Antique Pantry Cabinets as Living Room Storage

You know what? That whole idea of light affecting a paint color is no joke. Seriously. What you think is the perfect color may just be totally different in glaring bright daylight.

 

Antique White Coffee Table

Here's a little message to future furniture shopping me...

Living Room Update & Rugs USA Review

You know I'm always game to change things up a little in my home. Plus, I love super cozy and comfy (especially during these cold winter months). So, when Rugs USA offered to send over a rug to us I was thrilled. Seriously. They made my day, my week and my month.  And, my rug arrive on Christmas Eve. How doubly sweet is that?

 

I've worked with Rugs USA on a professional and personal basis (yes, I have actually purchased several rugs from them on my own) and every experience has been fantastic.
 

Are you swooning over my rug right now? I totally am!

Living Room Updates & Additions

The decorating never really end does it?

I recently mentioned that we got new shelving at IKEA (here) and since that time I have pretty much arranged and rearranged. I swear to you if I ask my family one more time if the shelves look cluttered they are going to smack me. I'm not kidding. It has become a joke around here.  It's just that I really despise clutter and I want to ensure that my new shelves in now way project the image of being cluttered and overdone. I know, I know, a good part of the time I even annoy myself.

  

 

Summer Living Room Tour

I have to say, that this may be an all time low for time spent outside in the summer for us. Between torrential rain and incredible heat and humidity it is just not that enjoyable being out there.

 

So, that has left me with some extra free time chilling out in our living room reading home decorating books. Which, you know totally got me inspired and wanting to change things up a bit. Hence, my newly decorated summer living room! I wanted to go for a light and airy summer look without any clutter.

 

The couch pillows were nice and light and summery, but those on the chairs had to go into storage. I brought up a chevron Target pillow from last year and then found a Nate Berkus white and gold Greek Key pillow on clearance for just $7.48!

 

Mixing Vintage W/ New: Living Room Tour

I recently made it my mission to update our living room on a seriously small budget and using as much vintage furniture as I could.

 

The updates started to come into play a couple of months ago when my husband and I decided we finally were going to buy a new couch.  We've needed one for a couple of years now, but we were able to stretch the old sofa by using a slipcover and removing the back, dated and bulky cushions.

 

 

My husband wanted new, well-made, but not expensive. I wanted vintage. We even went to look at a sofa we found on craigslist. Totally. Did. Not. Work. Out. Seriously, how do people judge what good condition is? If you list your couch as excellent, then the arm should not feel like it is about to fall off!

 

 

We were totally at a sofa standstill when I happened upon a really great couch, that was very much like our number one pick from Pottery Barn.  It was new, gorgeous and priced at an incredible discount at a local store. I went back the next day with Martino, praying that it would still be there and it was! So excited!

 

 

 

Buying & Decorating with Thrift Store Art

Morning everyone! I just wanted to hop on real quick to share some of my recent thrift store/antique store finds with you all.

  

I've had a couple of crazy weeks. Last Wednesday was my birthday and yesterday, my 15th wedding anniversary. Our new couch was delivered this week, which, of course, caused a major rearrangement/redecorating of furniture and accessories in the living and dining rooms.  I'm also working on a huge custom dining set for a client. And, I got my hair majorly cut.

 

Did I mention that my husband really doesn't like change? There was definitely more than one time, this past week, where I sent him an email at work to try to prepare him for what was going on here before he got home!

  

Anyway, I have so much that I want to share, and I promise that updated living, entry and dining room tours our on the horizon.

  

For now, though, here is a little gallery wall that's in process in our living room...

 

Our Retro Coffee Table Transformation

 A couple of weeks ago I bought this retro coffee table from someone on craigslist.  It was so funny, because as I'm talking to the girl on the phone about buying it she was trying to tell me about where she lived and, although I really never get lost, I was having trouble placing the streets that she was naming. That was until she said she lived behind HomeGoods. Hello? Why didn't she just say so in the first place?

Antique Glass Front Cabinet

Hi everyone! Finally, we are having some beautiful weather here in the northeast. We plan on taking a nice long walk with the boys this afternoon. Can't wait. 

 

A couple of weeks ago I purchased this gorgeous glass front cabinet from my favorite local store (The Trading Post for my Western MA friends). I had been looking for something like this forever to replace the black dresser we previously had here. Antonio snatched that piece up for his bedroom makeover leaving us with an awkward empty space in the corner of our living room.

 

This cabinet could not be more perfect; look how it fits just right underneath the black shelf.

Adding Pattern & Texture in the Living Room

     

Did you all have a good weekend? We spent our time running errands to catch up on all the things that didn't get done last week when I wasn't feeling well. 

  

It was such a huge relief to have our big Trader Joe's run done and put away before our date night on Saturday (it was insane in there with all the Super Bowl party shoppers)! My youngest, Gennaro, is allergic to many foods and that store is just a lifesaver for him.  His staples at TJ's are rice milk and sunflower seed butter. Do any of you or your little ones suffer from food allergies?  It can be a pain, especially when eating out.

 

Anyway, I was recently lured in by some after Christmas sales and made a couple of purchases for the living room.

 

 

DIY Coffee Table Terrarium

With the cold, cloudy, snowy days we have here in New England in the winter I wanted to add something with life and greenery into my living room.

I (very easily and inexpensively) put together this terrarium for my coffee table.

Metal Trunk Thrift Store Score

Lately, I've had this thing for metal trunks. I even posted about it in October here.

Updating the Outdated {Ottoman Reupholstering}

A couple of weekends ago, I went to Savers and came back with what I thought was the perfect ottoman (after many failed attempts) for my youngest son to sit on while he was watching television.  (Both of my boys have low vision so they can't see the TV from the couch.) I'm pretty sure my husband was horrified as he saw me wrestle a dated, dirty, worn, faded ottoman out of my SUV.  However, this piece was solid, sturdy construction and, for all its wear, had a fantastic cushion and padding.

 

I think I spruced it up quite nicely. 

 

 

 

 

Subtle & Thrifty October Mantel

I've been slowly working my way around the main living areas in our home adding in fall touches.  I'm much more of an autumn decorator than a Halloween one.  I love dried corn, twigs, pumpkins and all those little things that you associate with the season.  However, I did want to add a subtle touch of Halloween to my mantel this year.

My Autumn Coffee Table Styling

It's such a typical fall day in Massachusetts; chilly, breezy, and a little gloomy, so I thought I would take advantage of being inside and update my coffee table for autumn.

 

 

Holy Chair Makeover!

Earlier in the summer I went to a tag sale at a local Catholic school that was closing. You can read all about it here. One of my finds that day was a really cushy and comfy chair that had previously been part of the dining set at the rectory.

 

It had mid tone brown wood and red velvet fabric all of which was not really my style, or in great condition, but I loved the lines.  I'm so sorry I don't have a before picture of this project.  I always try to add one because it just adds to the impact of the makeover and shows how you can transform an old worn item into something modern and beautiful.  However, my oldest accidentally deleted my before shot. So frustrating.

 

Anyway, I painted the chair a light silver gray and gave it a good coat of wax to protect it.  I actually did not do any distressing, which is unusual for me, but I really just liked the look of the solid colored wood with the busy fabric.