New house! We've actually been in here a week, but this is the first time I've had to sit down and write about it. We are calling it our extreme fixer-upper. But it's cute, with some great vintage details, and is walking distance of lots of great attractions. I'd love to share pictures, but the cord that connects my camera to my computer is still packed up...somewhere.
We've moved our furniture in and started talking decorating. My first instinct for the living room was to paint it blue-gray and add burlap curtains, like these Ballard Design beauties.
Well, J asked we consider tan colors for the living room. Okay. Then he expressed his desire for a cave. A. Cave. I don't really don't do caves. However...it is his house as well as mine. After seeking out some inspirational images I saw the glimmer of hope. So we agreed on a dark chocolate color for the walls, with khaki trim and a soft milky blue ceiling. The blue ceiling is all me. J is horrified. It'll be adorable! Swear.
Our sofa choice was another compromise. J likes big, leather, and overstuffed. I like classic, simple, and cloth. We settled a dark brown leather sofa that has classic lines. It reminds me of a sofa I lusted over at Anthropologie last year. It's comfortable (which is key with a sofa) and proportional, both to the room and to me. I despise sofas where my feet don't touch the floor. It also looks right the room. The house is sixty years old. A sofa that screams 2011 wouldn't look right.
Here is my preliminary design for the living room.
The blue lamp will go next to the sofa on a very strict, structural, mid-century piece. The television and Ikea lamp will sit on the yellow dresser*. Light is going to be KEY with a room this dark. I love to embroider, so the curtains, in addition to bringing lots of color and texture to the room, also harken to a beloved pastime. I probably will seek out similar fabric and make the curtains myself. Same with the pillow. I also plan on making some monogrammed pillows. I want lots of texture and color on the sofa.
The throw is ridiculously expensive, but I'm in love with it.
The silhouettes will go over the sofa. I'm planning on matting them on cool blue paper to make them pop.
Most of these pieces are inspirational. It is not the mid-century modern way to pay full price for a lot of these items. I'll be thrifting and repurposing to decorate our new abode.
Awesome!!! I'm in love with that throw AND the curtains. VERY nice! It will be such a happy and clean-looking home. I think, in the long run, you'll be more satisfied if everything comes together slowly. Thrifting and repurposing are definitely the way to go. The end result will be something unique that no one else has.
ReplyDeleteOur house is very similar. It's a very small, late 40s brick ranch. When we saw the house and where it was located, we said, "This place would have to be a serious dump for us not to want to live here." It was SUCH a dump on the inside, but it was all cosmetic stuff. The bones were awesome. It's coming together VERY slowly, as we are on a strict budget, but even small changes make a WORLD of difference. I'm really looking forward to watching your house adventure unfold.
That was our reaction to this house. It was exactly the location we wanted- in walking distance to great restaurants/shops. a nearby trial, and walking distance to the lake. Most of ours is cosmetic (and thank god J is handy-you must be reading a lot of DIY books!).
ReplyDelete[...] paint colors is hard. Very hard. Way harder than it looks. My first post about the living room referred to the slight battle over color palate that occurred in Chez Fain. Blue-gray, said Tracie. [...]
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