Our Living Room Re-re-re-redecorating!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our house is constantly changing.  We've lived here for 10 years now but things don't stay the same for long.  My husband jokes that most everything we own has been spray painted at least 3 different colors.  He might be right.

This is our living room 10 years ago.

This was my first attempt at decorating this room. I have always loved French Country but this was the first time I had ever decorated with red or yellow.  I bought this love seat and these chairs at my favorite second hand store (no longer there) soon after we moved to Michigan.  I slip covered them in a red check and floral.  I made the curtains and all the pillows. The table has moved from Colorado to Alabama to Indiana to Virginia to Michigan - although I don't know why.

This fireplace and the one across the room were originally an 80's modern with just an oak trim around the opening and no mantle.  All the trim in the house was dark oak.  I designed the mantles and Mark built them.  I've painted all the baseboards and trim in the house a semi-gloss white.

This is a few years later.

The love seat is the same but a different chair is here.  The chair is usually slip covered and across the room in what we call the family room.  The walls are now a deeper yellow and the table has been replaced with an ottoman.

Somewhere in between this picture and the last picture the room was pale green.  My mom had given me a green chair that I kept trying to work in.  The chair has now been painted (yes, painted) and is in the basement.  I don't want to show you the pictures of when it was green.  It was too ugly.

This is my blue phase.

I bought these two Bergere chairs at the same store and figured out how to reupholster them.  I have always wanted Bergere chairs and  looked at them with longing in the Ballard catalog.  I found these two on the same trip to my second hand store.  

I knew I was tired of it all.  We had moved around the country so much that I always had to (re)decorate every time we got a new house.  But I didn't know what I wanted to do.  

And then one day I walked into the Pottery Barn store in  Grand Rapids and had an event!  AAAHHH!  I went home and told my  husband that we were going to redecorate.  Again.  

And this is today.

The poor man.  When I showed him what I had in mind, he loved it!  Who knew that all these years he hadn't really loved my florals!  lol

I slip covered the love seat and the two chairs that were originally in here in the same fabric that I did the dining room chairs.  I reupholstered both the bergere chairs. One is in the family room now.

 I made new drapes, got a new rug and we found this wonderful railway cart at a second hand store here in town - thanks to a friend!

She saw me pin one of these on Pinterest and told me she had seen one in town!  Thanks again, Brenda!

We love that it says, "Chicago Machinery Exchange" on the side.  It was filthy with grease and dirt and since we bought it in January it sat in the garage for a couple of months before it got warm enough for me to clean it.  I scrubbed it several times with warm, soapy water before I let it come in the house.

Mark removed the old top, which was broken and a mess, and replaced it with new wood which I stained to match.

He just attached the top with screws.  I love the rustic look!

He also made the ladder in the corner for me.  It's a Pottery Barn knock-off and was really easy.  I use it to hang extra throws.

I made all the pillows.  The throw is from Sam's, the rug is from World Market.  The wood and metal art hanging in the window is from Hobby Lobby and all the other accessories are from Home Goods.  You can't really see the end table in this picture but we are planning on making new end tables to match the sofa table.

The next time I take a picture it will most likely be slightly different.  It's just the way things are around here!

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of Lord forever."  Psalm 23:6

May God fill you with an awareness of His many blessings and His infinite love!