For my birthday this past summer, my wonderful hubby let me pick out a new sofa- anything I liked! While we had never really considered ourselves fans of leather furniture before, the practicality and timelessness of leather finally won us over. So I knew leather was the way to go. I also wanted something that was tailored with clean lines, and a fresh but classic look. Out sofa-shopping one day, my hubby suggested we pop into a locally-owned leather furniture store. There in the back, I saw exactly what I wanted! We chose a dark brown Brompton leather. This type of leather is tanned in Italy and is the same leather that Restoration Hardware uses on much of their furniture. Once the sofa arrived, I loved it even more than I did in the store! And what I love about it is that it will become more beautiful with age.

What do you think? Do you like the upgrade? We are very happy with our new addition to the room! Now I have plans up my sleeve to replace the ottoman… so stay tuned!:)

When my husband and I bought our first home over three years ago, we fell in love with the character of our home! One of the things that sold us on the home was the view of our pool through the French doors.  Our style has evolved many times since we moved in, so the living room is truly a work in progress. All of this room has been decorated on a budget.

When we moved in:

As you can see, the room is very sparse and the rug is too small.
Now, here it is in its current state:


The couch and ottoman were one of our first purchases as a married couple, over 4 years ago.  While the couch has been serviceable, I actually have plans to replace the sofa with something more our style.

The French doors open to the patio and pool, where we spend much time during the  summer. I love being able to look out and see the water. Since this is the only living area in the home, this room gets a lot of use. As you can see, one of our three dogs enjoys lounging in the living area too!

The rug is a faux sisal and is very soft underfoot. I chose it because of its practicality and also wanted a soft surface for when we have little ones. We love being able to prop our feet on the ottoman while we watch movies.

Another feature we love about our home is the fireplace. It is open on all sides, so our front door is actually behind the fireplace.

Our bookshelf holds family pictures and knick-knacks. We house media components on the lower shelves of this bookshelf.
A few details…

 
I hope you enjoyed the tour of our living room. Stay tuned for some big changes to the space!!

Sources:


Couch & ottoman : Rooms to Go
Bookshelf : West Elm
Lamps : HomeGoods
End tables : TJ Maxx
Accessories : Home Goods, Goodwill and various antique stores
Rug : Home Decorators
Curtains : JCPenney
Side chair : Marshalls
Duncan Phyfe antique chairs flanking bookcase : family hand-me-downs

While you’re on Shelli’s blog, be sure to check out her photos of her home. You will thank me.

Stay tuned for major updates to my living room, coming soon…

Then, I stumbled across this photo of Joni’s new living room that she posted this week over at her blog, Cote de Texas. I was immediately inspired by the color of her creamy, mushroom-y walls. Joni used Pratt & Lambert Feathered Gray. Such a perfect shade of gray-ish/taupe!  (click on each picture to make larger)

{images via Cote de Texas}

And, Sherwin Williams is having a sale this weekend! 40% of all paints and stains and 30% off painting supplies. I suppose this is my perfect opportunity to repaint the office and hallway!

Guess I know what I’ll be doing this weekend! Good-bye yellow! Hello gray! Stay tuned as I post before/after photos. :)

I had a blast putting this design board together for this precious family!

{click for larger image}

If you are interested in my e-decorating  services, please contact me and fill out the form. Or if you live locally and need ideas for your house, I would love to help you!

Enjoy!

{click on each image for a larger picture}

I heart these sconces! I’m a sucker for symmetry!

The lucite console in the above photo makes my heart skip a beat. One day, this lovely piece shall find a home in my living room.

The dining room above is designed by Sarah Richardson. The  fabric on the chairs is Waverly Garden Lattice and is one of my favorites. I found at a fabric store about a year and half ago, before I had ever seen it on blogland. I quickly bought several yards of it and been waiting to recover an arm chair in my living room.

A sad ‘before’ photo:

It may not look too bad in the picture, but the “rug” you see is a too-small, stained carpet remnant that made all our furniture appear to be floating in the room.

I found a great deal on a 9×12 rug at Home Decorators, and after reading the reviews, I knew it would be perfect for us. It’s a faux sisal, so it has the wonderful texture of a naturally-woven rug, but it is so soft! I also needed the 9×12 size for the room and loved the neutral color. It arrived last Friday and I could not be happier!

After:

As you can see, the curtains (or lack there-of) are another situation I am currently working on. Its constantly a work in progress, as I’m sure many of you can relate. :)

Excuse the night shot below… I was playing around with different pillows on the couch.

The boys even approve. :)

They loved playing on the new rug while I was rearranging everything.

So what do you all think of my new rug? Have any of you ordered from Home Decorators before?

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at my new rug!

Linking to Just a Girl and Between Naps on the Porch.

{the above picture will always be one of my faves…this was my first introduction to Windsor Smith.}

{Close runner-up… love that pink! So fun, yet sophisticated}

{The designer herself}

Today I’m loving these spaces decorated for Christmas:

{Lonny}

{all other images from Traditional Home}

I won’t give everything away, but here are my favorites:

How beautiful is this calm yet happy living room by Jolene Ballard and Amanda Malson of Domicile ID? This room is so timeless! My favorite is the accents of light coral found in the drapes, pillows and accessories.

You just can’t go wrong with dark hardwood floors and a light sisal rug! Plus that faux-bamboo end table is a beauty!

Lucite tray= love! More coral and yellow accessories.

Go check out RUE to get more doses of beautiful interiors!