New House Journal: Slipcovered Sofa Set and Mantel Makeover

We're making a lot of headway at the new house, with several things coming to completion. The hardwood floors were installed before Thanksgiving and the finish of the carpet install was this afternoon. I'll share those once I get decent pics. Right now I have something hiding underneath plastic drop cloths that I'm anxious to share. One of my favorite things on my check list is the long awaited delivery of my new Slipcovered Sofa Set. Big Yay.

Gathered #4

It's been a while since I shared one of these mishmashed posts, so

  Welcome to another edition of

Random Musings of a Wandering Mind...

The Living Room and Leopard Print Pillows

Hi Everyone, things have been quiet around here and I've been keeping my nose to the grindstone so to speak, in regards to my quest in sorting through more boxes of decor and organizing my storage room downstairs. 

Pillow Change-up for a Summer Look

Sometimes, just a few small change-ups can make a space more seasonal. And since you all know that I'm a certified pillow fanatic, that's just what a pillow switch accomplished. Last week we had one of the warmest days so far, so I thought I might need to put away the furry leopard print pillows and the animal print PB throw. Instantly lighter and more "summery".

We made it, and a look at "French Linen"

We survived the move, and actually things went pretty well. That's because we've been "moving" in stages. We've had the furniture from the storage units delivered first, and then we moved some boxes from the storage unit and lease house, then Friday came the furniture from the lease house. So it's been much easier and more organized than any thing we've attempted before. The house was painted, cleaned, and ready to go, so that's part of what made it easy. Plus, we were mentally and emotionally ready; we've been working on this house since the end of August.

If you read my previous post about the French-y coffee and end tables, then you know that I was getting ready to paint them a shade that would "blend in" to the walls, rugs, and sofas. The antiqued white that they were before at the old house was just too "white" and imposing. 

I wanted to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint this time, so I tried mixing, Paris Grey, Coco, and Old White, but Paris Grey has a blue undertone and that wasn't working. I needed a gray/green undertone to match the new sofas. So I picked up some French Linen and that was exactly the right color to throw into the mix. I just added a little Coco, and a little Old White. (If you live close by to the Springfield MO area they carry ASCP at The Baglady Boutique on East Republic Road)

(love the details on these tables)

...and after a few coats, this is the color they turned out. Pretty close to my original little oval accent table that worked perfectly.

I invested in a ASCP brush, and I'm so glad I did. The paint went on beautifully and no streaking or brush strokes. I've painted a few other things with a regular brush, and now I wish I'd bought one sooner.

 It really gets down into all the little crevices and crannies.

I used liquid poly on these. I know the wax is wonderful, but I had just a short amount of time to get these tables finished and my Minwax Liquid Polyurethane top coat has never let me down. I did one coat plain, then a mix of a Fruitwood Stain and Liquid Poly, then another coat of plain. The liquid poly and stain does darken it a little, but the finished pieces turned out exactly the right shade and matched the sofas perfectly...mission accomplished!

Here's a peek at the Living Room in progress. I'm really happy how things are coming together. All the planning and color matching has paid off. 

I've just done a teensy amount of distressing so far, because it sort of made me nauseous to sand on these things, since I'd spent so much time getting these "right".

Now they blend in with the wall color and furniture instead of looking huge and too noticeable. It's a pretty tight fit in here (as it is with the rest of the rooms). The room size seems bigger because of the high ceilings, but in reality, this house isn't all that big. Cozy and efficient, and we love it.

I don't have much unpacked, so nothing is on the tables yet. I'm hoping to NOT clutter things up, but keep it more simple. We'll see... I DO have that "more is better" gene. The rugs are "busy", but then they help bring all the furniture and colors together cohesively. I thought about a neutral rug in here, but these won out. These close ups make the rug look extra "busy", but overall, they are just what these rooms needed to ground the seating area and pull it all together.

It's cool and rainy, and looks like November around here. Most of the leaves are down, and we had a killing frost Saturday night. The time change has me a little thrown off, but then the moving had me thrown off too. I have boxes lined up in the garage waiting to be unpacked, but I'm trying to pace myself, and not get crazy. I DO want to get out some of my Thanksgiving Turkeys so that may be next. gobble~gobble.

Thanks everyone, for sticking with me during this last rough year, I'm hoping things have taken a turn for the better. You'll never know how much you've blessed me with your encouragement, prayers, and support. you're the best!

Joining in here:

Coastal Charm

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Cozy Little House

A Stroll Thru Life

Savvy Southern Style
Ella Claire
From My Front Porch to Yours
Shabby Art Boutique
French Country Cottage
Miss Mustard Seed

xoxo,

A little "greige" for the coffee table....

or, how to make the elephant in the room 

not so "noticeable".

This is a project I could see coming a long time ago...

