The State of the Living Room

The State of Our Living Room by Just a Girl and Her Blog

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! I hope you have fun plans to spend the day with those you love! Hubby and I had our Valentine’s date last night, which was fabulous! Today, though, I’m talking about something I don’t particularly love…at least not yet: our living room.

Oh, our living room. Where do I even start? I mentioned in my Goals for 2014 post that it was getting a makeover. I kind of feel like this room has been getting a makeover since we bought our house in 2009. Considering the way it was when we first looked at the house, it really had nowhere to go but up:

The State of Our Living Room by Just a Girl and Her Blog

This is what we saw when we first toured the house– can you believe we still bought it?! 😀 Pink walls, a very, very “faux” mantel, and icky stained carpeting. Lovely. Even though most every room (including some of the ceilings) was painted pink, the house had great bones and was in a perfect location for us, so we went for it. When we moved in, we painted, removed the faux mantel, added our own “stuff,” and it began to feel like home.

The State of Our Living Room by Just a Girl and Her Blog

{circa 2009}

Eventually we ripped out the yucky carpet and put in IKEA flooring. We replaced the baseboards (and painted them a few years later 😉 ) and added a too-small rug. We relocated the shelves and added a small gallery wall.

The State of Our Living Room by Just a Girl and Her Blog

Notice the couch is cut out of the picture. I was always trying to hide the couch. Most of the time it had a cover over it, but when it didn’t, it looked like this:

The State of Our Living Room by Just a Girl and Her Blog

Somebody at our church was trying to get rid of this beauty right before we got married (I have no idea why… 😉 ) and being fresh out of college without even one piece of furniture to our names, we scooped it up, threw a cover over it, and called it a day.

Seven years later, it was sagging in the middle, the cover was all stretched out, and during an overflowing toilet incident in the bathroom right above it, it became soaked with toilet water. That’s when my frugal self finally gave in and decided it was time to put up the money for a new couch. {You caught a peek of it if you checked out our Christmas Home Tour.)

Our TV was another story. We got rid of our old box set because Connor accidentally knocked it off the stand and broke it, and since we didn’t want another TV tragedy, we decided to mount the new one on the wall. While this was wonderful for keeping it out of the Cs’ reach {at least until they figured out that they could climb…}, it also left us with a much too short TV stand.

The State of Our Living Room by Just a Girl and Her Blog

Also notice the overabundance of fingerprints on the TV screen. Clearly this wasn’t a completely kid-proof solution.

So while our little room has come a long way from when we first moved in, it still has a long way to go, and I could not be more excited to get there! To give you an idea of where we’re headed, I put together a little mood board with some of my thoughts and ideas, which are all subject to change, of course, because I have the classic problem of never being able to make up my mind about anything. 😀

The State of Our Living Room by Just a Girl and Her Blog

{curtains | chair- Target | rug | couch | pillows | paint | chair | coffee table | frame}

So here’s the plan. I found a beautiful dresser on Craigslist that was in desperate need of some TLC. It just happened to be the perfect dimensions to fit under our TV, so once it gets a makeover, it should be a great solution to our fingerprints-on-the-TV-screen problem.

We’re adding a new rug and chair, and I’m hoping to reupholster our brown wingback chair as well. It used to be my great grandfather’s, and I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it! I want to switch up the gallery wall a little bit and add color with some fun pillows, art, and other accessories.

We’re also planning to paint the walls. I loved the tan/greige color when we painted it five years ago, but since we live in a townhouse and only have natural light coming from two sides, it’s feeling dark and cave-ish in here, and I’m looking forward to brightening it up!

Unlike the Cs’ room, which we totally made over from start to finish in less than a month, I’m planning to take more time with this one to make sure we end up with a room we really love. {And also so I can sleep. I love the boys’ room, but I didn’t get much sleep when we were working hard to get it done! 😀 }

I can’t wait to see how the finished product turns out, and I plan to share lots of DIY projects along the way, so stay tuned! Have a wonderful weekend!

What tips to you have for decorating the living room? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

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15 Comments

  1. Kim {Pinspired Home} says:

    Your plan looks great, Abby!
    I totally hear you with the too-small rug problem. We’re using a rug that was in the dining room at the last house, and now Hubby and I can’t agree on a new rug. I’d love to add a pattern, but he wants something more neutral. I like the idea of an indoor-outdoor rug because it’s a very high-traffic area and he wants no part of that. We’re going to a carpet store this weekend to see if we can land on a compromise. Wish us luck! 😉
    And oh, the couch! We have an old couch in our family room with a similar brown slipcover. I’m SO ready to get rid of it, but with all of the updates we’re trying to do in the family room, it’ll have to wait. 🙂
    I can’t wait to see your progress with this!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I hear you! If budget wasn’t part of the picture, we’d be planning major, major changes around here, lol! I hope rug shopping goes well. It’s always hard when you have different visions for the space– crossing my fingers that the perfect choice jumps out at you! Have a wonderful week, Kim!

      ~Abby =)

  2. Selene Galindo says:

    I’m so excited to see where you take this space! The inspirational board looks great!

    We’ve been re doing our living room for at least 3 years! But it’s so fun and worth it!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Selene! I’m looking forward to putting everything together!

      ~Abby =)

  3. Can’t wait to see how this develops! The living room is the room I’m least happy with in my home. Your idea board inspired me to at least put some favorites together as a start. Thanks for the inspiration!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you, Diane! It is fun dreaming and scheming, right?! Have fun planning! Hope you have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  4. Krista @ the happy housie says:

    Great plan Abby! I love that IKEA couch and since I have already seen your amazing dresser transformation I bet the whole thing is going to be fabulous when you are finished. Looks like you have great neutral pieces picked out and then I love the pattern and color in the cushions and accent chair. Fun!! Can’t wait to see it:)

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, friend! It’s always fun to do the planning– we’ll see how it actually comes together, lol! Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

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  6. I love the new colours you’re going with. I’m a big fan of grey, when used correctly, of course. I’m SUPER impressed that you took pictures of everything when you first moved in! Who’d have thunk that you’d be able to use them for a future blog endeavour! haha
    Can’t wait to see the finished product! Best of luck!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I know! We took pictures of everything on inspection day when the previous owners’ stuff was still in the house. Let’s just say our style is extremely different from hers, so it will make for some great befores and afters! 😀

      ~Abby =)

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  8. I just recently found your blog via pinterest when searching for new pillow cover inspiration. I’m loving your inspiration board. I realize this is an old post, but I’m curious about the chevron rug. Is yours the exact rug that you provided a link for in this post? Is it the blue? I’ve had a different chevron rug in my cart on RugsUSA for a while and haven’t yet pulled the trigger. I’m mostly curious about your thoughts on the rug’s quality. I’m hesitant to buys a synthetic rug…I typically buy wool. Is it soft, has it held up well, etc.? I look forward to browsing the rest of your blog! I would appreciate any further info. Thanks!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Hi, Karen! Yes, it is the rug I linked to. The light blue is similar to what is shown online, but the white is more off-white in person I would say. I am pleased with how it has held up over the years, especially with two crazy little boys running around! It’s more flat than plush, but the texture is nice, and it has worked well for us. Hope you’re having a great week!

      ~Abby =)

      1. Thanks, Abby! I appreciate it!

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