The Long Awaited Post of My Newly Redecorated Living Room!

Well, for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting (And I'm sure there is not a whole lot of you out there. LOL!) seeing pictures of my newly re-decorated living room, today is your day! I finally finished those blasted drapes yesterday! It sure took me long enough! As most of you already know, my daughter is getting married in June in our home. I wanted to redecorate the living room before that big event because my old living room was very outdated: country lace curtains that came with the house, hunter green walls (which I hated, but had to live with because it was the only color that matched my rug, which I also hated! LOL!), a hunter green/pink Oriental Rug, and, furniture that was as old as my daughter and on its 4 set of slipcovers. So this really needed to be done. It was not a luxury expense.

I'll start by showing you a picture of the entire room. Its a very small room. We have another room that's about 3 times the size of this one that we use when we have company. But this is the room that our small little family congregates in most of the time. Mostly because its very cozy and warm because of the wood stove, and its also closest to the kitchen. LOL! My daughter and I painted the room a blue color called 'Urban Nature' by Dutch Boy. The furniture is from Ashley Furniture, my favorite furniture store where I buy everything, and, as I already stated, I made the drapes myself. Here is another view of the center of the room. I'm taking the picture from my dining room, which is open to the living room. The open staircase leads to the third floor where are bedrooms are located.

The ceiling is bead board. My husband put in all the intricate moldings in our first renovation.

Here is my brand new Soap Stone Stove which cost about as much as a third world country, but it was worth every penny. It heats our entire 3000 square foot house with wood. If your wondering why the alcove is red, its because my dining room is red and that room is open to this room. I wanted to bring a bit of the red into my living room. And even though I don't like the way my rocking chair looks in the room, its staying. Sometimes, comfort just has to come before design. That, and I need it for when old people come and visit. Its always their favorite chair.

The black furniture is actually used furniture I purchased from a friend. I just painted it a Satin Black, sanded the edges a bit, and added some gold highlights.

When purchasing new furniture for this room, I was amazed at how big furniture is compared to how it was 20 years ago. I had the hardest time even finding anything that fit this room. This corner sofa piece is actually called a 'Chair and a Half' which is the same size as my old love seat. And, the Love Seat on the center wall, is the same size as my old sofa. Can you believe it? Either houses are getting bigger, or people are getting bigger.

View going up the staircase.

A view of the right corner.

The rug I purchased from Menards. I couldn't believe how well it went with the furniture. It has the same patterns and colors! What are the odds of that ever happening?

And now for some detail shots. Here is a close up of the fabric I used for the curtain panels. All the materials were purchased at JoAnn's. This material is so high quality and has a beautiful sheen to it. I lined the other side with an insulated liner to keep the room warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Here is a close up of the valence. The hardware finials are from K-mart. The valence hardware and the tie backs both match, and go with my black furniture very well. As much as I love my new curtains, I will not be making new ones for a very long time. I spent $269.00 on the panels, $64.00 on the lining, $131.00 on the hardware, $25.00 on the valences, and $20.00 for the trim. Sheesh! I sure hope I don't sick of them too fast! LOL!

Here is a close up of the tie back. These make the curtains so easy to open and close everyday.

I first saw this pillow on HGTV 'Color Splash' and fell in love with it! Mostly because I'm a big bird lover, but also, because I just loved the design. Then, one day, while my daughter and I were shopping at Target I saw the pillow! I absolutely squealed with delight, and even paid full price for it. Something, I rarely do on anything. But this was one treasure I just had to have.

I bought this print awhile ago, and was so happy it matched the room. It was such a pleasant coincidence.

Well that's all for today, I'm off to work a long weekend as always. Maybe I'll have some time to catch up with you all again Monday Night. For those of you not in retail, have a great weekend! Amy