As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Saturday, September 2, 2017

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? 

33 comments:

  1. wow cheryl .. i love this post!
    your chair & a half is lovely .. would appreciate knowing
    the make. thanks in advance. :)
    moving the furniture around helped to create an even
    more open space. i love seeing more of the window area.
    and great buy on that drop leave table...for pennies almost!!!

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    1. Thanks so much, Sherry, fellow house-y person! We are pleased with the new arrangement. Sometimes the only way to know is to try! I couldn't believe the price of the table. I kind of felt like it was meant for me. :)

      The chair's maker is Friendship Upholstery Incorporated. You're welcome!

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  2. I just 'happened' to click on your blog on CoffeeTeaBooks and Me's sideba. I think we are going to be friends! :). I love your living room both before and after.

    You are so right about the camera showing you things you didn't notice before. Especially little things like how did that grandchild's skippy cup get into my special seasonal tablescape? :)

    We have a fieldstone fireplace (gas) with a mostly black surround around the logs. But there is brass on it too which I would live to paint. Hubby is nervous that I will wreck it. :) I'd love to know what your plan is!

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    1. Nice to meet you, Cheri! Thanks for visiting and sharing your kind words. Yes, I think we'll be friends! (I'll be by to visit you soon!)

      Funny about the sippy cup! Why don't we notice these things before?

      And I'll keep my readers posted about the fireplace screen. I am still working on my plan ;)

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  3. There really isn't anything LIKE "shopping the house"! I like your tweaks and the new pieces you've introduced into your living room...and yes, I HAVE noticed how photos make little things apparent that a person doesnt think about in real life :)

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    1. Thanks, Rebecca!

      Shopping the house is cheap . . . except when it isn't! (We tried . . . )

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  4. Cheryl, your living room looks lovely with its new arrangement. The chair and a half has the prettiest fabric! I like the openess, like you say the new drop leaf table gives to the view of your sunporch. What a wonderful bargain on that table! It really reminds me of one I grew up with. Ron's shutters are beautiful.
    He's quite the craftsman. Your home always says welcome to me, however you decorate. ♥

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    1. Thanks so much, Martha Ellen! I am glad you like the fabric on the new chair. I was afraid it might be too "busy," but now that it's here, I think it works. Ron is quite the talented hubby! I think I'll keep him around! ;)

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  5. Beautiful simple beautiful Cheryl, I absolutely adore the drop leaf table, it didn't sell because it had your name on it~wink~ I love a good bargain!
    I see so much love in making Pineapple Farmhouse, your home!
    Thanks for sharing,have a blessed Labor Day weekend.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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    1. I think you're right. It did have my name on it!

      Thanks for your sweet comment, Sue! Blessings on your weekend too!

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  6. I really like that chair and a half, and the fabric is perfect in your house. That table is an amazing score! I love projects like this!

    I haven't changed much lately which is pretty shocking for me. Pondering a few things, though.

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    1. Thanks, Deanna! I couldn't believe the price of the table . . . and it is exactly what I wanted!

      If I know you, you'll be changing things up before you know it! :)

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  7. The new chair looks great, and I like the new arrangement. It's so nice your girls also have the decorating bug! I think you'll love the drop leaf. It's in a perfect spot to open up one side for two to play a game, or to write a letter, etc. with the nice view of the porch and yard. A versatile piece. (We had one for many years).

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    1. Thanks, Dotsie! Yes, the girls are always up for some house-y tweaking! (I need to settle on all the furniture arrangements for Pineapple House while they are still living at home.)

      That is a good point about the versatility of a drop leaf table. I recently found it is good for placing birthday gifts and a plate of cookies for visiting grands. :)

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  8. Good for you for not giving up the first move about.Your living room looks lovely. What a fabulous new chair to have a cuddle or read a book to a grandchild in. Great new drop lead table too that will come in handy! Well done.

