The day has finally come! I get to show you my living room reveal!
I’m not going to call it my final reveal because as you may have read in my Keeping it Real, Help I’m Drowning post, I still have quite a few projects I want to tackle in this room. I’ll mention those in the after pictures so you can have an idea what else to expect to see later. You ready to see my new living room?
Let’s start with a quick review of what my living room looked like before we started. I’ll keep it brief, but at least this way you will be able to see the differences. I’m going to take you in a circle around the room both with the before and after so you can hopefully get the scope of the room.
Obviously this is the main seating area. Our living room has a lot of doorways, windows, and spaces that limit where the furniture can go…trust me. I have probably had my furniture in every possible placement in this room over the years.
On the wall opposite the couch is the TV and the fireplace (not pictured here). I removed all our prior artwork from the walls. I was ready for something new.
The fireplace was painted earlier this year.
The fireplace divides this wall in half. On one half is the TV. This half has two bookcases put together along with some additional seating.
The french doors lead out to our deck and backyard. This area of the room leads into the kitchen. It is also our school supplies storage area as we school at our kitchen table. A long while ago, I re-organized this area. You can read about it in this post if you would like.
Now…for the new!
As is obvious, especially if you read How to Remove Chair Rail Part 1 and Part 2, we removed the chair rail and painted the trim white. When I look at this picture now and look back at the before, it is hard to believe the other room was my living room. This room looks so much more modern and clean. It is so much more my style. I LOVE it!
I took down all the artwork that was on this wall. It won’t be going back up. I have some unfinished frames that I plan to paint and fill with something. Not sure what yet.
Looking out toward the front of our house. Just to give you a different perspective. Our house sits up on a hill, so I always think looking out these windows from this end of the room makes it look like we live in a tree house. I’m still debating the tan curtains and couch. What do you think? I will be keeping the couch quite a while longer, but the curtains could be changed out. I’m kind of ready for new and to move the rods up closer to the ceiling as well.
Changing the color, removing the chair rail and painting the trim sure made our room feel a lot bigger. Not sure which element it is exactly that made the change but for the first couple of weeks, every time we would walk in, we would comment on how much bigger the room felt. Maybe it was just that the furniture was crammed in the middle of the room for so long…hmmm. Anyway.
You may have seen my posts about making some DIY wall art. I made the state diy wall art as well as the monogram diy wall art. I love how the turned out! Maybe they could be a little larger to fill the space a little more, but I much prefer this art work to what I had on the walls a couple of months ago. I love that we have the history of all the places we have lived, right there as art on our wall.
I also am super happy with the painted fireplace. I thought about both the painting of the fireplace and the removal of the chair rail for many years before actually doing them. I don’t regret doing the projects at all and I’m super happy with the end result!
Looking out the opposite end of the room and out to our backyard. The chair on the left was my Grandma’s. I think the arms on the chair are so unique. I really like them. I also think that I would like to make the chair over at some point to make it fit my room and my style a bit more…maybe a little less colonial looking.
This is another area where I plan to do some work and show you. I want to make some kind of art or wreath or something to fill the space between the fireplace and the lamp/bookcase.
It also isn’t spring anymore and I have some fun plans for my summer mantel! Can’t wait to make my ideas and to show them to you!
I moved this area around a little bit after painting. I moved the bookcase to the far wall, which left the ability to put the wood for the fireplace on the floor rather than the hearth. It also made it feel a little more spacious and a little less crowded on this wall.
These wall scream…fill me up and I see more furniture that needs to be re-finished or something. Not sure what to do with this whole area. The bookcases now look kind of off in the color scheme of the room. See this is why I didn’t call it a final reveal. Baby steps…though really removing the chair rail, painting the trim and the fireplace are not baby steps. They are huge steps.
Looking toward our kitchen. This end of the room holds our homeschool supplies. You can see the rest of the trim in the house is not painted. Yet.
Doesn’t this spot look like a great place to relax? I’ve got ideas for some summer pillows for the couches….I’m always thinking of more fun ways to change things up. For the moment, I’m going to put my feet up and enjoy all the hard work. Then after that I will slowly begin to work on my to-do list for this room and the other areas of my house as well as craft ideas, etc.
