Living Room Progress - Part IV

It's been exactly 5 months since my last progress report on the living room and I'm ready to show you what we've done since. It's not much because we've been working on a few other areas of the house as well plus, life gets in the way sometimes. You know?

Here was my to-do list back after the last update:

Short Term: Art above bar, feature above sofa, planter for free
Long Term: Bigger TV, hardwood floors, built-in entertainment unit / bookcases

To recap, this is how the room looked before we moved in:

This is how it looks today:

Art above the bar and planter for the tree can be crossed off the short term list but I still haven't found a feature for above the white sofa. I had planned to try the large mirror we currently have standing in the kitchen but am too lazy to tackle the whole let's-try-hanging-a-gazillion-pounds-on-the-wall project. My other plan to paint a giant canvas has not come to fruition either. Again, that laziness. It got to me.

But...I can also now cross 1.5 items off the long term list which in my opinion trumps my one fail on the short term. You may notice that our TV has grown a bit. It's now a 42 1080P LCD up from a 32 720P LCD. And since we got an amazing deal on it, I don't feel so guilty for skipping ahead on the plans.

Same goes for the bookcases. I eventually want built-in bookcases for this wall but that can't happen until we install hardwood and that can't happen until we magically pull some cash out of....nowhere. So for the time being, I found these for a steal ($30 each!).

Just for fun and because it never gets old (at least for the person trying to show off) here's another photo of the room so far in a Before/After comparison:

I probably won't be working on this room for a while and turning my attention towards the master bedroom and sorely neglected kitchen and office room. But never fear, I do have some plans for this space once I'm back at it:

Short Term:feature above white sofa, pillows for brown sofa
Long Term: new matching sofas, built-in bookcases and perhaps fireplace?, crown moulding, hardwood floors

As you can see, I dreamed big with the long term plans because well, since it's going to really long term, I might as well dream big!

Previous living room posts: Potential Layout | Progress Report: Part I | Progress Report: Part II |

Living Room Progress - Part III

This is part three of the progress report and I suspect it will be a work-in-progress for a while yet so expect progress reports like a never-ending Hollywood franchise. This is post-cleanup because we were having guests over. It's still not magazine-perfect but whatever! It's much better than the before (which no one needs to see).

As a refresher, here's the BEFORE of our living room taken before the previous owner moved out.



Looks just sooo cozy, right? This is what it looks like now...

From the hallway


From the kitchen


From the living room looking out


This is with full sunshine outside. As soon as it's a little overcast, the room becomes quite dark. But I decided to embrace the lack of light and create a cozier place rather than go all white. I find it's difficult to get that picturesque all-white look without help from natural and studio lights anyway.

There's a few short term improvements I'd like to make:

-Art above the bar
-A feature above the sofa (we have a giant mirror that may work)
-A planter for the tree

Long term wishlist (in order)?

-Bigger TV
-Hardwood floors
-Built-in entertainment unit / bookcases

Previous living room posts: Potential Layout | Progress Report: Part I | Progress Report: Part II |

Mini Progress Report

Just a super quick update on the home decor front.




I purchased the mirror for a mere $30 at Homesense on Boxing Day and hadn't found a place for it since. I hesitated to hang it between the curtains because it seemed too big but when I showed my husband, he said it looked fine there. Now that we have the dramatic lighting, the larger size seems to fit quite well.



The framed black and white photo was a find at Goodwill back when we were in the apartment. I love how well both the chrome frame and photo itself looks against Benjamin Moore's "Silver Fox" paint.

I'm really hoping to have the bedroom painted within the next month or so and a few other minor projects complete. Expect another update soon!

Living Room Progress - Part II - Lights, Curtains, Action!

If you read my living room progress post in mid-January: Living Room Progress - Paint, Layout, To-Buys, you'll know that ceiling lights were on the list of to-buys.

Behold Restoration Hardware's Polyhedron Pendant:



It comes in 3 sizes (small/medium/large) and 2 finishes (steel/wood). The steel version starts at $395 for the smallest size.

Two big problems with that. First, it would cost us $900 after tax for a pair since we have two ceiling lights in the living room. We still have the rest of the house to do. Secondly, our living room is small with standard 8-foot ceilings and cozy medium taupe walls. Even the smallest size at 21.5 inches in diameter would be quite overpowering.