The Living Room at the old house was a little more formal than this one at the new house is turning out. The big difference is that I sold my two massive damask twin sofas to my sister (where they look fabulous), and we purchased the Chesterfield Sofa and Love seat in a gray-griege lineny fabric when we moved to the lease house. I loved my sofas, but I knew that wherever we moved they probably would not fit and that was certainly the case at the smaller lease house.

Antique white French-y coffee table and end table.

AKA Momma and baby Dumbo...

Living Room at the old house with the twin Damask Sofas

Living Room at the lease house with the new Chesterfield set.

The Chesterfield sofas are a little more "masculine" in their lines and appearance, than something French-y. I had to choose wall colors and the rugs based on the color of those sofa fabrics. So now to my predicament. I want to use my antique white French-y coffee table and end tables again, which by the way are massive. We had a huge space to fill at the other house, so it swollowed up any and all furniture that came in there. But the new house Living Room, even though it's larger, still has it's issues with traffic flow and TV viewing. So I want these massive things to "blend in" to the room and seating area; not stand out. They look like small white elephants right now, I'm hoping a coat or two of a gray-taupe ASCP mix will work.

I painted this little accent table (below) when we moved to the lease house, just to have a place to set a lamp. I'm hoping to come close to this color finish on the coffee table and end tables. (more taupe and less green) I'm using Coco and Paris Gray, maybe with a little Old White. I'm not sure of the ratios, but I'm getting started this afternoon. The little table is in Benjamin Moore with a coating of liquid poly on top, but latex paints just don't hold up on a tabletop. I love this kind of project, just not a few days before we move. We're planning on the big move this Friday...Trick or Treaters beware!

(see how this little table just melts into the background)

I'll check back in with you a little later on this project.

Keep a good thought for me, 

I'm hoping Greige is their color!

joining in on these parties:

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Show and Share at Coastal Charm

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

We have the keys...

...to the new house.

 yay!

Now the work starts. 

Amazing how once you get the keys, the rooms become smaller, you see all the spots on the carpet, and the woodwork and trim change color. (Plus, because the yard wasn't watered we now have a sad dead maple tree to take out and replace...insert mad and unhappy face) We're glad we don't have a deadline on moving in as there are several things that need to be done ahead of time. That's one of the things about a move that make it so stressful; trying to move all your own stuff in before things can be cleaned. We always try to leave a house in better condition than when we moved in. I don't want the new owners of my old home badmouthing me because I didn't clean out the fridge, wipe down the cupboards, or sweep the floors. (just a few of the yucky things to clean up)

source

Immediately after signing papers, we started slapping sample paint on the walls, I didn't think any of my first three samples would work because they were too light. Then I went back to the store and bought 2 more samples...too dark. Then I tried mixing samples...still too dark. So the way it looks now the Smokey Taupe from Benjamin Moore will probably be the winner. I had a wide range of grays and the grays with a hint of blue just didn't work at all. The woodwork has a touch of "sand" color, so the Smokey Taupe works, giving contrast but not too much. It also doesn't play up the color of the woodwork, which I wish were more of a true white or off white.

This will be a working weekend for painting. I'll be doing the cutting in, and Hubbs will be rolling. He's not fond of the painting process, but we're going to try to get a little done in the bedrooms/soon to be offices since our handy guy can't start till next week. I'm itching to see the change in the spaces with paint. I have an area rug on order that I'm not sure about...lot's of gray in it, so I want the paint up before it's delivered so I can make a decision.

I'm in love with this rug from Haverty's, but I don't know if it will match all my "stuff". (the leopard print pillows are a must-stay) We'll see... they also have one in brown which may work better.

Here are pics of the new sofa and loveseat at the lease house this Spring.

Gosh, looking at these pics, maybe I just need to stick with the black. The rug I'm using now is too small, and I wanted a lighter look at the new house because of the lighter hardwoods. But here's another Haverty's option...

Now, I'm really confused...

Ok that's it for now, just keeping you posted on all the fun!

Have a great Labor Day Weekend.

I'll be checking in with the progress...

joining in at these parties:

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Treasure Hunt at From My Front Porch to Yours
Home Sweet Home at the Charm of Home

A New Look for the new Living Room

I've been looking forward to sharing this new living room space with you at the new house. I've taken photos several different times in here, but the light hasn't been "right", and to top it off, I left my tripod at the other house. But I decided to just show them anyway. This house is just darker because of the wall color, so photos just aren't as easy.

But I do love how it's come together and that it's cozy and comfortable. When we knew we were leasing this house we decided to buy a new sofa and loveseat. They're not the most expensive, but I really love the new look. I'm sort of fickle with furniture, I get restless for a new look long before they wear out. What I love one year, I'm often over, five years down the road. But I DO, and always have, loved a Chesterfield Sofa. We found these at the Ashley Home Store. The fact that they are classic styling and a neutral color will make it easy to change things up. I wanted a more casual look at this house, with a more masculine vibe. After all, hubby has to hang out here and feel like he can relax.

