Living Room Progress

We've been moving and shaking (but mostly just spending money) here at the casa, but at least the house looks like it's inhabited by something other than boxes!

The living room isn't quite finished yet, but it's come a long way from this:

Note to self: Turn off the TV before you take a picture!

After moving some things around, we decided to put the couch where the TV was pictured above, with the love seat perpendicular to that.  The two blue throw pillows are from World Market and used to live on my bed.  They're much happier here; they don't get thrown on the floor as much.  The rug is from Target and is NOT sisal, as it would appear, but is chenile, so it's quite comfy.  In fact, Bear's created a little man cave under the coffee table.

We have this awkward little corner where the furniture butts up, so we stuck a lamp (also from Target) in it!  Any suggestions as to anything else we can use to jazz up that space a little?  

As you can see, our old, tiny TV didn't last very long.  Ryan bought that behemoth shortly after we moved in.  The TV console was a Craigslist steal at twenty bucks.  And now you know where my curtains are living!  Ryan HATES them, but I smile like an idiot every time I see them.  And he finally has something to block out the sun during his naps on the couch, so I'll call it a draw.  

I've never bought curtains in a color other than white until I bought some beige silk ones for the dining room (oooh, big risk.  NOT!), and I've definitely NEVER bought patterned curtains before, but I think I'm officially a convert.

Aaand the coffee table!  Some reading material (Ryan added a book of Huble pictures last night) is always available to browse when nothing good is on TV.  And the tray is probably the best investment I've made in this room.  We spend most of our spare time in here, and the coffee table tends to be a catchall, so the tray keeps it neat.  It's also the home of my poor orchid that is refusing to bloom.

I'd replace it with a fake one, but I'd feel bad if I got rid of the real one. :( 

Seriously, who gets sentimental over house plants!?  I need help.

There's still a good way to go until completion in here, including:

Staining the coffee and end tables a darker shade

Hanging a gallery wall above the sofa

Finding a large mirror/statement art for above the couch

New lamps for the end tables

Small bookshelf/desk/something for our empty awkward corner that, you guessed it, a box is living in.

Happy Tuesday folks!

Living Room Inspiration

Despite the fact Ryan and I have no idea where we'll be moving to in the near future, I've got design inspiration on the brain.  We've narrowed our choices down to two houses (even though those plans can change in a second), and I'm already dreaming up furniture layouts.

I posted about the colorful vs. neutral quandary I was having, and some of the owners of those lovely living rooms gave the tip that I should keep the big things neutral and bring in color via accessories.  Well, I've been Pinning like a madwoman, and here are some of the ideas I've slapped together.

As much as I love bright, colorful spaces, I just can't get neutral rooms out of my head.  So here's a sort of not entirely logical progression in lieu of going from entirely neutral to adding that perfect pop of color.

Completely neutral and completely perfect.  I think one of the things I love most about neutral rooms is how much plants shine in them.  This room would border on boring if it weren't for some simple potted plants.  Downside: my cat looooves chewing on house plants.

Again, the perfect shades of white with the same lovely plant action.  What can I say?  I love leaves.

The next two design boards are by the lovely and talented Darlene of Fieldstone Hill Design.  The way she adds subtle colors to an already beautiful neutral background makes my heart pitter patter.  This is more in the direction I want to go in with my own space.

And then there's this living room.  Designed by Jamie Meares of i suwannee, it is probably one of the most prefect rooms I've ever seen.  I especially love the fact that it's a gorgeous room that looks like you could actually live in.  I'm especially diggin' those dark orange velvet chairs.

So, there you have it.  Aside from writing music for my high school group, these living rooms are pretty much the only thing I've been thinking about lately.  And of course, Ryan thinks I'm completely crazy.

P. S.  This pillow is going to come live with me someday.  Hopefully that someday is in the very near future (A.K.A. after I pay rent!)

Hope you all are having a lovely week so far!

Why I Refuse to Buy an E-Reader

As a six year-old child, I had one design goal for my future home.  It looked a little something like this:

Not much has changed over the years.  I'm slowly building a book collection.  The bookshelves won't fill up as quickly as I like because I have one rule that I refuse to waver from: I have to read each book before it finds a home on a shelf.  For me, bookshelves aren't about being "styled."  I don't want my bookshelves to hold vases.  I want them to hold books.  Books that I have read and treasured.  I don't want to buy books because they fit with my decor, or can be used as design filler.  I buy books because, for me, there's nothing better than getting lost in a story.  I've always been this way.  I blame my mother and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Every book in my apartment has been read at least twice.  Some of my favorites have been read upward of a dozen times.  When I see walls and walls of books like this, I see the endless possibility of stories, adventures, and knowledge.  I want to pass a library on to my children someday.

Also, having a ladder is not an option; it's a requirement.

All images via my Pinterest.

My Bedroom: A Bucket List

So before I started this blog, I read somewhere that to be successful, you have to blog every day.  And I totally did for three days.  And then something happened.

That something was Band Camp.

Yes, you heard that right.  I am a total dork.  So much so that now I'm a semi-grownup dork, I'm teaching younger dorks how to be better at their dorkishness.

AKA, I'm getting paid to teach high school kids how to march and play drums at the same time.  Because I do that (play drums).  Being a drummer totally reduces my dork factor, right?  Right?

Anyway, here's a peek into my bedroom.  By no means am I any kind of fancy pants designer, and there are still a lot of projects to be completed, but here we go!  Disclosure: My room is actually filled with lots of wonderful natural light.  I just suck at taking pictures.