Thursday, February 3, 2011

Peek into Progress part II, our slowly evolving natural living room

Yesterday I unveiled my latest living room updates for the world of Apartment Therapy:
When we first moved in, it screamed old lady:
 but it took us a really long time to decide exactly what we wanted for the room. We knew that we wanted it a little rustic and natural with a lot of greens and whites and woods, but we didn't want to fill it with cheap pieces until we found exactly what we wanted. 

Rich was insistent that he wanted the room to feel masculine enough, and I agreed. Our bedroom and girls' room are places where I felt comfortable going a little more feminine, but I wanted the living room to be a place that we both felt relaxed and happy coming home to.

So it sat in kind of a sad, spare state for many months. There were so many times when I was embarrassed about people's reactions because working in the design industry, means you should have a perfect or at least put together home, right? Well, that wasn't the case. Progress was slooooow.....
 Before:
During:
 During:
 And.....after (I think I can finally say that although something still seems to change every week or so):
 


And more........

before:

During:
After:
 

This corner evolved even more slowly.....

before:
 
During:
During:
 After (taken around Christmas time):
Rich insisted on a leather chair, and after we found one that worked, the rest of the room seemed to fall into place. Having a heavy piece of furniture like that in a light room requires you to seek out balance through accessories.
Before:

After:

Now that we're on the other side, I can say that it has been worth the wait to save up and settle on things that we know we really like, but there were many times that I wish I had treated myself as a client, laying out an exact road map with a detailed purchase list and time schedule and giving just a little wiggle room to treasure hunt.

To read more about what went into the room you can check out my article for Apartment Therapy.

And on a completely random note, while I was checking out some bedding options for a project I'm working on I came across Margaret Russell's Style & Substance on sale for $11 at Macy's. I've only glanced through it at the library, but it's wonderful and totally worth the tiny price tag. Here's the link

11 comments:

  1. I LOVE your living room. You have such a great natural style with just that pop of color! Can I tell you how I am drooling over your doorways?

    ReplyDelete
  2. OOoh Oooh Oooh. I LOVE your style and vibe. So many great elements. And of course...that Rhodie (he is a reidgeback, right?)fits in PERFECTLY!

    Kudos, girl!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Really lovely and calming space. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It looks so awesome Leah! Love your style- so fresh and happy and eclectic!!
    Xoxo,
    Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the lanterns above your fireplace! Mind to share where you found them??? New follower! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love that coffe table. The feel of the room is so fresh and inviting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Goodness gracious, I am coming back to look again, and can I tell you how much I heart your blog? Hope your sweet, new bebe is doing well!
    Camille

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great job in transforming your living room into a rustic one. I agree with Lindsey, those lanterns look lovely. Good thing you repainted the wall. The new color looks more attractive to the eyes.

    living room furniture sale

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's very difficult to choose the right office furniture pieces to achieve a rustic look. Our office has plenty of rustic furniture, mostly wood since they last longer than any other materials.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The improvement really gives color to the house and furnishings. From boring walls to awesome designed living rooms.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am speechless for this! Just beautiful! Beauty beyond imagination!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for comment!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...