I had always thought I would take down the chair rail in the rest of the downstairs, but after all the work it took, I’m re-thinking that plan. Or maybe I will just wait until I forget how much work it was and then give it a go. Do you think I should remove the rest of the chair rail because it will look weird? or just paint it white? I don’t like the chair rail…I really despise it, but I also am not super excited about the whole removal process either. What is your opinion? Wanna come help me? 😉
An update on my to-do list for this room.
Living Room To-Do
- New Lamp Shades
Finish quarter round by fireplaceTouch up paint- Paint frames for wall above couch
- Figure out what to put in frames above couch
- Wall art for by chair and lamp by fireplace
- Make decorative pillows for couch in coordinating fabrics
- Paint/Refinish end tables
- New Drapes?
- New TV/Entertainment stand
- ?Paint/refinish/recover my Grandma’s chair
- ?Move mantel lower or re-do it?
- ?What to do about bookcases now
- ?New fish tank stand or refinish?
- ?Recover or get new ottoman/coffee table
More Home Improvement Fun:
I can’t believe it, but I have an exact copy of your Grandmother’s chair. I found it at an antique shop about 6 or 7 years ago. I’ve given it a new look, but it is a match. 🙂
That is so neat! What did you do to give yours a new look? I’d love an idea. Mine with with my Mom’s neighbor until a few years ago. This is how she had the chair. I haven’t changed anything and really want to…eventually. 🙂
I sent a picture of my updated chair to your wordpress email. Enjoy!
Hmmm…not sure where that went, but I didn’t get it. I’ve looked in my spam folder as well. Are you on facebook? Could you upload a picture on my facebook page? I would love to see the pic.
Thanks so much for trying.
What a great transformation! It is amazing what a difference paint can make in the room.
Kelly
Thanks! Yes, paint and some blood, sweat, and tears! Glad that process is over. 🙂
What a fabulous makeover! All the hard work from the chair rail was totally worth it. Your room looks fantastic!
Looks great! Amazing what little things make a big difference!
Thanks, Marie! We are loving our new room. 🙂
Your living room reveal looks fabulous! I’m working on my home too but just haven’t had the courage yet to blog it! As for the curtains, zulily.com has lots of ideas. Maybe a chevron bold stripe? Good luck and can’t wait to see more!
Thanks for your courage in sharing,
LizzieT
Thanks so much! I hadn’t thought of looking on zulily. Good idea. Thanks!
Your changes look GREAT! Makeovers are always fun…at least I can say that once all the work is done. lol.
Here is my two cents on the curtains. It is more of a simple, short-term solution. Since you want to move the curtain rods higher, you could always sew a “band” of fabric along the bottom of the tan curtains. I would suggest a patterned fabric that would give new life to the beige. When my mom and I had a decorating business several years ago, we did this for several clients and it was always a hit. I can’t remember the exact proportions to use for the beige to patterned fabric ratio. You will have to wing it. If I were to guess, I would say to let the lower panel be roughly 1/4 of the the finished length???
You may hate the suggestion…everyone has their own ideas so no worries. But it seems like a quick, easy solution that would tie in color very nicely without being overwhelming.
Hope your week is off to a good start!
Thanks, Lisa! Yes, fun once the work is done for sure!
I love your idea for the curtains. I even have a fabric I bought to make some pillows with that might work, though it is a different texture. The curtains are a micro-suede kind of material(though is that right or is that only used on couches?). I’m not sure a cotton type fabric would look good with that…might look strange. I do like the idea though. Will have to think about it and figure something out.
I didn’t know you had a decorating business. How fun! Let me know if you have other suggestions for the living room. I’m not very good at the whole details part…you know the part that pulls the room together and makes it look polished. Of course I need ideas that work with two young-ish kids.
Thanks for giving me your two cents.
Glad you like the idea for the curtains. I agree that the types of fabric you mentioned probably wouldn’t work well together. You need something of similar weight. Given the type of fabric used for the existing curtains, I would scope out the fabrics in the upholstery section of your local fabric shop. Of course, that’s assuming you HAVE a local fabric shop??? You don’t need that much fabric. A remnant would be perfect. They are also usually reasonably priced. Hope that helps.
