Living Room Make-Over {Before & After}

I have been working on gathering pictures to make this post and I am finally done.  We have lived in our home for almost three years now. It did not take us too long to settle in and make it our own.  I've re-arranged the furniture only two or three times since moving in. We started out with a neat table that served as a desk then after rearranging recently we moved that piece out and then ended up with  an unsightly desk-ish area in one corner, We've had couches that have been with us through four moves and had served us well for almost eleven years and a nice entertainment center.  I made the most of it and was very thankful.

But getting new couches caused a chain reaction of sorts.  Our entertainment center is black and our new couches a charcoal gray so I wanted a splash of color.

 I considered red and turquoise, however our bedroom is charcoal gray and red so I wanted something else.  It didn't take long and it hit me-Yellow!!  That was it-bingo!  Not a super bright sunshine yellow, but a burnt yellow.  So the thought process to a living room make-over began. As Adam and I were sitting and relaxing on our anniversary trip I come across a photo of a pallet desk.  I knew right away that it was the space saving desk I have had in my mind but had not found yet. Our neighborhood is still being built out and I knew where some pallets were. (I did ask permission before I took it).  I found someone who could build the desk  and I bought all the supplies. Once it was assembled and BEFORE it was mounted I painted it.

 

 I really enjoy painting and have painted many pieces of furniture in our 17 years of marriage.  I like a bucket of paint and a paint brush.  However, I did start out with a black spray paint due to all the nooks and crannies of a pallet.  I then bought a small can of black paint and painted away.  I wanted the drop down desk area to pop so I taped off a rectangle area to paint yellow.  I left a one inch border between the black and yellow.  I sealed the front and the desk area to withstand a bit of wear and tear.  Once painted, I had it mounted VERY WELL as it a VERY heavy desk.  Make sure it goes in the studs!!!

                                                               Project 1~DONE!!!

Now for our windows.  They have remained curtainless since we moved in.  We have no neighbor to the south so we didn't see any need to cover the windows.  With the lots selling left and right around here it was time.  I originally was going to sew white burlap roman shades.  Too complicated (well, not too much since my mom was going to help me), but a bit more pricey as more supplies would be needed.  Then it hit me-a simple rectangle curtain that rolls up and ties. So off I went to locate the burlap.  What I found was not going to work as  it was too loose of a burlap, so looking through a few more bolts I found the perfect material.  I bought it along with muslin for a lining and some grosgrain ribbon.  I needed two flat tension rods at the top and two flat wood pieces (like yard sticks but longer) for the bottom.  When we went to see my parents a few weeks ago my mom helped me measure and sew up the curtains.  I came home and finished them up and hung them.  Project 2~DONE!!!

When we were with my parents, my mom planned a craft day with the kids and I.  I made three things.  One was a neat canvas, the second was a neat wooden "plaque" with the "H" on it.  Lastly, the kids and I made decoupage letters.  We had such a good time gathering all of our supplies and sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor together-creating!  I will post how-to's on these three projects in another post.  Project 3~DONE!!!

 

The little project that cost me a huge headache was the coffee table.  Now this table is an undetermined number of years old.  At least 50 I think.  It belonged to my grandparents and at some point I got it. 

When the girls were younger their room was a beach theme so I painted it accordingly and we have used it as is since then.  (It was the "desk" for a while in the corner of our living room).

 I was trying to think of a way to paint it that was fun, unique and compliments the entire room.  To carry the style from the desk top area of my new desk I taped off a large rectangle area to paint.  At this point I am obsessed with Chevron. So I am thinking I can do this!! But first, I paint the legs and outside edge of the top with black (same paint I used on the desk).  Then I sand and sand to blur the surfboard a bit and apply a fresh coat of white.  So far, so good.  Now for drawing and taping the Chevron-free hand.  This was a two day process as it was very tedious and I was fulfilling other mom duties and such.  Then it was time to paint my first Chevron stripe and the yellow paint went on great!  I go to peel the tape and do another stripe and the paint peels up.  I was soooo frustrated. At that point I decided to go with the idea my mom had already suggested-argyle.  So I work very hard on getting that beautiful Chevron off!

 I paint the yellow, let it dry, tape off the diamond shapes, paint the black, peel off the tape and decide that is good, I really like it and decide to stop while I'm ahead, right after I seal it!!!  That project alone took a week!  Project 4~DONE!!! 

The last couple of things I did was emptied out the entire entertainment center, dusted every square inch and then rearranged. Then I just tied it all together with various items I already had on hand. The little black lamp on the desk  I found about a year ago at a discount store here in town and I tied it with ribbon I already had.  I found the little chalkboard buried with my photography props.   I made the little paper banner out of pages from an old book and scrap book paper.  The cute picture with the flowers-my sweet Brooklin made for me.  Adam bought me the vintage camera (it's really a pencil sharpener).  The pencil holder is simply a tin can with twine wrapped around it and a little paper flower hot glued on. And the cute white flower bowl-I bought at our local thrift store for $1. 

I bought the LOVE piece at Christmas at another discount store. I had a black clock up above the TV but switched it out with the ornate white clock that had been in my room. And one last little treasure was purchased by my mother-in-law and Brooklin on a recent trip to Austin-the small yellow chair.  Now the newly redecorated living room is D-O-N-E!!!!

From start to finish it only took three weeks, and that is with a week of vacation in the middle.  The cost was very minimal for every thing I did and if I could have made the desk myself it would have been even less.   I am thrilled with the pop of yellow and love lowering and raising my curtains each day.  I felt at home before but it just feels so homey now.  If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment. 

Thanks for visiting,
Tiffany