These shots show the wrinkles that are starting to ease out. They had been wrapped in plastic and sitting in a warehouse for weeks, I'm sure. I couldn't use my other sofas and white furniture here...they are just too big, and the white furniture looked bad with these sofas. The white just looks "dirty"next to these walls.

I couldn't have picked a better color if I'd designed these sofas myself. It's a nice taupe/beige/gray in a looser weave, almost looks like a linen-y burlap. At the showroom it looked lighter with all the bright lights glaring down on it, but when it was delivered it was darker. Fine with me, I prefer the darker colored fabric.

I didn't have a coffee table that was the right color or size, so I painted an old cedar chest that had the most horrendous finish on it. I painted it before I knew what color the sofa and loveseat were, but it turned out a pretty good match. The finish is a coat of Old White ASCP, the taupe from our bedroom walls, and a little wash of some gray paint I snagged in a Valspar paint sample pot at Lowe's. I did a stain glaze and liquid poly on top. It received some "extra" distressing during the move.

I had this gray washed wood tray on my coffee table in the other Living Room, which adds to a rustic look.

My good black rug from the lower level family area works I think, it's a nice contrast, and pulls the black in the lamps and pillows together. Miss Jenkins approves.

The arched window above the loveseat was becoming a cat perch so it needed something to deter "bad cat" behavior. Looks sort of cluttered, but it does the trick. You can see the kitchen through the arched pass through. A little of the Entry is shown here. There's not much to it; I'll share that a little later. (I tweaked my little white dresser)

Gray washed wicker basket with a galvanized tray from Pottery Barn.

We are short on space in here, so I had to improvise with this little accent table from the other Living Room. It had been white, but got the taupe paint on top, like the cedar chest. We bought 2 bronzed lamps from Lamps Plus on a 2-fer special. I liked that they matched the legs on the sofas and the rest of the hardware throughout the house.

Southern exposure almost drowns out hubby's leather recliner.

Here's the Inspiration Board I created on Polyvore right after Christmas. I kept pretty close to the plan, and it worked to help me see how to bring all the different elements together.

I knew before I even found the sofas, that I wanted to use leopard print pillows as accents. I found these at Pottery Barn. They even feel like real fur...meow.

I've always loved Charles Faudree's designs, where he used animal prints often. So I felt I had approval for the leopard print pillows on these sofas.

I think my Restoration Hardware pillows that were downstairs

 work well with the leopard print.

I'm keeping prints, paintings, and wall decor to a minimum, so just a few things are up.  This old print from the '40's matched the color scheme in here.

I had this little wing back traditional chair in our master bedroom. It had been reupholstered with two complimentary fabrics which I love, and just matches the rest of the room. I didn't have room for a table so this little floor lamp with a shelf from WalMart filled the bill. Since we have dinner in here with a tray on our laps it works for juggling a glass. WalMart...who knew... Miss Wrigley is waiting to lounge on the fuzzy blanket on top of the ottoman, which is usually here.

I debated on whether or not to show these last couple of photos. It's just part of renting a house. Like most houses there are things we'd like to change, except with a leased home you usually don't get to make those changes, like you would if you were buying. Case in point, the black marble fireplace which is in the corner has a piece of wallboard at the top, creating a functional place to have a tv or mirror or art. Only problem, someone painted what a 5 year old might consider a faux marble accent. My valiant attempts at convincing the landlord that it would be much better with a coat of the wall color, fell on deaf ears. This will be the one and only time you see it. I stressed about it for days and although we have an idea or two how to make it disappear, for the time being a large painting and some faux ivy will have to do. I'm not sure what looks worse, the yucky faux marble or the yucky faux ivy... The mantel may stay bare, I don't want to draw attention to it.

Maybe if I make the photo real small you won't see how bad it is...

the good news is the gas log part works great and really warms the room.

And another issue is the monster flat screen tv, I really dislike an uncovered tv. Call me picky, but it has never worked for me. The large entertainment center we had planned on using didn't fit, so we were left trying to come up with a quick replacement. At least the monster entertainment center would have camouflaged it somewhat. An old "Partner's Desk" that my husband used downstairs has had to work. Be sure to notice all the wires and cords underneath...such a great look. I guess more yucky faux ivy could be stuffed in there to hide it.

OK, there you have it, the good, the bad, and the extremely ugly. I'm really not complaining, I'm so glad to have this house to get away from all the work that's going on at the big house. They're tearing out kitchen stuff this week, so I wouldn't want to be living there. This place may be small with some quirks, but it's also clean and cozy. This weekend the Dining Room is the deal...packing upteen million dishes. Hope you have a great weekend!

joining in on these parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
The Scoop at Cedarhill Farm
Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Inspiration Gallery at City Farmhouse
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

                                                                

xoxo,

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