In the living room (again)

{Just a little reminder that if you haven't entered our Autumn giveaway, there's still time! Click here for details.}

Getting it organized:

So I hauled out a lot of the decorations and some of the furniture so you could more easily see the room itself. Because the walls were just painted there were no curtains or wall hangings to move, so this wasn't so hard. I finally decided I'm going to keep the "simply white" I painted the walls. I think it's the right color. :)

Warning: I am showing several pictures, to give you an idea of the room's layout. This is the part of the room you have seen so far, in my fireplace post:

And despite the things removed from the mantel, and all of the work ahead to make this fireplace beautiful, believe me when I say this is the best side of the room.

We will now move on to the even less attractive...

( I am working myself up to revealing the most absolutely horrid side of this room.)

This is the table we have: a great deal snagged a garage sale that I primed and painted.

(disclaimer: I threw a canvas drop cloth on top to get a feel for how this fabric/color would work in the room.)

I have plans for a farmhouse table that will look similar to this one in the picture below (minus the red chairs). However, I am probably going to have to make it. The ones I am seeing are so expensive! I am thinking a "plank boards" look for the top of mine would be good, but I love the legs of this table and the contrast of the white with the wood top!

Now taking a deep breath and summoning all fortitude, I add this picture for you to see:


(I'm wincing a little.)

This is the room, as if you are coming in from the back hall, fireplace off to the right. The piano has been claimed and will be off on its way to a new home tomorrow! We will be replacing it with an upright, which will not need so much space, and can push up against the wall. Five out of five of us play the piano, so not having one is really not an option! :)




I am hoping to take it from the way it is now to a little like this:

And below, the picture that makes my heart skip a beat...

I first saw this beautiful picture when Jami at Freckled Laundry showed it in a recent post. I gasped when I saw the floors! This is exactly what I want in the kitchen! (Yes, I am eventually covering up the painted vinyl floor!)

But for the living room, I picture this floor...

There is just something about wide plank floors...
(by the way, do you see the cute little "bin" cupboards in this picture? I think it's love.)

And now you are looking at the most unhappy side of the room. (It's kind of a shock to your system after that last picture, huh?) If there is any furniture I dislike in our home, it would be these bookshelves. BUT...I hope to paint these a soft gray color. I say "hope" because I am still trying to convince my husband that this is a good idea. If I cannot convince him~ or until I can!~ I will either put white linen or bead board wallpaper on the back of the bookshelves. But for now, just imagine them painted! ;)

This is our armoire, a little on the big side. But I got it for a steal last spring, and could see the potential. It is definitely going to be painted a beautiful gray!

I like this lamp shade (found at IKEA) but think I will only use one of these lamp shades. Otherwise, the room might look too modern for my taste!

It has taken me years of us owning this home to figure out what my style is. Ultimately, I discovered it while working on our kitchen this past year. I realized I {love} soft, dreamy whites and grays with pops of color, ever so sparingly. I love the way white makes a room seem so open and spacious, which in a small house, is a very good thing! :)

{Before closing, I want to say thank you to Mari Eriksson for kindly lending me her pictures for this post! Her photography is simply amazing! I have so much enjoyed looking at her website, Mari Eriksson Photography! And she has a blog, An angel at my table,
that is beyond beautiful! When you see it, you will know exactly what I mean! It makes me want to see Sweden for myself!}

But for now, I will just be content to bring a little of Sweden here to my home, in the soft whites and grays I have come to love...

Well, I hope you all have a beautiful weekend, and thanks for stopping by for a visit! :)

Blessings~

Jenni