Archives for July 2007

Okay. Before you look at these pictures, you need to keep a couple of things in mind.

1) The before and after aren’t going to look all that different.

and

2) The before and after aren’t going to look all that different.

Honestly, I felt like a bit of a goofball when I was uploading these pictures, because they essentially amount to LOOK, Y’ALL! I SWITCHED LAMPS!

AND CLEANED!

But since the ($10!) desk and the two ($3.88 each!) end tables need a little refurbishing, they’re not in these pictures (and wouldn’t be even if they were finished – because I’m going to use them in other parts of the house).

So what this post basically amounts to is that I tidied up my living room – which certainly needed to be done – and I worked in some of my thrift store/estate sale accessories. I do think that the thrift store lamps make a big difference, mainly because we have big furniture, and the scale of the old, big lamps works better than the lamps I was using before.

I’m afraid that the “before” pictures may be enough to keep Mama out of church for three Sundays straight, because how will she ever explain to her friends why her daughter’s coffee table was in such disarray? And that there were pictures of the cluttered coffee table ON THE INTERNET?

It’s a good thing I didn’t take pictures of all the old, dusty candy I found underneath one of the couches. Because I’m afraid that would’ve sent Mama straight to the emergency room.

One woman can only bear so much shame.

(sidenote: I’m very nervous about this whole thing, to the point that I would like to distract you from the underwhelming spectacle you’re about to see. As a result, I am fighting a seemingly irrepressible desire to tap dance. In a sparkly costume. While twirling fire batons. Because that would most certainly make you forget about all of this before and after business.)

Oh, never mind.

Here’s what I was up against when I started this process.

This is kind of an overview of the room – and I know it’s hard to see what’s going on because the sun was bright and I couldn’t get the camera settings changed and I AM NOT ANNIE LEIBOVITZ, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

But if you look really carefully, you’ll see two smallish lamps over to the left-hand side of the picture. They look ridiculous given the size of the room, but they’re what I had when we moved in, and I’m a make-do kind of girl.

Here’s D.’s chair and one of the areas I was hoping to re-vamp with my thrift store finds.

I had resorted to using a plant stand as an end table, and the light from the lamp was at horrible angle. The phrase “uncomfortable glare” comes to mind.

And don’t ask me why I have the throw on the ottoman pulled up halfway. Because I have no idea. I can only assume that at some point I had to retrieve a ball or search for a remote or rescue a small action figure.

The next area I wanted to work on was our coffee table, which was what one might refer to as a hot mess.

And I’m sure you’ll agree that there are few things in life as klassy as a large wooden bowl filled with six or forty-two remotes.

Finally, I felt like the end table next to the beige sofa needed something bigger to anchor it. The lamp was too small, and all the accessories were even smaller.

So those were the problem areas.

I contemplated trying to rearrange the room for about four seconds, but I become a woman obsessed when I start moving furniture. I wanted to actually finish whatever projects I started yesterday – as opposed to piling all the furniture in the center of the living room and then collapsing in a corner, wailing about how NOTHING IS DONE! NOTHING IS DONE! EVERYTHING IS A WRECK! while D. looked on in horror.

Anyway.

Here’s the finished product.

I mean, if nothing else, neat helps. You know?

Perhaps I have learned a valuable lesson.

And this is the first “target area” – by D.’s chair.

The round table is from the estate sale, and the lamp (only $9.88! with shade!) and piece of green glass came from the thrift store. I really do love how the table fills up that spot, and the lamp is a great punch of color against the wall of windows.

Even better:

A drawer for the remotes!

Isn’t that the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?

Next, I tackled the coffee table.

I got the brass planter from the estate sale and the green candy jar from the thrift store. Everything else was mine – just re-purposed a bit.

And then the other end table, previously known as Where The Small Things Are:

The oh-so-60’s lamp came from the thrift store (another $9.88 find), and the Partridge Family metal tree (that’s actually Hallmark circa 2002) came from the estate sale. I feel like the table can now hold its own next to the big ole beige sofa. And the metal thingy actually has the color of my walls in the leaves, which was an unexpected bonus.

And I have to say: I feel so much better about the whole room now. D. remarked this morning that he really likes it, and trust me when I tell you that is a huge deal – because normally his only decorative observation involves whether or not he has an unobstructed view of the television.

I didn’t spend a lot of money – maybe $60 total – and best of all, I have a room that’s finished, comfortable, and a little bit eclectic. This room is totally “us” – a reflection of our family’s personality – and for the first time since we moved in December, our living room feels like home.

And that, oh internets, is priceless.