How’s that for a long title! Some of you may remember that I mentioned that I’m going to be working on a home makeover (no major construction just little things) for the rest of year and I wanted to show you all my progress.
I moved my furniture around in the living room to make room for my fireplace that I just re-did. I can’t tell you how many different configurations I tried. It’s a small room and there are only but so many ways to place the furniture without making it feel closed in. That’s the reason I hadn’t moved my furniture around in 6 years – because I couldn’t see it any other way! But I found a way to make it work.
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I moved my fireplace to where the couch used to be.
I’m not done with the fireplace. I just added some marble tiles to make a hearth and I want to mirror the firebox and add some molding all around to make it look built in.
Love it so much!
The hearth – I can do so many things with this area now that it’s deeper.
Somethings I’m not sure about:
- My husband’s leather chair. I think it’s too big. I’ll switch it to the other side of the fpl once I move all that other stuff and see if it works better there. Fortunately he’s not that attached to it so it may go downstairs or I may sell it and replace it with something that fits better.
- The plates on the wall. Those may go. I have sconces I can hang or I can do a combo of art and plates/other plates etc.
- The bookcases – don’t know if they’ll stay where they are or move closer to the fireplace or I might get more and make that a wall of bookcases.
- Mirror – not the mirror I want. But it’s one I had and painted it white. I know what I want but haven’t been able to find it….yet.
What do you think?
Where did the couch go?
It’s over here now. On an angle. I like the china cabinet behind it but that’s all. I still need to figure out what end tables to use. The ottoman is from my tv room. But I’m thinking a round or oval coffee table would be better.
I was thinking about painting my walls white. But after seeing if I liked the new knee-wall white I decided not to. I’m not a white wall kind of person even though I like it when I see it in other people’s homes. Sooooo….I chose a new lighter clearer yellow called “moonlight” by Benjamin Moore and I’m going to repaint all my walls which are now “squished squash” (also from BM).
Which will probably take me months! Want to come over and help me paint? 🙂
So that’s what I’ve done so far. I’ll keep tweaking it till I get it to where I love it all. Next week I hope to show you some changes in my foyer. Told ya I wouldn’t stick to just one area at a time!
It looks great so far! I love the hearth you created. I love the idea of more bookshelves too.
I love the idea of more bookshelves as well. It gives plenty of storage in a small space, but of course I am only all for it if some things are going cause it seems like you’re currently having issues with fittings things. I am curious–is there enough space in the living room to have the sofa facing the fireplace? I’m also curious if you’ve tried taking out all the stuff you don’t want in the room. It can give you a better feel for the space and to envision what you do want? Anywho I talk too much! I’ve actually been reading your blog FOR A LONG TIME now, but I’ve never commented until now 🙂 Hi I’m Sandy 🙂
Hi Sandy!
Yes I tried the sofa facing the fireplace and on either side and it just doesn’t work. Maybe if I had smaller chairs but my husband is 6’2′. So he’s never going to be comfortable in a small chair. I think one that doesn’t have rolled arms would take up less visual space.
No I haven’t tried taking out everything out yet. Mainly because the iron table with plants on it is going in my screened porch but I have to wait for overnite temps to be a little higher before I can put houseplants outside. So it’s gotta stay where it is for the time being.
I don’t expect to have a perfect room right away. It’s a process that evolves. As we live with this arrangement we may decided to do something else. I may get rid of other things in that room and bring in new (to me) furniture to take it’s place.
That’s the fun! If it was all done in one weekend it wouldn’t be as much fun – at least not to me!
Manuela
Oh I didn’t mean take out take out…as in give away. I just meant sometimes it helps to start completely fresh and take everything out of the room only to put it back in. It just sometimes helps see things in a new light. I also said it because it seems like you are thinking of changing some things meaning getting rid of some things and replacing it with something else. It sometimes helps to put away the thing you’re thinking of getting rid of and living without it for a week or so and seeing how it feels. If it is something you really do want to get rid of or not. Anywho, those are things that have helped me make decisions when I’m thinking of doing something.
Also I completely understand the process thing. I rearrange and change things up all the time. I don’t think I’d ever want to completely stop working on my home. I especially like to move things around when it’s something that I love, but I no longer appreciate it because it’s been in the same place for a while. I find if I just move it I completely love it all over again. I can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve! I really do think you have a gorgeous home!
Sandy
Good point Sandy!
Manuela
It looks good. I have trouble visualizing my furniture in different spots, too. My 24 yr old who moved to Austin is really good at it — she used to rearrange her room zillions of times when she was young, and always did a good job.
It would help if I could move our fireplace, but since it’s real it’s kind of stuck there 🙂 .
