Tuesday, March 27, 2012

RE-modeling: My New Living Room Part 4




I had posted about remodeling my living room and promised an update so to keep my word, here is a living room update. You can see Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE and Part 3 HERE.   The big changes are 2 seagrass rugs, a zebra skin rug, a vintage midcentury modern bar set and a decorated mantel.  I have new chairs that I am having reupholstered and I need a chandelier so there will be more, but here is where the living room is currently.

THE LIVING ROOM THE WAY THE PREVIOUS HOME OWNERS HAD IT.

THE LIVING ROOM THE LAST TIME I POSTED. 

LIVING ROOM TODAY.  As per Reba's suggestion, I got 2 seagrass rugs to divide the room into 2 distinct sitting areas.   The rugs were a good deal from Amazon.  The vintage bar set is also new to me, as in bought 3 days ago.  My friend, Martha, spotted it in an antique store in Blanco, Texas and insisted I buy it.  I loved it, too, but I hesitated because I already had crystal decanters out that I liked.  Martha brought up how well this set would go with the midcentury modern touches that I am trying to add to my otherwise traditional, verging on frilly older stuff.  Martha was absolutely right.  I love the brass stoppers and the lucite tray.  It replaced a silver tray with crystal decanters that we had just put out recently.  The crystal decanters were very pretty, but had an overall feminine feel.  Since I am trying to be more gender neutral in my decor, I like that the masculine, Don Draper-esque air of this bar set will offset the feminine crystal figurines and bowls it sits among.  Thank you for insisting Martha!
OUR NEW LIVING ROOM WAS A STORAGE AREA FOR OVER A YEAR.

THE LIVING ROOM SOFA AREA THE LAST TIME I POSTED. 


THE LIVING ROOM SOFA AREA TODAY.   The coffee table and rugs I wanted are above.  Kinda funky, right? I know, but I think it is fun and bold and that is what I am trying to go for.  And again, I wanted it nothing like my FORMER YELLOW LIVING ROOM IN OUR FIRST HOUSE which I felt had gotten a bit old ladyish.   I wanted youthful.  I hope that is the feeling this gives.   A chandelier has to come next.  I bought the lucite coffee table on Ebay from a mega seller called Southeastflorida  and I couldn't be happier with my table so I thought I'd give him a plug.  The lucite coffee table was $320 plus shipping which is a great price if you've shopped around for lucite tables.  Although it was well packaged, the coffee table came in with a slight scratch and as soon as I emailed the man from South East Florida about it, he promptly replied saying he had already called FEDEX to come pick up a new table and it would be at my door in 2 days - and it was!  No muss, no fuss.  The zebra skin rug was a bigger decision. We debated whether to go faux or do a cowhide rug dyed like a zebra rug or go with the real deal.  I feared the real deal would be a bit creepy,  but my husband really liked the idea of one and so we went for it.  I am happy to report that I don't find it creepy as I feared I would.  I know it isn't for everyone, but I live in Texas so animal skin rugs are not too big a deal here. 



A TOUCH OF MIDCENTURY MODERN.  I like how the new bar set picks up on the gold trim of the mirrored chest.  I am also pleased because I think it will also go with the new chairs I bought to go by the fireplace.  The chrome legged, midcentury style chairs are in my hometown currently waiting to be reupholstered.  They came in black leather and I want to have some blue velvet slipcovers made for them.  When they arrive, I will update once again my living room remodeling saga.   I hope I have a chandelier for the room by that time.  If you have any ideas on my light fixture, I am open to suggestions. I wanted a drum shaped gold leaf chandelier, but because I have low ceilings (8 feet), I cannot get the one I wanted because it would hang too low.    I considered making one, but I am not sure how to go about doing that. 

THE MANTEL LAST TIME I POSTED.
THE MANTEL TODAY.   I am pretty excited to have a mantel to decorate for the seasons again.  Sharing my Easter/Spring mantel was actually what got me to take pictures of the living room.  I found it hard to decorate for Spring with this living room color scheme because most of my Easter stuff is cutesy pastel stuff and I didn't think it would go with the style of the room.  I had a few ideas of what I might be able to do, but I ended up going with butterflies.  My husband bought me 3 wood folk art looking bunny figurines pulling carts from Wisteria.  I decided they were ok for this room so I used them as my centerpiece.  Then, when I complained of being uninspired, my husband suggested butterflies would go with the eclectic and colorful style of the room.  My husband can be very helpful when he wants to be.  I took that idea and ran with it. I dug up some old butterfly prints that I meant to sell in our garage sale, but forgot about.  They were in gold frames which goes with the mirror already on the mantel.  I also saw that Michael's had butterfly magnets at 4 for $1 and single fabric butterflies for $1.50.  I bought some of those and spread them around. I pulled out some old cards with butterflies on the cover and placed them in gold frames to fill out the display.    I like how colorful the display turned out.  I am also happy because I don't think it is too cutesy, but it is still whimsical which I enjoy.

