Living Room {Before & After}

Our living room has been in a state of change since the day we bought the place.  I originally set it up as a carbon copy from the living room in or old house – mainly because I already had all the fixins to do so.  Well, the space has been changed again.  It all started with a new year’s resolution and step one was "The Drapes That Dreams Are Made Of".  It’s still sunny and frou-frou-ish, but the overall feel to me is a little more grounded and definitely more coastal. 
 
Here's how the room looked on move in day...


 
And here's the after after:





My bridal portrait (dubbed "Mommy's princess picture" by the PCP), taken in Forsyth Park, and a pair of Oysteria plates from one of our NOLA adventures with bestie R hang over the settee.  Mother made the coral pillows to go with “The Drapes” and the bird was a lucky Home Goods find!





The coffee table holds treasured books, including my early edition of Gone With the Wind, more Oysteria plates and a hand turned wood bowl from the oak we lost last year made by family friend Matt Moulthrop.  Antique fishing floats fill the Oysteria bowl.  The cast iron urn was found at Paris Market and I used a few oyster shells from Mother and Daddy-O's haul to fill in the base.









Moving around the room, an antique desk sits between the windows and my beloved oyster mirror has been relocated from the master bedroom.



On the wall adjacent to the dining room, I recovered the large french chair in linen.  The four oyster paintings were a 35th birthday gift from Honey and Sister and the monogrammed throw was a birthday gift from Mother and Daddy-O earlier this year.  The candle sconces were both procured at the Ballard Designs Outlet after a ten-month hunt to find TWO!




 




The side table holds my grandmother’s Bible and our family Bible.  The lacquered boxes were found at Home Goods in Savannah.  The lamp is by Aiden Gray and sits on Wisteria glass risers.

  
The far end of the room is home to a wall of bookshelves.  I literally squealed with delight when our armoire and two bookshelves from our last house fit perfectly between the two existing built-ins.  But over the last few years it started to feel extremely dark.  I hated to paint them (in case I ever wanted them not painted again) so, after much brainstorming and pondering, I wallpapered them with grass cloth!  The sunburst mirror was a remake of a Target find.  I also removed the doors to the armoire and turned it into a little cocktail bar.

  
 



The shelves are home to precious family photos, corals, and my collection of replica Savannah homes.  I flipped my book jackets inside out to be all white.  Yes, it makes it impossible to know what’s on the shelf, but neither Honey or I read the same book twice and most were hand me downs from my Aunt to Mother to moi.



The arm chair is covered in the same linen fabric and has my custom monogram from Number Four Eleven in a tone on tone thread.

 

 
Sources:
Paint - wall color is Benjamin Moore Seaspray and the trim is in Alabaster
Floors - unstained white oak
Drapes - Design Legacy fabric, made by me
Settee - Ethan Allen; Pillows made by Mother
Sconces - TJ Maxx
Rug - Ballard Designs Indoor Outdoor Leopard
Coffee Table and Antique Desk - from local shoppes
Chairs - custom from Calico Corners, recovered in Robert Allen Linen Duck Natural
Side table, armoire and bookshelves – Rich's
Oyster plates – Oysteria
Oyster mirror & glass risers – Wisteria
Hand turned wood bowl - Matt Moulthrop
Monogrammed throw - Number Four Eleven
Lamp – Aiden Gray
Green glass vessel – Target
Candle sconces – Ballard Designs (outlet)
Grass cloth – Asiana


The thing I love most about this space is not that I’m pretty much the only one that uses it (although I do immensely enjoy that), rather that nothing in here is insignificant to me.  From my grandfather’s old movie reel to my grandmother’s Bible and memories of trips with friends and birthdays with family, everything has meaning.
xoxo


Excited for the features at Cedar Hill Ranch and DIY by Design!