Living Room Makeover (In Progress)

We spend more time in the living room than anywhere else. Considering on days we work, we don't get home until almost 8pm (and go to bed at 9:30, at the latest), we really appreciate those few minutes we get to relax on the couch, watch tv, play games, and cuddle with Molly.

Mike & I wanted to invest some time and money into the room to really make it more cozy. We also wanted to add more seating to the room...when we have people over, we tend to hang out in the dining room eating, but it would be nice to actually relax in the living room after the meal is over. Hopefully, our family will grow someday and it would also be nice to have a place for the kids to sit.

So, here are the before pictures of the living room. I have to say, these are very candid, real pictures. I didn't bother to dust the end table before I took it, or even vacuum up the package of sunflower seeds that Molly spilled on the rug. She's awesome like that. So...take the befores with a grain of salt :)

This view is looking in from the dining room. You can't see it in the picture, but I have an antique wooden rocking chair on the left side of the couch as well.

This is the view from the far wall in the living room.

And this is the view of the tv which is directly across the room from the couch. The ottoman is normally in the middle of the rug for our feet, but it's also nice to be able to move it for extra seating.

Here's the makeover in progress:

New couch. It was delivered on Thursday, and we love it. This isn't exactly the placement we planned for everything, but it's definitely working. We should learn to take a tape measure to the furniture store.

This is where the chair & a half ended up. I love the ottoman like that, it extends the length of the chair. My biggest complaint about this chair is that the seat is too shallow, so it's nice to be able to fit on the seat AND put my legs up. Maybe we'll actually sit in this chair occassionally.

This is the corner that's diagonal from the chair & a half. Haven't actually put anything back on the shelves yet because I want to reconsider what's on there and how it's placed.

And finally, the corner diagonal from the couch. This is the rocker I was talking about in the before pictures. (I used the same picture in yesterday's post - sorry about the repetition)

So, I haven't decorated yet. The mirror over the tv is coming down because 1) it's not centered over the tv and it's driving me nuts and 2) I'm probably going to put it in a different room. I need to figure out what will be on the walls over the chair. I've ordered float wrap prints of our wedding pictures for the walls over the couch. That collage frame is coming down for sure. I'm probably going to do a collage of some of those pictures again, but in individual frames. We'll see. Oh, and I need lamps. Lots of lamps.

There's obviously a lot to do in terms of decor, so it will take some time. I do like having a warm, cozy blank canvas to start with though. Looking forward to exploring flea markets, yard sales & antique stores this summer to find things that will fill the space and make us love being in there even more. I'll post pictures as I add decor, and final pictures when it's completely done.

I'm linking up (for the first time) to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

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