My living room is in serious need of a face lift. Specifically the east wall which is a wall of fireplace and built-in cabinets.
We don't use this room much and I think it is because I do not enjoy spending time in there. It doesn't feel calm, relaxing and inviting as a living room should. It doesn't reflect my personality at all.
Instead it is outdated, dark and dreary. I am certainly NOT outdated, dark, and dreary.
The cabinets have become a catch-all for things I don't feel like dealing with.
LOOK at those shelves! They are covered with STUFF. I HATE stuff. How did this happen?
You would put your life at risk if you opened one of those doors. I honestly couldn't tell you all that hides behind those doors. There are items in there that I just need to toss because obviously I don't miss them.
I am thinking about painting the bricks of the fireplace and having my handy dandy dad build me a new mantle. As for the cabinets, I'm thinking of removing the entire shelving portion, leaving just the cabinets. I can use the cabinet tops for a select few frames and get rid of all of the other nonsense. I also want to paint the cabinets a brighter color to lighten up that whole wall which will end up brightening up the entire living room.
I want to keep this room neutral with splashes of color. One color being turquoise as it is my FAVORITE color. I plan to fill this room with accessories from CSN Stores. One of my favorite sights on the web. You can buy anything from this place from coffee makers to children's toys, to patio furniture.
Eventually (when the animals die which I hope is soon LOL) we will purchase new furniture for the room. Currently a couch and love seat reside in there that was my furniture my parents bought me when I moved into my first apartment. It's light in color and overstuffed. At the time it was perfect for a single girl living on her own. But years of living with my husband, a dirty dog, a scratchy cat, and two children have taken their toll.
The room has serious potential. It's rather large and has beautiful crown molding. I love the fireplace and would love to use it more, but again, I do not enjoy spending time in that room.
So readers, have any ideas? I have never gone any farther than just painting walls. This will be a learning experience for me. I need all the help I can get.
You can even come and stay with me. I am willing to let you stay in our beautiful, guest/toy room that is muraled in (creepy) Dr. Suess characters. Two handsome two year olds will even feed you breakfast in bed. And I mean FEED you as in stuff the food in your mouths.
Sounds like a good time eh?
I think that your built-ins are fabulous...they just need a little color help. What do you think about painting the fireplace as well as the built in a cream color. You can get some funky wallpaper/contact paper and put on the backs on the where the shelves are. I love the little hanging candle holder/chandelier thing.I honestly don't even think that the mantle is terrible. A good ole paint job should do the trick. I think that room has a ton of potential....even on a budget :-)
ReplyDeleteThere's my 2 cents! lol
I can give you some blog recommendations (that I follow). These girls can transform anything and on a budget :-)
We considered painting one of our fire places too! We didn't do it though... Once I re-did the rest of the room, I lost ambition to keep going, and it turns out, we really like it once we cleaned it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll get ambitious again. If you paint it I'd be curious to see how to turns out!
I'm currently on a big get rid of stuff kick. One laundry basket of stuff donated yesterday from our bedroom & 10 older boxes I'd packed up of stuff to give away! There's something so refreshing about it.
So in other words, I have no suggestions, but plenty to say. You see, I suck at decorating, so I donate stuff and give it away.
Good luck! Keep us posted how it turns out!
I would start with painting those built-ins (which I would love to have in my house!). Like the previous suggestion, I think a light cream color would do wonders to brighten up that end of the room. After that, re-evaluate painting the brick...you might find that you are okay with it once the shelves and mantle don't run together with the brick anymore. As for accessories on the shelves, I'm hopeless. My mantle is totally bare right now because I can't figure out what to put on it!
ReplyDeleteBe sure to post an update when you get started!