Changes in the Living Room

So what happens when you "shop the house"?

You get to furnish and/or decorate a new space without spending a lot of money. Like we did when we created our library from our extra bedroom. We pulled the wall cabinet from the dining room, the desk from our bedroom, and the wing chair from the living room. We purchased very little specifically for the library. Other than the materials (wood for the bookshelves, paint, overhead light), we only bought a rug and a mail tray.

But . . . you also create some empty spaces in those rooms from which you pulled!

• To fill the space in the dining room where the wall cabinet had been, we shopped the basement and brought up three framed botanical prints that had been in The Farmhouse dining room. They may or may not be there permanently, but they're fine for now.

• To fill the space in our bedroom where the desk had been, we also shopped the basement and used a table that Ron had made for The Farmhouse living room.

• Alas, there were no wing chairs in the basement. So we went shopping. Not in the house. 

Here is our new chair-and-a-half . . . thanks to the library project!

We went searching for a traditional wing chair, but Ron was sold on this chair-and-a-half due to the increased seating options. Two kids, maybe even a third little one, can sit comfortably. Certainly an adult and a child. Even two very slender adults. I must admit that I had reservations, preferring the more traditional look, but now that it's here, I do love it.

I was happy with how it complemented the other furniture in the room.

But then . . .

On a Saturday that Ron was out of town, the girls and I rearranged the living room.

Bekah and I had tried a similar arrangement a couple of months ago, but there were things we just couldn't figure out so we moved it all back. But I kept seeing the sofa on that other wall (loved it there!) so I kept mulling it over. This time we had another set of eyes (Kati's) and we had all day, so we pulled and hauled everything around again and moved and tweaked some more and we got it!

Here is the wall that I envisioned. (I need to lower that mirror now that the sofa is on that wall. It's funny how photos make things obvious. Have you ever noticed that?) 

Ron has completed one set of shutters for the living room windows! (You may have noticed the two different window treatments in the photos above. We're getting there . . . ) 

Another angle . . .

And then on the opposite wall . . .

As we finished the reset of the room, we made a dash to a local antique store. I remembered seeing a pine drop leaf table there and I had tucked it away in my mind . . . just in case!

It was still there and it had an incredible bargain basement price: $49! When I told the lady who was working that day what I wished to purchase, she said, "I am surprised it hasn't sold before now!"

I love having a more open feel in front of the picture window. It draws the eye to the sun porch and to the back yard. The table also provides a place for seasonal decorating.

A few more changes are in the works.

• Ron is working on the second pair of shutters. 

• I am planning to paint the fire screen black. (That was one of my summer projects, but I never got around to doing it.) 

• Ron is also going to build a taller cabinet for our television this fall. The current media cabinet was intended to be a temporary fix, but with the new living room arrangement, the time is right for this project. Ron will mount the TV in the cabinet with an extension bracket, allowing a greater viewing range. A taller piece will also provide balance with the other furniture in the room. And the doors can be closed when the television is not in use. (Remember my policy of hiding ugly stuff whenever possible?) 

Then the living room will be finished.

(Or will it? Because is anything ever really "finished" if you like house-y stuff?)

Has anything changed at your house lately?