Living Room Makeover...

Before:
Haphazardly thrown together furnishings. Ill-fitting to the space. An awkward, bare corner that housed the CD player/ radio. Let's not forget to notice the ugly air conditioning unit! Oh, and please excuse the clutter, I promise it disappears on the afters...lol!


The problems:
We need all the seating we can get. We have to keep the ugly loveseat with the beige slipcover (we do have two boys after all). The chaise lounge is so underused and sadly neglected in that lonely corner. Plus, in the wintertime, it would be too close to the woodstove for comfort. One major eyesore...the baseboard heating that we never use but still need to keep until we get an alternative installed (that will probably be in about 20 years...lol!). The baseboard heaters run the length of the window and the long wall that joins the living room with the kitchen.





The sofa just piled up against the hard-to-fill long wall that joins the living room with the kitchen/dining room...





Oh and the opposite wall of the fireplace is the TV cabinet. Which, I loved the photos, but the space was still awkward.


All it took was a little creativity and willingness to think about the furniture arrangement with a fresh perspective. A little bit of shifting the sofa, loveseat and chaise lounge. Bring the bookcase from the hallway to fill the awkward corner. Think about a different place to put the photos.


After: And voila! The solution:

A lovely window seat that invites you to sit and read awhile in the soft light streaming from the window.

A color-coordinated bookcase complements the chaise lounge. We managed to hide the very-necessary but very-unaesthetically-pleasing
air conditioning. And it was my husband's idea to place the candelabra on top of the bookcase to finish it off.

Now the long wall has a gallery feel to it...and it includes my favorite objets d' art...my kids! :)





We flipped the long sofa to parallel the window. And the well-loved loveseat (with oh-so-handy washable slipcover) backs up to the couch. When you are cooking in the kitchen someone can comfortably sit and chat with you!

However, my favorite part about this arrangement of the loveseat, is that I don't have to see it when I first come in the front door! It disappears behind the much nicer looking couch :)









Total cost: $0

We just rearranged and used what we had :) I love makeovers that don't cost anything...lol! And I LOVE my new living room. The kids do too. When Miss Precious woke up and I took her into the living room, she just stared and looked all around. When the boys woke up, they were so enthusiastic about the change. Everyone is happy, including my dear hubby who helped me with it all!

Before, our living room didn't reflect our personal style at ALL. Now, we have subtle sophistication while still being child-friendly. My boys still have room to run around and spread out their toy cars and blocks. Miss Precious has plenty of room to roam. And I have a lovely spot to lounge and read a good book. Our living room now works for us! :)