I have always been fascinated by the way things look and most importantly, feel in a space. I can remember my sister and I rearranging furniture in our shared room as 8 and 5 year olds. We constantly wanted to “update” the way things looked, felt and functioned. Needless to say, this part of my personality has not changed in 25 years.
This is what you see when you walk in our front door at Hickory:
I have probably changed this room 9 times since we moved in. It has evolved over the last 5 years, and I would still change a few things, but all in all, I think it is warm and welcoming.
The rug is from a friend who needed to unload it before moving to New York City. I think it is one of my favorite things in the room. I don’t get the recent aversion to red/warm. Everyone is looking for grey and I think it sets the mood for a cold home. A good balance of warmth makes a human not want to put on a sweater when they walk in the door. So, I choose a grounding warm vibe and accent with cooler tones.
I saved for like 4 months for this mirror, and asked for gift cards to Pottery Barn for Christmas, and I got it on one of their 20% off sales like a boss. A home with limited light and windows needs mirrors. My best good friend Kaley says I am a narcissist for having mirrors in every room in my home, but I don’t even care. This mirror looks like an old window. It bounces light around the room and is big enough to fill up this “huge” wall.
This picture makes me happy. The book shelf was an original window that led to the porch, which is now our son’s room. Instead of plastering over the opening, the owners before us, chose to make it a decorative detail which is in time with the 1930’s home.
The fire place is not in working order. We use it to store dog toys in a basket that was my husband’s grandmother’s. I know that sounds like a bad sentence, but she was amazing and she would be proud that her basket holds our dog’s toys. The chairs rock and swivel. They were my saving grace with a newborn and where I spent most of my time for 6 months. I love that they can face the TV or company for conversation. I’m typically not a fan of a loud and proud TV like we have here. If I had my way, I would have some beautiful built in or even knock down this wall. However, we watch TV……… a LOT. So, here is is – Loud and proud on top of one of my most treasured pieces. My sister and her husband bought this for us as a wedding present. I adore it. It is traditional and stately, and never something I would buy for myself. I am so appreciative, and will treasure it always.
I would change:
- The sofa I bought on craigslist from an attorney’s office leaving town. It has had better days and I think this would be a much better option:
- The lighting in this room needs help for sure. I will write an entire post on boob lamps and how much I hate them. But until then, this is what I should have had in this room all along:
This living room is where we spend most of our time. I will miss it’s coziness and warm nature. However, I really look forward to a sectional where 1,000 people can sit. Ok, potentially just 5 people, but it will be great! Hopefully these pieces will translate in our new home where I can watch hours of television!