We've been busy here on Robin Hood Road, especially in the living room! After the paint job (shout out to all the help from Andrew's parents), we slowly started getting furniture, pillows, curtains and decor to fit the room. There are still a few temporary items, like the octopus lamps and folding tables, but overall, we've very happy with the progress!
First thing when approaching the living room, decor-wise, was deciding the color scheme. Andrew and I have never been particularly good at picking decor in a timely fashion. I'e noticed one of two things happens, either we'll wait until we're about six months from moving out of the space to start decorating or we'll be too picky never decide on buying anything. For example, we had a small decor piece over the couch in our apartment. It took us weeks to pick out every piece and put them all together in a cohesive fashion. I love that we are so particular about every piece of decor, but it does make the process longer and more drawn out. So after buying the house in February but not moving in until April, it gave us time to really work through what we wanted the rooms to look like. Navy, gray and yellow seemed to be the winning color scheme for the living room and so we started planning furniture and decor around that.
We had been watching a lot of HGTV, in particular Fixer Upper, and were leaning towards a modern rustic style. So we looked at a navy McKinley Sofa and loveseat from Raymour and Flanigan and Sanora Gray Area Rug from Wayfair to fit our Navy, gray and yellow color palette. We weren't set on the end tables and coffee tables, but I liked white bottom and the wide plank tops.
Once we got into the house however, we started looking around at all of that living room space and feeling like we needed an accent chair as well. So when we went to Raymour and Flanigan to buy the navy McKinley sofa and loveseat on labor day weekend, we also looked around for an accent chair. Ideally we were looking for something yellow, but we also knew that not a lot of stores sold yellow accent chairs, so we were also taking a look at gray as well. We ended up bringing home the gray and white patterned beauty you see below. It was a floor sample so its no longer available, but here is something similar from Raymour and Flanigan that we also considered.
Once we got into the house however, we started looking around at all of that living room space and feeling like we needed an accent chair as well. So when we went to Raymour and Flanigan to buy the navy McKinley sofa and loveseat on labor day weekend, we also looked around for an accent chair. Ideally we were looking for something yellow, but we also knew that not a lot of stores sold yellow accent chairs, so we were also taking a look at gray as well. We ended up bringing home the gray and white patterned beauty you see below. It was a floor sample so its no longer available, but here is something similar from Raymour and Flanigan that we also considered.
Now with our furniture on its way within a few days, we realized we needed to nix the idea of the Sanora Gray Area Rug. The pattern of the accent chair and the pattern of the rug would clash in my opinion. So I went to the ole Photoshop again and did some mock ups using pictures of the couches and accent chair we had bought. At first sight, I wasn't sure about this Bleecker Grey/Dark Grey Area Rug from Wayfair. I liked the gray and yellow accents but it looked too modern for the vibe we were trying to create. We were up against the clock with a Wayfair sale running out at midnight. We decided to bite the bullet and just pray that it looked okay when it got into the space.
You'll also notice I added a few pillows to the mock up that I found online to really bring the navy, gray and yellow color scheme to life. We didn't end up purchasing any of the pillows online, instead it was a slow and deliberate search for the pillows one color at a time. 😊
You'll also notice I added a few pillows to the mock up that I found online to really bring the navy, gray and yellow color scheme to life. We didn't end up purchasing any of the pillows online, instead it was a slow and deliberate search for the pillows one color at a time. 😊
We were so relieved when the rug and furniture arrived and looked just perfect together! I like how the patterns are different but still don't clash. The pillows, as I mentioned above, were a labor of love. I spent lots of lunch hours running out to places like HomeGoods, Pier 1, and Marshalls looking for just the right shade of yellow and gray. After some trial and error, we ended up the the assortment of pillows you see above. Not only are they different patterns and shades, but they're also different textures which I love. All of the variety makes the room feel fun but not random.
Our next task was to find curtains and curtain rods to fit the room. We decided we wanted a pattern, but nothing too bold. After much deliberation, we bought the Regent Court 2-pack Fret Embroidery Curtains in white from Kohls. They're light and flowy and just add a breath of fresh air to the space.