Oh and I love your plant on the mantle! In general I love all the plants I see on your blog! I love how you really embrace all sorts of areas in the household! 🙂
I love what you’ve done to your room…looks great! I have the same problem with my living room and haven’t moved it around as well.
It looks great! I love it! I don’t think the leather chair looks too big there…I think it looks cozy. Maybe you could put the red table at one end of the sofa. I love that red table! lol
Beautiful job!
Lou Cinda
I love it too! My husband thinks it’s gotta go but I’m going to make it work!
Manuela
I love it! Our family is currently yellow and I’ve been thinking about going with a softer yellow. I love yellow, it makes the room so bright and cheery even on the drabbest day. But, I want more French Country and less Spongebob!
Your room looks fantastic! :o) And what a great place for your hearth. :o) I actually love to paint! Too bad we didn’t live closer! I would love to help. :o) I too am doing little house things this year. Mainly painting furniture though. I have only completed one tiny table, and it is already nearing mid February. I better get a move on it! :o)
I love it! Perfect rearranging! I really like your style! Thanks lots for leaving me a sweet note earlier! I’m happy to know about your blog! Following you on blog lovin’! XO, Aimee
It’s looking very nice. I like your husband’s leather chair very much and the size seems fine to me. I also like the lighter yellow, if you want a change, though I very much like what’s already there as well. It is a challenging thing to work with your own room and your own stuff. It’s as if we need to change it a bit just so we can see it with new eyes. I trust your new eyes and not my own so much. Some fine day, my living room will get an overhaul, too. It will start with moving the volkswagons out!
It’s looking great, Manuela! In our old house I was limited to two configurations for the furniture, so I know what you mean. I think in 21 years I moved it twice! From what I can see of the new color, it will look really nice. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest, as well as your next project! : )
Beautiful changes! Love the fireplace, looks like a magazine page with the chair and pillow/throw:) Have a blessed evening dear Manuela, HUGS!
I think it’s beautiful! I love the colors.
I love what you’ve done so far! One can never have enough book shelves. I like how you decorate, Manuela!
Hugs,
Donna
Thank you Donna!
Manuela
You are a busy gal! Moving a room around is like pushing the refresh button in the computer. I like your changes and look forward to seeing more.
It’s looking great! My living room walls are a similar dark yellow and I am just itching to paint them lighter. I’m not usually a white wall person either, but I’m just stumped what else to do.
As for changing the furniture? I do that so often that we never know what is going to be where. It makes Earl laugh every time he comes home and I’ve dragged everything some place new:>)
Niiiiice!!! 🙂 I know it will change many more times. Love the marble hearth….pretty. If we ever get wood floors to replace the carpet, I may do that, but not permanently! If I ever go…the mantle goes!!!!
I miss the wall to wall wood floors in my Cottage on Woodberry!!!!! 🙁 Hugs Manuela…will be watching all the feathr and twig moving in the nest. 🙂 xo
Wow–you haven’t moved it in 6 years!!!!!!!! That has NEVER happened with me. I am always hoping that it will some day! I sometimes think I have gotten things where I will never move them…..but then I do move them. When we downsized to the condo I purchased the things you can put under your furniture so they can slide on the rug—I didn’t need them when I lived at the cottage with the wood floors …BUT I do feel I may have gotten things right in my last moving of the furniture this month (lol). My hubby says, if he doesn’t like something he just has to wait a bit because he knows I will change it anyways. However, I always hope that one day I will have things in a way that will always make me content. I do not know, I like the feeeeeel it gives when you move things because it makes one think they are in a new place! I like your fireplace. It will be so much fun for you to decorate AND you were brave showing us everything before you had quite figured out all the places for things. I do not have a fireplace here (I had two at the cottage)…..so no mantel area to decorate. I think mantels can be fun or tricky! ha! Have fun. I am thrilled that you are not going with white walls. I wish mine had a bit of color….but I am not painting anytime soon…..nope…..no……I got so tired last year painting the kitchen and two of the bathrooms (after paying for wallpaper removal) that I do NOt THINK I will paint again for a long time 😉
I am not a good one to ask about moving furniture. That was on my list to do this week and ended up getting marked off. 😀 Like what you did with the fireplace wall and the lighter yellow for the walls.
My husband is like my cat, he really doesn’t like me to MOVE things. I still do occasionally when I’m very convinced it will look better or fit better or work better. I never tell him ahead of time because he will just pre-stress. I just do it and let it be a surprise. The look on his face mimics the look on my cat’s face when SHE walks in a newly arranged room. He lets me do what I want but it’s always disconcerting to him at first. It’s hilarious.
LOVE the fireplace and the mirror idea. You’re so creative!