I've seen it since on decor blogs and in magazines and low and behold, Aritzia's "Wilfred" brand sports a coral version in its storefront as well:


image via Google

Homesense was advertising a lighting and rug event on their website recently so Friday after work I asked Cam to drive us to the one in Leaside. I've been to several others in the GTA and have to say this is the best location. It's incredibly organized, spacious, and chock full of great home goods.

This trip did not disappoint. I found a number of mirrors, art prints, vases, and other miscellaneous items. I didn't leave home with any because I ended up finding someone even better. Yes, that's right, I found the polyhedron pendant lights at Homesense!!!

...For $79.99!!

Not $395US. Not $200. Not even $100. BEST FIND EVER!!

And here they are in all their glory:


(Above photo cropped as my husband's intense Gran Turismo 5 game face would've scared you away)

This is the before photo when we visited our house:




The curtains are the "Rivta" from IKEA and the rods are by Levolor, which is available at Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, and a lot of other reno and discount department stores.

Still lots to do but it's coming together!

A Hint of The Blues

I am on the hunt for pale blue curtains, preferably in a raw silk but so far no luck. We did find them at Pottery Barn but they were $103 a panel on sale and we need 4 panels. That's $465.56 and definitely a no-no here. I also hesitate to purchase online because I want to feel them in person and have no surprises when it comes to the color.

I'm really hoping we find some soon because I'm just loving the impact that light blue - aquamarine, turquoise, powder blue, etc. can make to a room. Whether via a major focal wall or a small accent, the hint of blue really adds that extra touch to the room.

Check out these beautiful rooms with a hint of blue and you'll see what I mean.




















all images via decorpad.com

Living Room Progress - Paint, Layout, To-Buys

Everyone's been asking when the house warming is but being a perfectionist, I don't want anyone to see it in its semi-finished state! Sure, a home is never "done" - there's always something to add or change - but I'd like it to look a little more permanent than that.

So with enough pestering, I finally got off my behind and tackled painting of room #2: Living Room so it doesn't look completely haphazard when the guests arrive sometime this month or next. To recap: #1 was the hallway in Benjamin Moore Silver Fox and #3 will be the master bedroom in Benjamin Moore Smoke.



I piled all the furniture in the middle of the room and put a drop sheet over it. Then I taped up all the edges with 3M Blue Painter's Tape that's about an inch wide. I had previously used a regular masking tape width and had quite a few accidents with that so this time I tried something wider.



When I first opened the paint, it was this crazy witch brew of black and brown sludge. After a good amount of mixing, it finally started to resemble paint. I noticed this with Silver Fox but not to this degree. It looks quite scary at first.

Here's a corner of the room painted. I'm showing it here in a few different lighting scenarios. Although these are just the result of different camera settings, this is very similar to the effect on the paint from various lighting - daylight, soft white light bulb, incadescent, etc.



I wanted a color that was both brown and gray. Something that could change with the decor. In the next couple years we'll be replacing both existing couches and hopefully putting in hardwood, crown moulding, and a built-in bookcase. Needless to say, this paint will need to stand the test of time change. I didn't want to end up feeling like the paint was too brown or too gray.

I'm really satisfied with the way it turned out. It's not so dark as to be daring but enough to allow for that warm embracing feel.

The color is Benjamin Moore Taos Taupe and I highly recommend it for anyone who's fickle but loves his/her browns and grays.

Here's a before/after shot:

BEFORE:


NOW:


As you can see from my markings, there's definitely still a LOT to do (aside from cleaning up our mess!). Let's see....

-Put up curtain rods and drapes (this week)
-See how round mirror looks hung between curtained windows (this week)
-Hang art above white couch and perhaps posters either side of TV until built-ins (within 1-2 months)
-Put up hanging or semi-flush pendant lamps (within 1-2 mths)
-Replace saggy green sofa or both to match (within 1 year)
-Replace small 32" TV (within 1 year)

And more in the long term goals, in order:
-Install hardwood floors
-Install built-in bookcases
-Install crown moulding

Here's the color scheme I'm trying to work with (thinking cream or dusty blue curtains with bright or burnt orange accents) and the mirror I'm going to try between the curtained windows.

