The Ultimate Before & After - Living Room Edition

I've spent hours upon hours perusing through decor and design magazines over the years.  I would cut out pictures (and still do) of things that inspire me, excite me, and cause me to stay up at night imagining it in my own house.  There are tons of folders of these clippings to reference back to when I'm looking for ideas in our house.  However, no matter how many magazines I get inspiration from, my house is still my house.  And although it doesn't grace the cover of any decor magazine, when you walk in the front door, you know who lives here.  It's full of life, and art, and things that mean something to us.  Our living room is the prime example of that.

This shot was snapped during Dan's walk-through, only a few weeks after we met!  The fireplace was completely covered up with chairs and was an ugly baby poop green.

The couch was turned at an odd angle that cut off the space to the left of this picture.  In such a small room, space is of the essence.

If you look closely at the top and center of the picture, you might be able to make out a little bit of crown moulding.  It was painted the same color as the walls!!  You didn't even really notice it.

So those are the before's....

Now, the living room was first painted right before Dan moved in in November 2009.  I made window treatments shortly after that and got started on a blue and brown theme.  It stayed that way (without pictures) until I moved in in March 2011. 

It must be said that I may be an interior designer, but that doesn't mean I always trust my judgement when it comes to my own house.  On the contrary, I usually think and rethink over and over again before deciding on something, only to ultimately change my mind again.  Which brings us to the current phase of our living room.....



Looks a little different, huh?  Well trust me, it will be different again soon, I'm sure.  In order to keep up with my ever-changing ideas, I mix it up a bit to keep from getting bored.  But this room, this house in general, is a true testament to things that make me happy.  Aside from the sofa that was recently purchased new, the furniture was all made by me.  The polka dot chair, the silver rocker, the pink chair, the footstool, the end table, the coffee table.  I made the new window treatments and recovered the cornice boards that I made for the first living room makeover.  The new carpet was a free spiff from my job that we had installed a few months ago.

The fireplace and mantel is now a focal point.  Even though it doesn't work (anybody got an extra $1000 lying around??), it showcases the holidays, and serves as a platform for our collection of art.

The good thing about having so much artwork is that I never get bored and swith it out constantly.

The level shelves were from my apartment and hold pictures of us, our family, and our friends.

This shelf is another constantly changing space for artwork, including paintings from our honeymoon to Paris and London, and my favorite, Starry Night.

I love color, I love art, I love furniture.  Is our living room cluttered?  Some may say so.  But does everything have a story and a meaning?  Absolutely.