Making the House a Home

Some of you have posted about recent moves, unpacking and decorating, or being in your homes for a while and finally crossing a project off the list, and also of sharing some photos. So, here goes, as I do some sharing myself with before and after pics of my living room. I picked this space because I've been in my house for just over three years now, and I literally just put the finishing details on this room about three weeks ago (it's been a lengthy work in progress). There are still some things I may change, but overall I'm happy with how it's evolved. I think it's comfortable and welcoming, two qualities every room should have.

Here's a shot of the space before moving in, right after the hardwood floors were refinished:


and three plus years later, when things finally seemed to fall into place:


I had crown molding installed throughout the house (it made a huge difference) and when the trim guys were here I drew out the overlapping squares design and asked them to give it a shot. It totally transformed this wall, although subsequent painting was a time consuming process. There's a colorwash treatment on the walls and before I painted the base color it took me all day, twelve hours, just to apply the painter's tape to the trim!



Within the squares are paper sculptures by artist Molly Jey, and prints by Raydel Shanks. The paper sculptures were originally in white frames and as there was already so much of it in the room, I had them reframed to make the sculptures themselves more prominent and break things up a little bit.



I like the columns as they help to create a hallway space when you first come in the front door, instead of just walking right into the living room, but they weren't particularly attractive. They are structural, and with all the renovations I've done since moving in I haven't done anything major to change the floor plan. You can't see all the detail in this photo, but I had the columns covered with wallcovering from Maya Romanoff. No matter which collection you choose, everything in the product line is gorgeous, and equally as costly, but by some miracle I scored the rolls I bought on eBay for a scandalously low amount. The sheets are covered in glass beads and under the recessed lighting they reflect beautifully and really add something unique to the space.




The side chairs were also eBay finds the seller told me came out of the Kapok Tree Inn in Clearwater, Florida. I actually remember going there when I was a child, so feel like I captured a little bit of history with these. I had them reupholstered in a modern damask fabric, which adds an extra little punch.

The footstools are from IKEA's Stockholm Collection. They were covered in their basic white fabric, so again to neutralize the white I had them recovered in an aqua blue. The scale of these is probably a little too big for the chairs, but I like the shape of them and the bases swirl, so they'll make for good extra seating during larger gatherings.



I'm not really sure how to describe the style, other than très eclectic mixed with an extra large dose of feminine.

It seems a little anticlimactic to say here it was then and here it is now, without filling in all the details of what went into the in between, but hopefully the photos will tell a little bit of the story.

While everything in the room plays its part, some of my favorite pieces are the smaller ones filled with priceless sentiment. The two jars of sea shells in the picture at the top of this post came out of my Mom's house. I remember the countless weekends we headed off to the beach together, me following her with bucket in hand as we walked up and down the shore to search for and collect as many shells as we could find. Upon our return home she'd start cleaning them, then painstakingly place them in the jars; a continual process until they were finally full. She never got to see this house, and I'm not sure what she would have thought (other than probably silent disapproval for me always going a little crazy with the paint ☺), but I think I've managed to pay her proper reverence (at least I hope so) by incorporating the things of hers I have and giving them new life with a completely different style. Then there's the bell jar which houses the hummingbird nest my friend Eric gave to me, and also my collection of art books (as well as all the PostSecret books!). Sometimes I feel like it's these little things that make the room, while the big pieces are just the filler.

Thanks for taking the virtual nickel tour. Happy Friday!