Paint The House - Part II

We did it! We finally made a decision - after a bit more deliberation in store. We came home with 7 cans of paint, rollers, paint trays, etc. and about $500 lighter in the pocket (eesh!).

But I'm super excited because we did end up getting Taos Taupe (for the living room) and Silver Fox for the hall/stairs/landing. We were originally going for a gray or taupe for the bedroom but I had the idea of going for a violet-gray. Cam wasn't a fan so I suggested a light blue instead - something smokey and calming, instead of cute and cheery.

We ended up going with Smoke. The name is a little misleading. Yes, it is gray but more like a calm sky covered by gentle clouds than cloying smoke. I found some examples of each paint color used in a room. You'll notice it can look quite different depending on the lighting.

BENJAMIN MOORE SMOKE

image via styleathome.com

image via decorpad.com

BENJAMIN MOORE SILVER FOX

image via decorpad.com

image via decorpad.com

BENJAMIN MOORE TAOS TAUPE

image via decorpad.com

Can't wait to paint the walls so we can finally unpack and I can start decorating!

Paint This House

It's now been a week since we moved into our new house and low and behold, there are still plenty of boxes to be unpacked. In fact, there are more packed than unpacked.

We've gotten comfortable and settled in now, which is great but at the same time, not so great. I really don't want our decor to be stacks of boxes! So this weekend, I'm hoping to visit the paint store and bite that bullet. Instead of pondering over 5 different versions of "warm taupe", I'm just going to buy one...because paint = pretty walls = unpacked boxes = PROGRESS.

Makes sense, no?

My research has consisted of scouring Decorpad.com, decor magazines, and carrying around paint strips I've picked up from Home Depot, Rona, Lowe's, etc. Based on the reviews I've read online, I plan to go with Benjamin Moore paints, specifically their mid-range Regal collection.

Paints at the local hardware store are around $25-40 and what I've always used. I believe the last ones I used were Premier from Canadian Tire and Behr from Home Depot. They weren't bad but I'm curious to try out BM, which is considerable more (considering how many gallons we'll need!).

BENJAMIN MOORE INTERIOR PAINT LINES & $CDN PRICES:
Ben = budget ($50/gallon)
Regal = mid-end ($60/gallon)
Aura = premium ($70/gallon)
Natura = low-VOC "green" (didn't note price)

From what I've read online, BM paint provides better coverage and is easier to apply, the color lasts longer, and accurately reflects the color on their paint strips. A worthy investment I think, considering we may be living with it for the duration of our stay in this home.

House Beautiful had great swatches in their magazines and I was delighted to discover they're posted online, too!

"I love indeterminate colors like this taupey brown-gray, the color of wet bark. On an overcast day it looks a little green. In the sun, it goes more red. That flexibility makes it very accommodating. You can bring in almost any color. Using it on the walls and ceiling blurs the boundaries. People walk in and say, 'Oh, your ceiling feels so much higher.'" -WILLIAM MCINTOSH

"This is a warm, taupeish gray, what artists call a French gray. Very relaxed and chic. It immediately puts me on the Île Saint-Louis overlooking the Seine. It's equal parts earth and air, to use feng shui terms, which means it's perfect for a small, narrow entrance hall, because it adds warmth and air at the same time." -MICHAEL MCKINNON

"There are insipid blues and garish blues, and then there are blues that have an inner light to them, like this. With white moldings and a white plaster mirror, it really made an impact."-LARRY LASLO

Unfortunately, color is two dimensional online. You can only see the "green" side of Taos Taupe - you don't get to see how it reflects more gray than brown or vice versa in certain lights, how it cools down to a pebble or warms up into wool.

My plans for Silver Fox are the hallways or "outer" walls. Taos Taupe I'd like to use either in the living room or master bedroom. Caribbean Blue Water I'm on the fence about. We've already done a similar color as our living room accent wall in our previous apartment but then again, it's a color I really like and will look fabulous in a dramatic powder room or guest bedroom.

Hopefully I'll have an update for you after the weekend with what colors we ended up with.

all swatches and quotes courtesy of www.housebeautiful.com