Everything was pretty much from our very first condo in the city.   I still loved our sideboard and table from Mig & Tig but I just longed for a more elegant and polished look. The rug is only a couple of years old, so that was going to stay too.

 

So, with new chairs (I wrote about them here), a new paint job (I wrote about my decision process here) a new top for my sideboard (read all about it here) some new curtains, and a little rearranging, here’s what I have now …

 

 

 

And this was it all set up for Thanksgiving …

 

I am still wanting to replace the chandelier the builder put in with this one that I have loved forever …

 

 

 

 I moved the small hutch I painted with chalk paint last year (read about it’s transformation here) onto this wall and hung some pretty but simple plates I found at Anthropologie  around it.  I still wanted a soft look with out too much pattern or color.

 

 

I had struggled to find the right spot in my home for this desk/hutch ever since I painted it, but now I think it’s finally found its home. It’s become a great place to display some of the pretty, smaller pieces that seemed to get lost inside the big sideboard.

 

 

 

I also did a little lamp swap … I switched these lamps with the ones in my bedroom.

 

 

 

Voila!

 

 

 And I kinda like these on my nightstands …

 

 

On to the living room …

 

Perhaps you remember what it looked like before …

 

 

 

I’ve liked the red … in fact, we’ve had a red room in our last 3 homes … maybe that’s why I was up for a change. Something a little softer and more soothing.

 

I’ve also struggled with the large wall behind the settee …

 

 

I had started out hanging my collection of Sid Dickens Memory Blocks that I’ve accumulated over the years … each one is different and symbolizes different times or occasions in our life. You can read more about them here.

 

While I love them, they just felt a little sparse on that huge wall. I’ve already got a large piece of art above the fireplace and that large mirror in the dining room so I wanted to find something different.

 

 

The other issue was that besides the settee, we had no other seating in there … we always seemed to find other priority items to purchase and I never really found the right chairs.  I wanted something pretty AND comfortable. A place where I might curl up with a magazine while my “men” are watching sports … or a place to relax and chat with friends, a fire and an after-dinner drink.

 

My solution for the big wall was inspired by these pictures …

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those first three are from Nate Berkus’s Manhattan apartment and the last two are coincidentally, also from a Manhattan apartment designed by Phoebe Howard.

 

What I love about all of them are the big airy metal shelving units.  They really fill a big space with out feeling too heavy.  Nate Berkus always talks about creating a space that feels collected over time,  and with shelves like these I think you can really elevate objects that are special to you into pieces of art.

 

So … when I spotted these shelves on one of the design blogs I read, I thought they could be perfect for my living room … and I couldn’t believe where they were from.

 

Yep … these babies are from Ikea! And at $70 bucks a pop, I could get 2 and fill the entire wall.

 

And that’s exactly what I did.

 

 

(I picked up 4 of the baskets from Ikea as well … I love the texture they bring and the hidden storage, since all of the rest of the shelves are so open.)

 

SO, while Dan painted, (Benjamin Moore Wolf Gray) I built bookcases … and I LOVE them!  They are very sturdy and the glass shelves make them look much more expensive than they really were.

 

And now I have just the place to put all of the pretty stuff I collect that makes me happy … you know … antlers, pieces of coral, vintage trophies, my favorite coffee table books … I’m sure this arrangement will change often …( especially after the summer antiques market season!)

 

 

Notice the little lamps? How cute are they?  I spotted them in the Ballard Catalog and knew they’d be perfect … especially since the bronze finish is the same as the shelves.

 

 

  They actually clip on and I just ran the cords down the back of the posts … so you can’t see them at all.  I have them set on a timer, so late every afternoon they come and fill the room with a nice soft glow.

 

And for the rest of the room?

 

 

 

 

Anyway, that’s it … new paint, new shelves, a couple chairs and a new lamp … and the room has a totally different look.  It has become just the space I envisioned it to be … the “girls” sat in there and chatted on Thanksgiving Day, the boys and I have sat in there reading “The Sixty Eight Rooms” (the book everyone is reading at school) and I have enjoyed it as a quiet spot to catch up on my latest issue of Traditional Home.

 

 

(Ok … so I’m still playing around with the pillows … what do you think? Given my pillow obsession it is always hard for me to commit. )

 

Do you have a room that just isn’t quite working for you?  Here is proof that you can transform it with just a few changes.

 

Have a great week!