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    1. Thank you, Sally! Persistence paid off this time. :)

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  9. When I was a young thing, I shoved furniture all over the place. I loved rearranging. Now that I have no live-in help, I must, of necessity, limit myself. My back could go out just thinking of it. 😏

    I like your changes very much. I like the new chair and a half for all the reasons Ron does...yours is a family that needs extra seating. Love the new drop-leaf table...what a wonderful bargain and it is perfect there and, again provides more seating for family dinners.) Your living room is extremely charming and cozy. It's a room for gathering friends and family and where they can feel right at home.

    (I remembered to write this elsewhere and to copy and paste it in. On days that I don't remember, I'm afraid the comment is lost. Not such a bad thing, I'm sure.)

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    1. As I said to Podso ^^^, I am thinking I need to get it all arranged while the girls are still at home. (Ron is not so much on furniture rearranging. He is like, "What's wrong with the way it is?" After it's done, he's okay with it. Which is why we do these projects when he is not at home.)

      Thanks for all of your kind words! I'm glad you'd feel at home in the room.

      (Another reader has told me of difficulty in commenting. As a non-techie sort of gal, I have no idea what the problem is or how to fix it. I am sorry for the frustration. I always welcome your comments, but please don't incur frustration on my account!)

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  10. Shopping in your own home is fun. Your living room looks lovely, and I really like the new wing back and I love your drop leaf table. You got a great price on it too.

    Have a nice holiday weekend ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thank you, Lorraine! And a happy weekend to you too!

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  11. I love your decorating style! It looks so warm and cozy. All of your hard work is coming together in a lovely way!

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  12. Lovely changes to this beautiful room. How nice that for years you have continued to buy things that do fit in all the other areas of your home, so that you can "shop your own home".

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    1. Thanks, Melissa! Moving helped too. Thirty-five years' worth of things brought to a new place. It takes a while to figure out where to put everything! And I suppose we have changed our style very little over the years. (I suppose that can be good and bad, but it works for us!) ;)

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  13. Love the shutters and the changes, too. We just rearranged and changed things around at our house. I need to take the after photos so I can share the changes. I love the style of your home and how you've decorated it.

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    1. Thank you, Ellen! Looking forward to seeing your changes!

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  14. Oh goodness I am soo far behind but I am glad I popped by today! I love this! The chair is perfect though I will admit I had never heard of such a thing...but it's perfect. And I LOVE the table and the arrangement of everything. We've been working on face lift items all summer. I think we may finally be done until spring time! But I have always done the same thing. "shop the house" lol I've done it again with the recent changes. Moving one thing to a new place, and then filling in that place with something else. Gives everything a "new" feel. Occasionally I've spray painted something. We've added very little actual new with the exception of course of the paint. I am having a problem in that I CANNOT get my phone to send my pics to my email account so that I can get on my lap top and work my blog. It's sooo frustrating. I've tried everything I can think of. Because what good is a blog post without pics? Now that some of these extra projects are done, I will try harder. Soo much has happened I will most likely never catch up, lol. Anyway, nice to catch up with you!

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    1. Good to hear from you, Debbie! I have been wondering if all was well with you and your family. Sounds like you've been very hard at work, putting a new look on your place. That, and fighting with technology. Ugh. So frustrating!

      Thanks for visiting and for your kind words!

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  15. Cheryl - I love it all! The new chair is fabulous and oh that drop leaf table - a beauty! Your living room looks SO cozy (even with the "old" arrangement). You have a wonderful knack. Got me thinking that maybe I should take some pictures and try some new things over here ... hmmm.

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    1. "Cozy" is what I want, so thank you so much, Rosella! I don't quite understand how that works with photos. Why don't I see it in person? But I'll just use that trick whether I understand it or not! :)

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  16. You are right...is anything ever really finished?? Not in my house either! I do really like the changes in your room...and really like the pretty blue chair and a half...it looks as though it was made for your room! And what a find that table was at such a bargain price! My fireplace doors were almost identical to yours and I painted mine black a few years ago when I painted my fireplace bricks. What a difference it made!

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