A COLORFUL TRIBUTE TO SPRING. 

CLOSE UP SHOT. 

WRITTEN BY ELDAROSE

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Our Western Tables Settings can be seen HERE

You can see Reba's Easter Table with Vintage HandPainted Eggs HERE

A Peter Rabbit Themed Party is HERE
A Christian Cross Bead Craft for Kids (Great for Easter Playdates) is described HERE




LINK PARTIES:




































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Stuff and Nonsense








































It's Overflowing



Chic on a Shoestring Decorating


Tickled Pink at 504 Main









Too Much Time On My Hands

40 comments:

  1. Wow Eldarose....Your living room is no longer 'old ladyish' thats for sure. It IS chic and Sophisticated and absolutely beautiful. You did a wonderful job of putting it all together. Very very nice. You've got the design touch thats for sure.

    Nann

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    1. Nann,

      Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. So glad you liked the changes. I'm sorry I haven't replied to your previous entry but I went out of town and when I returned I found out a friend of mine died so I have been working on a sorta memorial entry about her instead of catching up on editing and replying.

      I enjoyed your comment very much. It made me smile. Thanks again.

      Eldarose

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  2. WOW! LOVE IT!!!! So glad you went with the blue, it is perfect!

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    1. Jen,

      Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. I am so glad you liked it. I take it as a very big compliment that you liked the changes since I've seen how great your taste is. :)

      A friend of mine died this week sorta unexpectedly and I haven't been able to stop crying. I don't know why I cannot pull it together, but I cannot seem to do it. Your supportive and complimentary feedback was really, really appreciated today - more than you can know. So thank you sincerely.

      Eldarose

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  3. Your living room is so beautiful! You have done a great job!

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    1. Maria Elena,

      Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. I'm so glad you liked the room. It is a big change for me style wise. I am getting older and I am trying to shake things up a bit and get out of rut that I had fallen into. I appreciate your encouraging note.

      Eldarose

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  4. I love the dark blue - it really makes everything else "pop". The room is so sophisticated now. I am really sorry about your friend. Recently, I lost the first member of my childhood "group" and I still cannot believe that she is gone. It is never easy - thinking of you!!

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    1. Diane,

      Thank you so much for your comment. I like the dark blue, too - so much more that I ever expected. It does make everything else pop forward visually which I understood in theory, but didn't fully get until I saw the effect in person. I'm so flattered that you called the room sophisticated. Honestly, I don't know what look I am going for, except the vague idea of young and bold. I guess somewhere in my heart, I feel like the room is my expression of willing myself into a new mold. I want to change my ways. A new diet and exercise plan is on the agenda, too. But, I am a muller. I mull over things awhile before I make the move. Hopefully, I will get around to all the changes I would like to make.

      And thank you for your sympathy over my friend. I am sorry about your friend as well. It is a shock sometimes to lose someone dear to you. I am sure it was especially hard to lose someone your own age. My friend, was the lady I taught Sunday School with. She was the mother of one of my former law school classmates, so we weren't peers, but she was a mentor and a motherly figure in my life. I have to say though that I am doing much better handling the news now that I have gone to the funeral. My husband asked if it gave me closure and I told him closure was not the right word, but it helped me accept it. Also, going to church, and being there with God, well, it just made me feel better.

      Thank you again for your kind reply. It was very much appreciated. I am embarrassed my earlier replies were so emotional. I was just having a hard time handling the change until God gave me the strength I needed. I am much better now. Thank you again for your concern and kindness.

      Eldarose

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  5. Quite a makeover! You did an amazing job. It is so beautiful. The butterflies are a perfect touch. I hope our Michael's has them.

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    1. Suzanne,

      Thank you for visiting and commenting. You've made me feel very good about the progress so far. Thank you. I am glad you liked it. And I hope you find the butterflies at Michael's. I am pleased with how that idea panned out. Of course, if you don't find butterflies, it wouldn't be hard to make out a version of butterflies out of scrapbook paper, too.

      Eldarose

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  6. What a gorgeous room! Love the navy paint. I have a navy bathroom. The rug is divine too. Can't go wrong with an animal print. I'm a new follower on gfc too!

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    1. I am feeling the color blue right now. I've always liked blue, but for awhile green was really pulling on me, but now I am back to blue. I have some idea on using stencils with blue and white in my dining room. I just have to finish some other projects so I can get to that project. And thanks also for the commment about the zebra rug. It was a gamble for us, I think, but I think it turned out right.

      Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. We are following back on gfc, now.

      Eldarose

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  7. NICE, can you come redo mine for me. Love the colors you picked.

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    1. Teresa,

      LOL! Sure, what do you want me to do? I do think I would find it easier to pick stuff for someone else than myself. I always worry about regretting my choices, but I am very generous with giving out my opinions. LOL! Ask any of my friends, they will tell you that is very true. ;)

      Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment. So glad you like the blues.

      Eldarose

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  8. Your living room is beautiful. You've made lovely choices that all work together to enhance your room.
    I'm a new follower and hope you'll stop by and follow back.
    Mary Alice

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    1. Chateau Chic,

      Love your blog name. Btw, I visited and didn't have time to leave a comment, but your blog is fantastic. Very nice vibe. I'm glad you liked our living room. I wasn't sure where I was going with it, but I think it is coming together anyway. I'm glad you like the choices. I am filled with self doubt when I am shopping, but so far, I think it is going along ok. Thank you for following. I believe we are following back now.

      Don't be a stranger. :D

      Eldarose

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  9. I love the blue walls. And all those pictures on the walls are awesome!

    BTW My mom has a real zebra rug. I think they can be stunning. Good choice.

    I'm your newest follower by GFC.

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    1. Starr,

      I really wanted to do a picture/gallery wall. I love to have visual stimulation at gatherings and so I find it very welcoming when I am somewhere where there is a lot to look at. I think it prevents boredom and sparks conversation. So thank you for commenting on our wall. I detailed how/where we got the stuff for the wall in a previous entry on the living room saga. LOL.

      I'm glad you liked the zebra rug. My husband was all for it. I had doubts, but it is very interesting so I am glad we went for it. They can be stunning, but I could see where they could go wrong, too, so I was nervous about it, but I think it came out ok.

      Thank you so much for following. I believe we are following you back now, too. I will try to find the time to comment more this weekend. I am just far behind on everything in blogland.

      Eldarose

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  10. You've added a lot of glam. Very nice. Love the mirrored piece.

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    1. Rosemary,

      Thank you for visiting and commenting. Glam, huh? I guess, I didn't think of it as that. I have frankly been rather clueless about what I was doing or what direction I was going in the living room. It is absolutely not my normal style. And it isn't the style of anyone I know in real life either so I've been seeking out Pinterest inspiration looking for things I really like. We got the mirrored chest bc I mentioned to my husband that I liked them and he saw one on mega sale here in Austin at the Neiman Marcus outlet and bought it for me. I wasn't sure where it would go, but it was a good price and I thought it was very pretty so we kept it. Originally, I thought it would go into the dining room, but I thought it would work in the living room, too. I am glad you feel like it works there. I live in a midcentury home and I think I am going for a Manhattan vibe bc I am crazy about Mad Men and I think it goes with the house. Your post made me think about it in those terms, and I guess I did want some glam bc I wanted the room to look more like it belonged to Don Draper than Peggy Olson, even though Peggy is my favorite character.

      Eldarose

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  11. Replies
    1. Busana,

      Thank you for visiting and commenting. It is much appreciated.

      Eldarose

      Delete
  12. This is awe.some! Love the color of the walls and all your great pieces. It really brings in a great vibe. the mirrored chest is fabulous, love the bling it adds to the space. thanks for linking up to VIF! great post!!

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    1. Debra,

      Wow! What a sweet comment. Thank you. I sometimes feel like I am totally lost and don't know what I am doing with my new house at all, but I have kept going and hoping it would come out ok in the end. I'm glad you feel it gives off a good vibe. I really want a welcoming vibe - or what I would find welcoming I guess. I like visual stimulation, so I wanted things to look at for guests to come in and be entertained, prompted mentally and have something to talk about. As much as I love the washed out, beige and grey linens that are so popular now, I didn't think it would suit the style of our 60s home so I am trying to go for what will.

      Thank you for hosting the link party. When I get positive comments, it makes me feel much more confident in the direction we are going. I can be so full of self doubt. So thanks again for the compliment. :D

      Eldarose

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  13. Your living room is fabulous! I just love how fun the butterflies are too! Thank you so much for sharing this with us at Inspiration Friday this week~
    Vanessa

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    1. Hey Vanessa!

      I'm so glad you like the living room. It is a bit funky, but I am trying to feel good about breaking out of my old look and going a big more modern and masculine.

