Updates to the Living Room

Here are some pictures of a recent update to my living room. This is where I started from back in April 2010.

With the first picture this wall was an accent wall and was painted a rich fudge brown. I started with bright fabric squares and some smaller painted canvases. This was before I had nailed down a color scheme. Well actually I thought I'd go with these bright colors but it never worked. During 2011 I decided to move away from the bright colors and stick with turquoise, green and brown with orange accents. I had rotating artwork on the wall. Nothing ever felt right. A lot of the time it was just blank with nail holes while I waited for inspiration. The orange accents were short lived. I don't even have pictures of this wall with them. The brown started to feel overpowering. All my furniture is brown and it was just too much with the brown accent wall and brown patterned carpeting.

Now the accent wall is turquoise like the rest of the living room. My son helped me paint it when he was home for winter break from college. I framed the Audubon prints I got for free from a friend in thin black frames and hung them in a grid pattern. I changed out the lamp with another one I already had. The vintage lamp with the vintage furniture started to just feel old. I wanted something more colorful and modern. The originally wood and cheap gold metal colored lamp was first painted orange. Now it's a bright blue. The blue might look jarring right now but picks up on the bright blue in the drapes to be hung soon hopefully. The lamp shade was a $7 find at Goodwill still in the wrapper. I like how the black frames and lamp shade work in this part of the room.

I swapped out the chair for the larger one in my bedroom. The scale feels better in the living room. The chair has the fabric I'm going to upholster it in draped over it. Saying I'm going to upholster might be misleading. I'm going to price out having the covers done. I'm not sure my sewing machine will sew the heavy fabric. And I want them to look good! I need to refinish the oak frame and fix one support strap. Stay tuned for that project soon.

Anyway I'm really pleased with how this part of the living room is shaping up. These last updates only cost me around $110 for the 9 frames and new lamp shade. The turquoise paint was left over from the rest of the room. I already owned the lamp. The bright blue paint was a small tube of artist paint I already had. The chair I already owned. I purchased the green fabric years ago on eBay and finally have a project for it.

I've only lived here 4.5 years and I think I've finally got it. I've also finally nailed down a color scheme. (And this time I think I'm going to be able to stick with it!). Remember I started with the bright colors (and was once told it looked too circus like). Then I went to orange accents (even though I really wanted pink/fuchsia). Now I'm at peacock colors: turquoise, bright blue, shades of green, gold, accents of purple and black.

Life would have been much easier if I had an inspiration piece when I started in the condo. I just picked paint colors I liked and tried to decorate from there. It never worked. Pick an inspiration piece and draw from there for a cohesive look. Even though I have no peacocks in my design I can pull inspiration from the colors for a pulled together look.