Our living room is literally the first thing you see when you come through our front door. And, it's open to our dining room that I shared a couple of weeks ago. I knew I wanted the rooms to have a similar feel, creating one bigger open space. I gave them the same color of paint (Dutch Boy "Flatlands") and used the same IKEA curtain panels, with added trim.
We rarely use this room, to be honest. The most traffic it gets is to and from the armoire, which was too big to get upstairs to the nursery and quickly became our art cabinet.
This room was probably done on a dime more than any other space in our house. Almost every piece was bought from Craiglist.
Here's the rundown:
The artwork was a Craigslist purchase. It was one of the first pieces I bought while the house was being built. I didn't know where it was going, but it was big and a great price. Unsure of the artist, but the seller told me a friend had painted it for him. Wonder what the friend thought of him selling it . . .
The Rowe sofa and loop rug were also bought from Craigslist. I previously used the sofa in our family room and the rug in our playroom. Nothing ever stays in the same place around here.
And, the two accent chairs? You guessed it--Craiglist. This one is in pretty bad need of reupholstery, but until then, it's getting the old folded throw and big, pretty pillow trick:
Most of the pillows are from the Etsy shop, Elegant Touch (who also happens to be one of my wonderful sponsors!). I won the two cream pillows (in Kelly Wearstler fabric) from a blog giveaway. I told you this room was done on a budget :)
The lamps were a consignment shop purchase and are one of my favorite parts of the room.
The end tables are actually nightstands turned sideways. And, the "coffee table" is more like a tea table, but the size works well in the small space. I bought it several years ago at a thrift store and have used it as a nightstand and end table. I've found that if I just buy what I like, I can usually find a place to make it work.
Proof that you can piece a room together, without a set plan and on a small budget. . . If you're in a rut, I would suggest starting with a walk through your own home and looking for pieces that you may be able to use in different ways. You may be surprised. . . and inspired.