The curtain rods however were not so simple. At this point, we had decided we would try our hand at building some basic end tables. Andrew found some great plans on Ana-White.com and we wanted the curtain rods to match the tea stain of the end tables. So we bought some rods, dowels, heavy-duty glue, corbels, steel wool, tea and sealer from Home Depot with an awesome "new home owner" coupon we got in the mail when we moved in.
The curtain rods however were not so simple. At this point, we had decided we would try our hand at building some basic end tables. Andrew found some great plans on Ana-White.com and we wanted the curtain rods to match the tea stain of the end tables. So we bought some rods, dowels, heavy-duty glue, corbels, steel wool, tea and sealer from Home Depot with an awesome "new home owner" coupon we got in the mail when we moved in.
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The whole process took place over a few weeks after work partially because the wood needed time to dry and partially because we were working through some late nights in the office. We followed Andrea's instructions to "Weathering Wood with Steel Wool & Vinegar" and were just over the moon with how the color turned out. Drilling holes into the end of the poles and hammering in the dowels proved to much stress for the rods, so we used heavy duty glue to combine multiple rods to the specified lengths. We have a pretty large picture window which would require three rods to be fastened together end to end. We had decided we'd also use three corbels to support the rod - right, center, and left. Three coats of sealer later, we finally had rods and rod holders we were super proud of!
The problem was when we brought the pieces into the living room to screw into the wall, we hated how they looked with the curtains. The rods looked so bulky and dark while the curtain were so light and flowy. They were polar opposites and did not work together at all. As much as it pained us, we scrapped the homemade curtain rods and bought Cambria® Premier Complete Double Drapery Rods in oil rubbed bronze.
The problem was when we brought the pieces into the living room to screw into the wall, we hated how they looked with the curtains. The rods looked so bulky and dark while the curtain were so light and flowy. They were polar opposites and did not work together at all. As much as it pained us, we scrapped the homemade curtain rods and bought Cambria® Premier Complete Double Drapery Rods in oil rubbed bronze.
Everything else just came together piece by piece. The white Accent Table (below, right) we found at The Elephant Trunk Flea Market in CT one weekend. (Excuse the messy wiring!) The mini ladder with pictures is possibly from HomeGoods - I can't quite remember!
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Temporarily, the side tables are Mainstays 5-Piece Tray Table, Walnut from Walmart. We're actually really digging this color and may end up using a walnut stain for the final side tables we build ourselves.
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| Floral Stems from Michaels Craft Store Colorful zigzag coaster (handmade) and Wild Honey Nectar Candle gifted by Holly |
Our next challenge is to figure out what to do with the other half of the living room. Its an open concept living room and pretty long from end to end. For now, we've added a rocking chair we found at a yard sale and perhaps in the future we'll reupholster the cushions with more fitting fabric. You'll also see a bunch of kids toys and games courtesy of my mother. We had our niece and nephew up from Buffalo last month and just haven't had the heart to put the toys back into the basement. And honestly, they help fill up the space! The water hyacinth bin is from Marshalls a few years ago and holds all of our cozy blankets.
The Forsythia wreath hanging above the fireplace has been my favorite (and quickest!) project. I started with an Ashland® Wispy Grapevine Wreath and Ashland® Floral Essentials Forsythia branches from Michaels Craft Store. I simply plucked the fake Forsythia flowers off of the branches and hot glued them onto the wreath in no particular pattern. After all of the pieces were bought, the project probably took 30-40 minutes.
On the hearth you'll see a bunch of birthday cards from wonderful friends and family. I saw Andrew's parents keep cards up around the fireplace until the next birthday, Christmas or anniversary and then replace the old with the new. I love this idea because its a constant reminder of all the love and support in our lives and it gives us another reminder to be grateful.
While I still think we have a little way to go with our living room (aka building the end tables, buying better floor lamps and possibly hanging some wall decorations), I feel a lot of pride and joy. I love having people over the house just to see that room. Now if only we can get every room meet this high caliber, it would be easy living!