our choices. Testing it in your own home will be the best way to know what works! Good luck!

  23. Carol S.

    Lovely and cozy updates. Question about the starburst mirror you had at Christmas time above the cabinet in the family room…I came looking for an inspiration picture of it and wonder if it found a new place in your home?

  24. Joanne Taggart

    Hi Melissa! Your home is coming along quite nicely. I was wondering how you do it? Is it a lot of planning? That’s probably a redundant question as I’ve read your books and posts and it’s obvious you take your time and plan. It can be downright hard for me because quite a lot of styles appeal to me. If that is the case, do you think I should embrace that part of me and incorporate it into my home. I think I’m doing just that, on a very limited budget but sometimes it looks disconnected. Practice makes perfect as they say. I know I am taking up your time with questions that could be answered by rereading your info, but in the quiet of the morning with my coffee in hand I just thought I’d ask. Thanks for your time and sharing your beautiful home with us all!

 

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