Back in July I decided I’d had enough with a house full of unfinished rooms. I wanted to make a plan, stick to the plan, and decorate one room at a time. Easier said than done. I picked our living room, mostly because it was the closest to actually being finished. 3 months later, I’m still not done. I do have a living room update for you though!
October Living Room Update
I was honestly feeling discouraged about writing this post. There is a big buzz going around about the One Room Challenge right now. A group of 20 home bloggers have 6 weeks to design, remodel, and decorate 1 room. The bloggers share their progress every Wednesday, and then do a big reveal at the end of the 6 weeks. As I was taking the photos of my living room and seeing how far I still have to go to for the space to look like I want it to, I felt like I was really falling short.
Comparison is such an unproductive thing. I have no idea what these bloggers’ budgets are or how much time they have to work on projects. Regardless, it doesn’t help me move forward to complain about what I don’t have. I have what I have, and I can choose to make the best use of it.
So I’m not only doing this update for you today, I’m also doing it for myself. So I can see how much progress I really have made with the time and resources that I have. Just for reference, here is what my living room looked like at the beginning of summer.
Before
I was tired of the generic art over the fireplace, the bad proportions of all the art on the walls, the color orange, and the sofa that wasn’t the right style for what I wanted my living room to be. But, here’s what it looks like today.
Now
We purchased a new sofa this month, and I decided on the Ikea Ektorp. While it’s not my dream sofa, it’s very comfortable for the price point and I love that I can take the covers off and wash them if when my kids get it dirty.
It drives me crazy that the fireplace is not centered on the wall, but these shelves really help balance it out. They were a really easy DIY project that I will share with you soon! I’m not quite finished styling the shelves yet, but here I am being transparent. 🙂
Here is a rundown of what I’ve accomplished in the last 3 months:
- replaced art above fireplace
- found a really cool piece for the left of the fireplace
- built shelves for right of fireplace
- refinished a mirror
- created 2 art pieces
- styled the mantle
- new rug
- new throw
- new sofa
Still left to do:
- new wreath for the door
- style sofa table
- art for above the TV
- hide TV cords
- new side tables
- ottoman/coffee table
I created a worksheet to help me stay organized and focused on this project (download a copy for free here!). Now that I’ve taken the time to review it, I can see the progress that I’ve made. Yes, I still have some things to get done. But I love the changes I’ve been able to make so far!
If you’d like to know where anything I’ve chosen for my living room is from, I’ve included some links below. Some items are thrifted or a few years old, but I’ve tried to find similar items for.
- sofa
- grey chair
- curtains – I converted these rod pocket curtains to tabs by sewing strips of fabric on the back.
- side table – my husband made this, but the design was inspired by this coffee table.
- vintage door – found this at an antique shop, but try searching craigslist!
- windows – also vintage, but I’ve seen them on craigslist too.
- ginger jars – this jar was thrifted, but they are really popular right now. I’ve seen a lot at HomeGoods, and this one is really pretty!
- tall white vase – old, but this one is similar.
- bust – thrifted, but this one is similar.
- mirror – thrifted, this one
- shelves – I made these, you find the tutorial this one, and the brackets here.
- “fall is my favorite” print – download for free here.
- blue and white art
- TV console – my husband made this, but this one is similar.
- marble side table – thrifted, this one
- rug
- floor lamp
Thanks for taking the time to read my update, and I’d love to hear about any projects you are working on! Are you feeling stuck or behind?
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