My Living Room — The Before, The Progress, and The Plan

Last Updated on December 24, 2015 by Kristi Linauer

Well, I decided to post one last thing before I take off for the week.  (I just can’t stay away!)  😀

I was just looking at the “before” picture of my living room that I took when we closed on the house, and comparing it to how it looks today, and wanted to share my overall progress with you.

First off, here’s how the living room looked when we purchased the house…

And although I still have quite a ways to go on this room, I’ve made quite a bit of progress! Here’s how it looks now…

This room is still very much a work in progress, but…

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• Ripped out the green carpet and refinished the hardwood floors,
• Painted the walls in Behr’s Sweet Georgia Brown (top) and Polar Bear (bottom),
• Added some trim to the walls,
• Made relaxed Roman shades for the two small windows,
• Made a metallic lotus flower mirror,
• Added two floor lamps from Target,
• Added two chairs, and end table, and a rug from Overstock.com,
• Painted the end table gold,
• Installed a new light from Home Depot, and
• Made a diamond tufted coffee table ottoman.

You can get a quick view of the “before” and “progress” pictures by moving your mouse pointer on and off of the picture below (or tapping on and off on your mobile device).

So what’s left in Phase 1? Plenty!

1. Sew the draperies for the big window.  (What you see in the picture above is still just a cut length of fabric pinned to the drapery rod.)  🙂
2. Sew new sheers to replace the existing cheap sheers.
3. Cover the shades on the floor lamps with new fabric.  A green geometric print perhaps?
4. Add pillows to the chairs.
5. Assemble and paint the other end table
6. Accessorize the credenza, end tables, and ottoman.
7. Raise the lotus mirror a bit…after accessorizing the credenza.
8. Reupholster the sofa.
9. Refinish the credenza.

Why decorate in phases?

There are certain things that I definitely want to do in this room that can’t be done until we level the foundation.  All of those projects include things that are part of, or are attached to, the actual structure of the house.  If I were to do them now, before leveling the foundation, they’d have to be repaired after the house is leveled.  So for now, I’ll just concentrate on the furniture and accents that will all be part of the final room design.

What’s in Phase 2?

After we get the foundation level, I’ll be able to work on the final phase of this room and get it just like I want it.  That will include:

1. Removing the polystyrene ceiling tiles and the 1″ x 4″ pieces of lumber that they’re attached to, and repairing the ceiling.
2. Adding recessed lights and centering the chandelier in the room.
3. Adding a dividing wall with a very large opening between the entryway/living room and the original dining room.
4. Replacing the one aluminum window with a wood window that matches the rest of the windows in the house.
5. Adding wainscoting to the bottom half of the walls.
6. Adding grasscloth wallpaper to the upper half of the walls.  (Yes, the brown wall color was always meant to be temporary.  I was just having some fun and trying a daring dark color.)  🙂
7. Installing a fireplace where the credenza currently sits.
8. Adding new trim around the windows and doors.
9. Repairing the original wood windows so that they’re completely operational.

Wow.  That makes me tired just typing all of that out.  I definitely need a week off just to gear up for what I have planned next year.  And that’s only one room!  😀

See you next year!