Alright, alright, alright… this room was originally labeled “the great room” but to me it has been hassle, hassle, hassle. Filled with uh oh’s and oops, this room might be my biggest downfall with the new/ old house. BUT I want to share it anyway!
First of all we absolutely loved this room when we bought the house and there was nothing in it! We could see the potential all 500 square feet of it! A room this size, I thought obviously we divide it up.. right? Nope that has not worked out so far. Mostly because I am a girl with a budget. If only I had a big pay day this room would be 10 times better. But even in that case would I want to splurge with 2 MESSY small kids????
I think it is very important for my kids to have fun and play with each other even if it means wrestling and rough housing. We want our baby girl to be one tough chick, her bubba can make that happen! I know they are kids and that they will bend the rules because what child who has been on this earth less than 4 years wouldn’t? They are learning and that’s why I don’t want to spend any money on our living room until they know for sure this is mommy’s new chesterfield and we CANNOT mess it up! That won’t be for another 10 years though!
Ok so on with the point we decided no dividing and just use every ounce of space we could. My husband talked me into this sofa. It was my dad’s and I didn’t want it because I wanted new at the time (before my clarity set in). But I let him talk me into it and of course it’s perfect for our little mess makers! I really hate when my husband is right when it comes to design, which is often. It is so comfy and all you have to do is wipe their sticky finger prints off! The coffee table was originally our breakfast table at our first home we didn’t have a space for it at the new house so we cut the legs down to make a coffee table! I’m still trying to find the perfect decor for the table, but it’s really hard when you’ve got a Willa living in your house.
As for the chairs (oh my God, so comfy) two people could curl up in these and we often do! They were a Craig’s list find and well worth the $90 apiece! And wouldn’t you know it, I had them almost a year before I realized the cushions have zippers for easy cleaning. I’m fairly ditsy at times. I also added some garage sale finds, like this $5 ottoman.
We added the shelves (ikea) and I love my quirky decor I’ve collected over the years, so the shelves are filled with it!
I’ve got a piano spot, where the piano our Mimi and Grampy so graciously gave us. Above more quirkiness! The shelf was built by the anxious momma who needed a shelf, yours truly. I found a 1 X 6 in the garage that was just the right length. I found a leather belt I kind of liked, but obviously wanted to decorate more. I cut it in half and used the straps to hold the shelf up with a screw each. The shelf has thrift frames with family photos and pages from my favorite catalogs and some nic knacks. Below is a garage sale rug $10 that I dyed blue with some Rit!
I’m working on a kid’s corner now and trying to convince my husband to hang my prized mirror over the sofa! It’s a huge metal mirror that is soo heavy. It’s incredible and a gift from our awesome friend Kline! The living room is far from what I want right now but it works!
Oh and there is a before!
Love before and after’s! We pulled up the carpet, stained the floors, painted the walls, sanded that awful maple paneling, added built-ins next to the fireplace and hung some shelves!
ajhome 