Other suggestions? Girlfriend, I’m full of suggestions. lol. But they are only that…suggestions. Take as nothing more. 🙂
1. LOVE your DIY state/monogram art work. One way to give it more “punch” is to hang the items a little bit closer together….not much closer…and surround them with a painted frame. If the frame is large enough, it might look nice over your sofa? Personally, I prefer painted items to be distressed. It evokes “lived in” and “loved” feelings.
2. Since option #1 means moving your art work, how about raising your TV by sitting your current stand on top of basic shelves? This would provide more balance in the room. Your book case offers height on one side but everything on the other side is low. Varying heights are great as long as you keep the elements in odd numbers. Make sense? Your book case is one height, your TV will be another and the remaining items are similarly another. By placing your current stand on top of shelves (maybe 3 high) you will give yourself more storage space for movies, books, etc. You could also paint both pieces to look like one unit. I’ve actually shopped the closet organizational section of Lowe’s or Home Depot for shelving units for TV stands. Strange but it works. 🙂
3. Find a way to incorporate black. I would use a distressed/soft black to go with your softer color scheme. Black “grounds” a room and gives the eye a place to rest. No need to go overboard. A little goes a long way.
4. How about framing your favorite candid photo of your kids or your family and hanging them one on top of the other beside the fireplace. It would personalize the room even more. I get the sense you want a room that says beckons friends to relax and enjoy???
Okay…that was one long comment! haha! Just a few suggestions. Hopefully they will lead to something workable for you. Please know I’m always here to bounce around ideas. Feel free to email me through my blog or my personal email (Lhowards4n at yahoo).
Good luck!!!
I love your suggestions! I am always open to suggestions and will always take them and use the ones I love.
1. I like your idea for the state and monograms. I plan to leave them there because I have some pretty big frames to go on the other wall, but I like the idea of giving them more punch.
2. I love your idea for the TV. I actually, long term, want to do the whole wall in some IKEA bookcases or different pieces that would give that whole wall a custom built in look for a fraction of the cost. Of course, I totally have to save up for that one because even at a fraction of the cost, it will still be a bigger ticket item. In the meantime, I can see what you mean about evening things out. I will have to work on that one.
3. Interesting you say to incorporate black. Our fish tank is on a black stand and I thought it would be best to paint it or change it out. I will have to think of some other small ways to add black and consider not changing the stand.
4. I LOVE the candid idea! I think I may use that idea in one of the frames I have planned for above the couch. Too bad we aren’t still in Arizona. While we were there I was able to get some great shots of my girls and my brother’s girls together. The sunlight was perfect for great pics. Don’t get that here very often.
Love your ideas! Keep ’em coming…if you want and if you have other ideas.
What color would you paint frames to go above the couch? I’ve been debating it for so long, I’ve confused myself. They are those adorable Cut It Out shaped frames. I have three of them. Also, would that be too matchy, matchy. They are 2 different sizes but all the same shapes. They are also double layered so I could do multiple colors on the layers. Ok…will take this to email if you want rather than here. Mine is realcoake at gmail dot com.
Thanks again!
Looks great! The new wall color and white trim make the world of a difference!
Thanks! We are really enjoying it as well. 🙂
I love where you have taken this space! That wall color is gorgeous and so calming! I also love your pops of color!!
If you really hate the chair rail and don’t want to go to the bother of removing it, have you thought of just painting it the color of the wall so that it is not as prominient
Looks great. Isn’t it nice to have a new look and feel? I’d be thrilled if you’d link up at this week’s Off the Hook!
Thanks! It sure is great to have a new look and feel. 🙂
Wow! What a transformation! I love the new paint color – so fresh and serene! I wish I would have read your “how to remove a chair rail” post before my most recent DIY project – it would have saved me some pain! Thank you so much for sharing your room with us…
I totally love your site,and love what you did with your living rm walls … having said that may I add a suggestion ??? instead of putting up some wall art,which maybe you could do on another wall , what about a mirror over the main sofa, and your tv put on the wall above the fireplace ??? its only a suggestion, having gone through your site, has given me great inspiration which now reflects my ideas back to you .oh,one more thing how about some sheers , floor to ceiling because you are up so high like you mentioned” feels like a treehouse” then I wouldn’t be worried about privacy . please don’t take offence to my suggestions, because that is all they are.