Living Room Overhaul

You're probably wondering if we're about done overhauling. YES. WE. ARE. The dining room, living room, and hallway all flood together, so when we did the carpet replacement...we kind of reassembled each room as we went.

We really didn't do a ton to our living room - other than offer a heavy sigh of happiness when the hardwood floors were once again protected and we could drink our evening coffee without the worry that the mug would take a spill off the side table and shatter.

I just painted the living room two years ago, so we didn't have to mess with any paint - other than touching up a bit of the trim that had taken beatings from furniture here and there. So, without further ado...here are my pics!

Before:

 After:

* Carpet was the biggest change in this room. {As if Braeya's presence does not vouch for that.} It may not look like a huge change, but it was.
* We replaced the ceiling fan, which was ridiculously old. I had replaced the globes on the one that was up there...but we put in a more modern looking one and I love it.
* Replaced the curtains on the door and window with light tan ones that let in more light and look softer. We love them.
* I used my Christmas money to purchase a cabinet to put under the coat rack so we have something other than a basket to hold our hats, gloves, scarves, etc. Looks SO much better. I love that thing!
* Swapped out a lamp from our den {sort of a burlap/twine look} with the one in the living room just to keep the theme going.

Before:

 After:

 * I moved the little decorative balls out of a flat, rectangle basket into a different basket I already owned. And while it's hard to see here, I added a grapevine tree by the fireplace.
* We purchased a shelf to hang on the wall between the clock and the fireplace to hold my little candle holder I love so much. I love the way it brought presence between the clock and the fireplace.
* Took the 2 smaller picture frames that had been on the mantel and hung them on the wall with the two larger frames already there - just to finish up that space.
* You'll notice Braeya had to be in EVERY PICTURE.

Before:

 After:

 * This view didn't really change - except for the carpet. And the obvious start of football season.

Before:

 After:

 * And the main change here...the cool cabinet for our gloves and such.

Details

Words cannot adequately express how much I love this cabinet!! We just happened upon it, fell in love with it, and I was so happy I still had my Christmas money so we could get it. It is literally THE perfect solution to all the foyer clutter. {Since, you know, we have no foyer.}

* Like having four frames on this wall instead of two - and one day they'll all have pictures going the same direction. My OCD cannot handle it otherwise. :)

*The distressed shelf. I pointed out to Ryan that we ran around with a paint can fixing the blemishes on the trim and then spent money on a shelf that looked exactly like what we covered up. EXPLAIN THIS TO ME???

* I'll just say it. Those curtains in the before picture were a mistake from day one. I went shopping on an impulse to try to jump-start myself back into real life after Isaac left me and I bought them without ever liking them. BAD. BAD. MOVE. These are so much better. So. Much. Better.

* Hello, this century!!! And it kind of looks like an asterisk. That makes my writer's heart happy.

* Just so you can see....the carpet before:

*...and after...

Even though the changes weren't as radical in here...it feels polished. Finished.

Home.