Living Room Updates & DIY Art

Hey guys! I don't think I've ever shared any in-progress pics of the living room on the blog.  If you recall, the entire living room, dining area, and kitchen are all open to one another now since we knocked down the wall.  We've still got a lot to do, like hang art and get new lighting along with order new drapery but at least the living space is pretty complete.

To refresh your memory, here's what we started with:

Directly to the right of the living space was this:

One of the very first things we did was tear down that wall, paint over that yellow, and replace the carpeting and tile with hardwood floors. 

The photos below were taken after the primer had been painted.  While I'm a major fan of brass being back, those light fixtures are on their way out soon.  Since the wall is no longer up the location of them don't make sense so we are waiting til we can hire an electrician to insert a new box for a light, almost in the middle of these two, and close off the other ones. 

We chose a 5" handscraped hardwood and so far I am loving them.  It is so true though, what people say, they absolutely show more dirt and dust than I ever imagined.  I've become best friends with my swiffer, vacuum, and newly purchased Bona cleaning system.

All of that takes us to where we are now.  Still trying to figure out how to decorate a house with more space, more windows, and taller ceilings! I don't have it figured out just yet, but it's coming along.

The green chair and TV stand were recent craigslist scores [since our buyers asked demanded we leave our old TV stand] and the drapery is from Halfpricedrapes.com.  I spray painted the curtain rods gold and reused Theron's rug from his room in the first house for this room.

I wish I would have taken better pics of the coffee table because that's a recent Joss and Main find! I was on the hunt for a round tufted ottoman and couldn't find a thing in my price range. Randomly I spotted this round option [that had the right dimensions] with nailhead detailing and made it mine for around $200.  I wasn't expecting it to be vinyl [it may have mentioned it in its description, but I could have missed it] so I was kinda bummed when it got here but now I love it.  You probably know why, too! With sticky toddler fingerprints it definitely cleans up very nicely.

The painting above the fireplace was an original done by yours truly. Haha.  I'll have to post the details behind that experience.  I had not a clue as to what I was doing.  But I honestly loved how it turned out!

The mantel styling was done in about a minute--no joke--with the stuff that I had on the sofa table.  I don't hate it but it wasn't really that thoughtful.  I do LOVE that gold bird cage/whater-you-want-to-call-it beaut.  She was a Goodwill find at the beginning of the school year and I'm so happy I didn't pass it up!

As the room evolves I will be sure to bring you guys along.  Thanks for stopping by today.

xoxo