      I'm so glad you liked the butterflies. Sometimes when I decorate for the holidays I worry it won't come out well. And I was really clueless and uninspired on how to celebrate Easter in a dark blue room. I didn't want to buy too much, but I didn't have much to use already either. The butterflies were a good solution. I considered making butterflies out of magazine paper or scrapbook paper. It wouldn't have been too hard, but I didn't want to spend the time on it and once I saw the butterflies for so little at Michael's I just went with premade ones.

      Thank you for hosting Inspiration Friday and thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. I know you get so many visitors to At the Picket Fence, plus posting has to keep you very busy. I cannot imagine that you could have the time to reply to everyone who links up so I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post. I take it as a big compliment.

      Eldarose

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  14. Hey there Eldarose! I'm visiting from the Open House Party @ Sherry's. WOW, oh, WOW!! You knocked it out of the park with this redesign. I remember when you started this room and I featured it at my Show & Tell party. I thought it was pretty then...the furniture pieces and rugs you brought in are incredibly perfect! Great job!
    BTW, I'm in Texas too...Houston area. You're right about animal print rugs. I love yours.

    Sharon @ mrs. hines class

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    1. Sharon,

      What a nice comment. Thank you so much. I am so glad you liked the progress. There is still so much to do all over our house and we have to remodel the kitchen and the facade and we need a guest bath and a new closet and.....really the list is very long. But, I will be happy when I feel like I've at least done this room and it is done, done. I am so glad you liked the choices we made. It is weird to be so modern for me, but I think it suits the house and I am trying to be more open to advice from others and to what the house itself is telling me.

      Also, so nice to get feedback from another Texan. Reba and the rest of my family is from South Texas. Nann, who commented above, use to live here in Austin. Sarah from Hyacinth blog is also from Austin and I am crazy about Joan from Cote de Texas. So many Texas women on blogspot. Of course, that makes perfect sense since Texan Women tend to be so social. :D

      Glad you liked the zebra skin rug. I really sweated that choice. Completely unlike the old me. Btw, I will be linking up on your site next week.

      Eldarose

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  15. Oh my! It's gorgeous! Love the color, the animal rug, and especially the dresser! It's all fabulous! Great job!
    Melody
    One Chatty Chic
    PS Come link up at my place and share if you can at my party!
    http://onechattychic.com/2012/03/27/your-turn-wild-wednesday-4/

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    1. One Chatty Chic,

      What a fun name. Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. So glad you liked the changes. I will be glad to check out your site. It is always great to meet folks with similar interests in blogland. :D

      Eldarose

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  16. Very funky! I like it, the picture placement is wonderful, I love to see a huge area covered in art and pictures. Good for you for thinking outside of the box.
    Cindy

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    1. Cindy,

      Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. It is much appreciated. The picture placement is all my husband. I talked about my freakout in trying to get some of this room done for a blog link party deadline and how my husband searched around for art to do a wall like the one I wanted to help me out. It is one of the previous living room entries I linked above. In those other posts, you can see the whole wall and the placement better. We have a funky window that isn't center to the room and is high and is hard to work around and my husband made it work with art placement which is exactly what I had hoped for but he figured out how to do it very quickly. I got very lucky with that.

      Please drop by again soon. :D

      Eldarose

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  17. Love the blue. Very close to what I just painted in my dining room redo. Nice to see people using color on their walls.

    New Google follower!

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    1. Cyndi,

      Yup, I love color, too. Thanks for visiting, commenting and following. I belive we are following back. :D

      Eldarose

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  18. That wall color is gorgeous! I've been wanting to paint a room in our house that color but haven't been able to decide where! I just love it and all the accents! The coffee table is such a statement piece! Fantastic job and thanks so much for linking up to my party!

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    1. Natalie,

      I didn't think I'd like the color, but I really do. You should definitely find a spot for it if you are thinking about it.

      Thanks for visiting and commenting. And thank YOU for hosting the link party and allowing other bloggers to link up.

      Eldarose

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  19. I am LOVING your living room! That bold blue, the mirrored dresser, and the butterfly mantle! It is all awesome. I am hosting an anything goes linky party going on right now through Monday night and I would be super excited if you stopped by and linked up!

    Kim @ Too Much Time On My Hands
    http://too-much-time.com/2012/04/get-schooled-saturday-18.html

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    1. Kim,

      Thank you for visiting and leaving such a nice comment. I am so glad you are digging the direction I am going with it. Thanks for the encouragement.

      I linked it up on your site as per your suggestion.

      Eldarose

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  20. May I suggest something, Eldarose? I think putting a cornice or drapery on those windows can make the room more vibrant and personal. What do you think? But among the two, draperies would go well with the color of your walls and your white sofas.

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  21. WOW!!! this is awesome. Love your gorgeous living room crystal chandelier. You did a great job. In the living room, a touch of ambient lighting creates a very smooth and fresh atmosphere.

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