Manuela: I love your look – very cozy! I feel for you about making a space work. My family room is large and has a poor layout – I get crazy every now and then and drag everything all over the place. I wait until I’m home alone and my poor dog always hides somewhere until it’s over. Lol. I have a couple of suggestions that may help. I, too, love that little red stool. I wonder if you can tuck it in next to the sofa as a side table. The fold down side table could possibly work for a coffee table. I know you have a lamp on it so you may have to keep it as your end table. Can your mirror be turned to go up and down? If you can do that you could move your plates in to also be over the mantel (I too love plates and have them on my walls plus in stacks under tea cups, lamps, small bird cages, etc.) Like you I wonder how the bookcases would look closer to the mantel (I’m pretty impressed with your project and it looks so nice). I like the chair there and wonder if the floor lamp would work better on the other side of it. Maybe that nice wicker basket of plates could go next to the chair but in front of the floor lamp – then all your items would have a home. I love how you have red here and there. It’s one of my favorite colors and I like to put pops of it here and there. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for your input! I’m going to move the bookcases in and see how that works. There’s space to add to the bookcases but it would have to be narrower bookcases. The plates either need to be moved in or I have some pretty sconces with crystals that I can hang on either side of the mirror.
I’ll try the fold down table as a coffee table. Might work! We’ll try the floor lamp on the other side of the chair. That piece of wicker is a trunk that I used to use a coffee table in front of the couch and is too big to use next to the chair.
Red is my favorite color!
Manuela
This reminds me of the bedroom in a flat I used to live in, it was really nice and I loved it but I couldnt think of any way to lay it out other than how it came pre-designed. One day I just lost it and started pushing things around and I managed a little shake up after all!
Good work!
Your living room is looking truly beautiful, Manuela. I love the chair there, but I can’t see the rest of the room, so if you say it looks too big, then it does.
Have fun moving things around!
Hugs, Cindy
It looks great – can’t wait to see what else you do with the space.
I love what you’ve done with your fireplace and your room. I think bookcases would be a great addition. You just can’t have too much display space! I understand your thoughts about your hubby’s big chair. My sweetheart inherited his father’s big, leather recliner that has a back massager built in. We love it and wonder what we did without it but our living room is small and there’s only one place for that chair. I don’t have many options to rearrange my living room because my fireplace is built in, there are several traffic patterns through the room, I have a piano and then we added a big screen TV. So, I’m coming up with some changes that will finish it off – and I’m thinking I’ll love it when it’s done. I always enjoy how you arrange your things. You inspire me!
~Adrienne~
Your living room reminds me a lot of mine in that it’s small – and I have my sofa on an angle! However, my fireplace can’t be moved. 😉 It’s actually directly across from my sofa on an angled wall. I think sconces would look lovely in place of the plates beside the fireplace. Also, I like your idea of using a round ottoman in front of your sofa. I have two small round leather ottomans in front of mine. They are storage ottomans where the top comes off and you can store things in them. Also, you can turn the leather top over and it’s a fitted tray. I got them at overstock.com and have been nothing short of pleased with them. If you want me to send you a private picture, I can do so. Have fun with your rearranging!
Two ottomans would be great. One for me and one for my husband. I’ll email you so you can send me photos of yours. The gray ottoman that’s there now is a storage ottoman. I always try to look for double duty furniture since This isn’t a huge house with lots of storage. I have a huge yard not a huge house (more interested in gardening than anything else) 🙂
Looks good, Manuela! I like to see a sofa floated in a room. Furniture lined up like soldiers against the wall drives me absolutely nuts! LOL – I always want to re-arrange people’s rooms when I visit. After the holidays, I actually put our sofa against the wall for a change. The configuration seems okay to me right now, but I’m sure it will go back to a floating position in the spring. Unless I get new furniture. *grin*
Painting! Ick…. I got a quote this week for two rooms. Hah! I could spend my $ on way more fun things, so I’ve decided to do it myself. Not looking forward to it. I have to tape because my hand is far from steady when I attempt cutting in. And I’m so impatient. We’ll see how it turns out. That is, IF I get started! LOL
I’m not fond of painting walls. I used to like it but if I had the money I’d pay someone to do it. But like you, there are better and more fun things to spend that money on. What I do is one wall at a time. I take everything off one wall, move that furniture out, paint and then move everything back and re-hang everything. Then I move on to the other wall and do the same thing. It takes me a while but at least the room is usable and not a mess for long since it’s just one wall at a time.
Manuela
Love your style. What about moving both bookcases right up to the mantle? This would give it a built-in look. You could even add a shelf, bridging the two bookcases together, above whatever you hang above the mantle. The way it is now – it looks like the bookcases are frightened of the mantle – trying to get away!! Hey – you could try it!
I like what your doing. Great job. I would suggest a different ottoman, that one is too clean-lined. I think a round cottage style would look good with your couch. Keep at it