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You are here: Home / Interiors / Living Room Refresh!

12/03/2017 by Jessica

Living Room Refresh!

Cozy is the word I’d use to describe our living room …

But the farmer’s porch that runs along the front of the house overshadows the only windows so I wanted brighten up the room and make a change from the navy.

I’ve loved the farmhouse look for a few years but know that even when layered with texture, too much white can start to make me feel anxious.

Plus, we have a lot of dirt and debris coming in and out between both of our businesses and the animals.

So without trying to be something we aren’t I decided to stick with shades of blue and varied wood tones!

Layout
  • There is the window wall I just mentioned
  • The large wood -burning stone fireplace at the very end
  • And 2 of the other walls have large doorways leading to the dining/kitchen area or the entry/bedroom hallway.

This room is the place we spend most of our time when home.

Focal Point

The fireplace is at the end of the living room- straight across from the entryway- & has the TV over top… so naturally this is the focal point of our living area.

Shortly after buying the house the Mr. knocked out the builtins that flanked the fireplace and half of the stone fireplace so he could mount the TV over the mantel.

I’ll never understand why this seems to be every mans first choice for the TV placement?! He doesn’t seem to care about my desire to decorate the mantel…;P

After he nocked out the stone the wall needed drywall replacement so its the only one with smooth texture.

Yep,three out of the four remaining walls have the awesome popular knock-down texture from 1790s ranch house.

Previous Updates

A few years ago I whitewashed the stone fireplace in an attempt to lighten the room and remove the black ghosting that plagues the wood-burning stone fireplaces. 

Here is an identical living room fireplace I whitewashed the same way. It covers up the smoke stains and lightens the whole room.

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I added slipcovers to our sofa a few years ago, some of the lounge chairs have been covered in bleached drop cloths, linen, or whatever else seemed to look good. I use the twisty pins to shape the dropcloth and hold it in place. This makes it easy to remove for washing and I can just replace it with another one without worrying about custom fitting slipcovers.

Layered blankets, pillows, and throws cover our sofa and armchairs in varied natural shades in all natural materials.

Cotton and linen are my favorite materials to use for home decor that will be living on. It’s breathable, soft, absorbs moisture, and washes easily.

Chair Hack

I scored a pair of english rolled armchairs for a STEAL at an estate sale. They’re custom made and although they’re comfortable and we love spending time in them the print wasn’t really my style.

I looked into getting them recovered but it just didn’t make sense to do that before remodelling and knowing what our colors and upholstery would be, so I came up with an alternative plan…

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One day I was looking at the Ballard Designs ‘Rebecca Chair’ slipcovers and realized it would fit almost perfectly!

I pinned up the chairs skirt before putting the new covers on so it doesn’t peak out from below.

So now the chairs match the rest of our slipcovered furniture and so far these covers have been amazing. I just purchased another set in the natural color for fall/winter!

Paint Color

After narrowing it down to 4 choices I painted them on the walls to see which stood out.

The winner was Sherwin Williams “Argos”  (light gray with slight green undertones)

This room faces north-west so we get the cool blue light from the north during the day and the warm sunset from the west in the evening.

Without enough green to cancel out the blue tones completely the room has a slight Swedish blue tint during the day.

I love it!

Instead of using the regular stain or eggshell I chose to use SW Duration in matte to hide the noticeable texture on our walls.

Future Plans

The coffee sack floor pillows I made a few years ago for ‘clamping’ are still some of my favorite projects.

I’ve been meaning to go back and get some more sack to make a solid ottoman cover to support feet.

Now seems like the best time to do that!

The fireplace feels like it needs some chests to flank the hearth.

I’d love to put arched window mirrors over them to bounce the light around and make the room feel even larger!

I’ve been looking at a few options on Wayfair but each side has slightly different widths and I want to fill the spaces completely so I may just build some custom farmhouse style shelves.


Thanks for stopping by! If your looking for some great farmhouse style decor don’t forget to checkout my favorite Amazon decor options here!

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About Jessica

I'm a design obsessed decorative painter, color consultant, and furniture restorer & painter. This is my little corner to share knowledge, inspiration, and get your thoughts. So grab a cup of joe, sit back, and be sure to say hello!

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