2.20.2012

DEALING WITH A DESIGN DILEMMA

When I asked for help last week with a design dilemma, you guys did not disappoint.  
I received many comments with some great ideas.  
I still love the idea of adding a fiddle leaf fig tree here,
but until I brush up on my indoor gardening skills,
I have filled the corner with the table that was in front of the bay window.


Here's a wider angle of the new and improved corner.  


I also made another small change by removing one of the pillows from the backs of the love seats.  
I have a love hate relationship with these love seats.  
I used to love them, now I hate them. 
The arms are too bulky, the floral pattern on the fabric is not my favorite 
and they are quite worn from my children using them as trampolines.
I do not hate them nearly as much after removing one of the giant back pillows. 

They used to look like this. 


And a reminder of how lonely the corner looked before the table moved in. 


Ahhhh, much better, even if it a temporary solution. 


I also addressed this area.


I took down the sheers.  When we originally renovated the house, we did not replace this giant window.  As soon as we moved in, we realized that was a huge mistake.  After making all the other improvements and having everything freshly painted, the giant ugly window stuck out like a sore thumb.  Three weeks after moving in, we replaced it.  I had added the sheers to mask the ugliness of the original window and even after replacing it, I put them back up.  We get a ton of afternoon sun in this room and I was afraid the furniture and rug would fade quickly.  When I realized our windows are made from a Low E glass I realized the streaming sunlight wouldn't be as big of an issue as I had thought.  Down went the sheers and I am kicking my self for not doing this a long time ago.  I love the extra light we get in here now and if the brightness is a problem, I will just pull them shut a bit.   

I also brought back in the dark stained table that was originally there. 
I think I will paint it glossy black or dark charcoal. 

You can see on the left where I am playing around with some trim options. 


I pinned up some trim I had on hand.  The first option is a navy/charcoal trim.


I also happend to have some deep blue velvet ribbon in my stash and I tacked some of that up.  
I am loving this one.  What's your vote?


At dinner tonight, I was intently staring at the windows in the kitchen.  
My husband got scared and immediately inquired about what I was planning. 
You'll have to wait and see......

12 comments:

  1. it is amazing to me what a big difference small changes like that can make! fabulous work!

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  2. Navy velvet for the trim, love it! Great tweaks, especially the loss of one pillow from the "trampoline!"

    Cathy

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  3. Yes yes yes!! Love all of the tweaks - great work Andrea! And I love the removal of the sheers and my vote is for the navy velvet trim too. Yahoo for new looks by rearranging!

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  4. I love it when a space can be totally changed by only changing a few things! Smart move by taking a pillow off of the couch! It makes it look less bulky! I vote for the blue! I love the grey... but you have grey chairs and maybe a grey table... Blue!

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  5. Deep blue velvet gets my vote! I used to be an over user of sheers, but am now enjoying more light without them! Love reading your blog. Wish I had your energy.

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  6. Beautiful living room!!!! It is always amazing how tiny changes can make such a difference! My vote is for the blue velvet.
    ~Des

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  7. I want to change out my sofa too. All I see is dirty. I have slipcovers but it is like wrestling an alligator to get them back on. I need to wash them once a month and the fabric is already starting to peel... anyway. I think everything you have done looks lovely! The velvet trim is perfect.

    xoxo
    Amy R.

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  8. I didn't think of any of those when you asked, but the changes really look great. The round table with accessories really draws attention away from that little bump-out in the wall in that corner. I too vote for the navy velvet trim!

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  9. The lamp and table in the corner really add a nice touch! I like what you did with the love seat, too. I couldn't figure out where the third pillow went until I saw the before picture!! Good thinking!

    XO,
    Jane

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  10. Isn't it amazing what a few small tweaks can do for a room! Love the sheerness windows too - so much lighter now. So funny to see we have such a similar house layout! My living room has two french doors in the back that lead to my small family room! And I think I recognize those fab thrift shop lamps!!
    Kelly

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  11. Looks great! The removal of the sheers make a big difference and I still love the idea of adding the trim to the curtains. Way to get things done!!! :)

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  12. Velvet trim for sure, and the switch ups look perfect :)

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I love reading each and every one of your comments!