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 |

TALENT: Jumping on the Nate Berkus Bandwagon

I've been hearing the name "Nate Berkus" dropped here, there, and everywhere for the past while. But without cable and a lack of patience for Youtube, I haven't really seen his work to judge for myself. I just know that he's loved on the blogosphere and is very pro-DIY on his show.

As with anything popular where I didn't jump on the initial bandwagon, I'm always hesitant to try it out. Harry Potter, Trueblood, chevron stripes, and the current Izayaka craze in Toronto come to mind. If I get into it now, will I be able to make an objective decision or is it just repetitive exposure to the craze that's influencing me? Is it really all that awesome or 50% hype?

That's why it was quite a pleasant surprise to come across a beautiful One-Day Makeover feature in this month's House Beautiful and only connect the Nate Berkus in this feature to THE Nate Berkus. Not sure why it didn't click instantly but I'm glad for the temporary brain freeze. Because I came to the (objective) conclusion that yeah, that guy is pretty good!

BEFORE & AFTER






THE FINAL PRODUCT


This certainly isn't a dramatic makeover. No dilapitated house turned model home here. But this has to be one of my favourite makeovers for how useful it is to the everyday home dweller on a budget.

Sure there are beautiful spaces featured in every magazine, but I find it hard to recreate many of them because they are just so dramatic or call for too many changes to furniture or structure.

This article shows you how minor furniture changes, use of accessories and thoughtful arrangement can really complete a room. Upon seeing the room for the first time, this was what Nate had to say:

•Eclectic is fine, and I love certain pieces, like those leather chairs. But if you want people to gather here, the room needs to be more comfortable.

•Let's get a sofa to anchor the seating area and give you another reason to come in.

•Bare walls make the room feel cold. I'm going to get something to go over the fireplace.

•It's missing that last layer of detail that adds texture and warmth, like throw pillows. Everything seems to stand alone. We're going to pull it together."

And folks, this is why he's the professional and I'm not. I find it easy to work big. To create the general layout of a room, come up with a color palette, etc. but it's hard to "complete" the space. There's always that something-something that's missing but I can't put a finger to it. Every comment he had about the house above made me go, "Ahh, so that's what it was". In short, I can tell something's missing but he can tell what that is.

Check out the article on House Beautiful's website for additional photos from the day and Nate's thought process in putting this room together. CLICK HERE!.

Are you a fan of Nate Berkus? Has he done other work that you particularly like? Please share them! I'd love to see.

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!

Make a Statement

I love the look of large scale art on the wall. Whether muted or bright, it always makes a statement.

I find that it can really bring a room together and do wonders for spaces both large and small. In a small room, oversized art takes on this "so what?!" attitude and embraces the coziness of the space. In a large room, it grounds the space and combats that lost, empty feeling a grand space is often prone to.

It can also act as a focal point or a backdrop for pops of colors or interesting little tchotchkes displayed within the space.

Here are some perfect examples of how larger pieces can do wonders within a wide array of palettes, styles, room sizes, and layouts.




















all images via decorpad.com

With all these great inspirations in my head, I've been scouring Etsy, Craigslist, and local print shops for the perfect piece(s) to fill our space. It's not as easy as I thought on a budget! I tried to look up local student art shows but came up blank.

Any recommendations for other budget-friendly places I can look?

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!

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!

Walk This Way

Our first floor layout is a little quirky. There's a small foyer as you walk in and a powder room on the left. But the kitchen and living room are all the way at the other end of the house.

We have a long and narrow hallway wall to fill up in between. On one side, there's the foyer, stairs to basement/upstairs, entrance to kitchen...but on the other side? Just wall! See for yourself:


Foyer area with powder room on the left and a coat closet facing the main door.


Hallway leading to the kitchen and living room at the back of the house and stairs on the left.

We need to fill up that wall space on the right without seeming like we're trying too hard. I like the idea of hanging frames in a collage, in a grid, or gallery style evenly spaced out at eye level. It could easily go wrong, though. 3 things I wan to be very careful in avoiding:

Too busy and claustrophobic - too many frames clustered in one part of the wall or too many frames all over.

Too cold and business like - symmetry and careful spacing looking too sterile and looking more like a professional gallery than a home

Too spanned out - looking as if we hung frames just to fill up the wall

Any thoughts on what we should do with this wall?

Potential Living Room Layout

We're waiting to hear back from the seller whether we can close on the house a week earlier. She won't commit until Oct 1 or 2 as she needs to find an apartment to move into first. So there's not much to do right now except twiddle our thumbs or in my case, plan out every inch of the house based on the photos I took.

The living room is a bit of a challenge. It's a relatively small room and there are two doorways in one corner. The wall facing the TV outlets is only wide enough for a two-seater sofa. See Exhibit A. The wall is actually longer on the other side as that half of the house juts out further into the backyard but not by much.



I was in a fix as to how we would lay out the room because don't you need to face the TV? I mean, who wants to twist their necks watching a movie? That was my rationale as to why it would not work...before I saw this stunning room in that exact layout.

It even has a window on the left hand side!


image via decorpad.com
With two couches, Cam and I could lie back on some comfy pillows to watch TV with plenty of munchies at an arms reach between us. As for guests? Well, we could fit 4 easily with 2 on each end of the couch. More guests? Someone else can host the Superbowl party until we finish the basement and get the dream entertainment room up and running.

Unfortunately, I lost the stylus for my Wacom tablet so here's a very childish free-hand MS Paint rendition of the potential layout in our actual living room - see Exhibit B. My only concern is our room may be too small for this layout, even though the one in the above photo is not exactly spacious.

Will we have enough space for a build-in bookcase? The first window and ceiling light are pretty close to that end of the room...or perhaps it's just the angle of the photo. Will the room be wide enough to accommodate two couches deeper than the IKEA Klobo aka midget-couch? Will the room be long enough to allow some space between the bookcase/couch and one end and doorways/couch on the other?

I'm hoping to visit the house this weekend to get a better idea if this will work or not. I will be armed with paper, pen, measuring tape, camera, and....yoga pants. I'm prepared for some bending and stretching to get those all-too-important measurements!



See the arrow in the above photo? I don't have a photo of the wall but the first photo from the kitchen should give you an idea. Instead of a loveseat, I would love to put a console table there, hang a large piece of art above, and either do a nice arrangement using flowers, vases, and other "interesting items" or a dry bar. Cam loves his scotch and tequila so we've got a nice collection growing. Dry bars totally channel Mad Men for me and that can only be a good thing.

What do you think of the layout?