A friend of mine asked me to help her with her living room while we were back in town for a bit. Not only was the room fun to do but it was a great excuse to get together.
There were somethings that she really wanted changed and others that we needed to design around. They also just had the fireplace put in and she loved the simple yet sturdy mantel. Her kids are still young so she wanted to keep a play area for the them. The seating was going to be kept too but she did want to get a new stand for her TV. The old one was one of those tall pine or oak ones with the cabinet doors that always had to be open to watch tv. She wanted something with a smaller profile. They had lived there for about 10 years and had the same box valences the whole time, a very floral, formal pattern, so she wanted something a bit more modern. Between the two of us this is what we came up with {I think her husband was happy just to have some change going on}.
There were somethings that she really wanted changed and others that we needed to design around. They also just had the fireplace put in and she loved the simple yet sturdy mantel. Her kids are still young so she wanted to keep a play area for the them. The seating was going to be kept too but she did want to get a new stand for her TV. The old one was one of those tall pine or oak ones with the cabinet doors that always had to be open to watch tv. She wanted something with a smaller profile. They had lived there for about 10 years and had the same box valences the whole time, a very floral, formal pattern, so she wanted something a bit more modern. Between the two of us this is what we came up with {I think her husband was happy just to have some change going on}.
They went on a trip for about a week which gave me time to paint. Well I don't think I will paint another room all by myself again, but I do love the colors. She had picked out some colors to go with the tile around the fireplace but we needed a blue that would help mesh with the blue in the valences as well.
Unfortunately for her I started into a 3 month battle with morning sickness that kept me in bed almost the whole time. Sleeping was the best way to get away from always feeling so gross.
Here are the pics. Take a look and let me know what you think.
There is a bay of three windows and we wanted to give the illusion of one big window. The addition of window treatments helped here to hide the brakes. They will also help with the temperature in the room so heat doesn't escape in the winter and the cool air stays inside during the summer.
Paul was my handy man putting the valences up for me and making sure everything fit just right.
Paul was my handy man putting the valences up for me and making sure everything fit just right.
The Kids Corner.
Both shelves were laying down so I flipped one up since the kids are tall enough to reach which gave room for the window treatments. The kids corner will be gone in a short time so we weren't going to spend the money on new shelves but with the butter cream window treatments, they don't stand out so much now.
Both shelves were laying down so I flipped one up since the kids are tall enough to reach which gave room for the window treatments. The kids corner will be gone in a short time so we weren't going to spend the money on new shelves but with the butter cream window treatments, they don't stand out so much now.
I love how the fireplace turned out with everything. Nicely framed by a window on each side. The red helps to give a pop of color and tie in the mantel.
This is the piece I am most in love with. We found it at a consignment shop after looking everywhere else. If I wasn't moving all the way across the country and would then have to tote it with me, I would be a bit more jealous. The front had shutter doors on it and I think it would go great in a little girls room. But I think it works fantastic here for the entertainment center. It has a lower profile and while it might be a larger piece it's not over powering in the space. I just love it.