Living Room Progress!

So to help remind myself of  just how far I've come in the living room, I wanted to share with you all some pictures of how my living room looked before I started it's makeover!  I only started transforming the room about six months ago,so I need to keep telling myself it hasn't been that long!   I really didn't start the transformation until mid-February of this year!  It's only been about six months since I've had my new sofa!  About six months ago, I wrote this little post introducing you all to my new love, Karl!


Now these pictures were not taken to be on the blog,  but they are the only photos I can find of the old living room furniture and layout!  I really did NOT like anything about the furniture, so I never  took any photos of the space!  So ignore all the obvious reasons for taking the photos and just look at the plain old ugliness of the before pictures!

Hehe, this one was taken around Halloween a few years ago,  Josh likes to take my nephew trick-or-treating, so of course I had to make him a costume!  He is some sort of Star Wars something!

Everything looks so plain!!

Clearly I was wrapping presents! Look at all the ribbon!

I call this sofa Country Chic!  Not my tastes at all!

But it was a free hand me down!  So whatcha gonna do!?!

Clearly Josh knew I was taking his picture.....I'm not even sure what I was trying to take a picture of!

This was one of my first attempts to redo the look of the room!

I was tired of that country blue, so I taught myself how to make a fitted slipcover!  It even had a hidden zipper in the back so it had a nice tight fit!  It came out pretty well too, but it's still was not my taste!  Still too country!

While not the best photo ( clearly I was working on something else)  you can see how the love seat looks semi-finished!  If you can over look the boxes and pillows that are piled on top!  Oh and the half- finished sunburst mirror in my hand!

So really the first transformation of many for this room was the introduction of Karl the Sofa to the room!

Let me just say it has been a bit of a love affair ever since!

When Karl came to live with us, we also added two of these Ikea bookcases to the room, to me they are a perfect bookcase; with there very generous depth and crisp modern lines!

Oh Karl!  You are so lovely to sit on!

Do you see this little sheep skin rug?!?  That was a Christmas present from Josh, and it's a perfectly lovely addition to the room!  

This little nail head trimmed ottoman also came home with us when Karl did!  He was a fabulous deal at a Homegoods near our Ikea!

So that was the first MAJOR transformation to the room!  Next I decided I needed to work  on bringing a little art and color into the room!

So I added My Gallery Wall!

All of which was my artwork, the paintings were all done this year, while all the black and white photographs were taken several years ago and developed in a dark room!  Very old school, not many people have ever used all that photography equipment!

After adding Karl to the room I was on the hunt for some extra seating.   I knew I didn't have room for anything too large, AND really I had been dying to get my hands on some faux bamboo chairs!  So when I found a set on craigslist, in MY price range I just knew they would be a perfect addition to the room!

But first they needed a bit of a makeover, you can read all about that here!

I've got one more little addition to their makeover that has yet to be finished!!  

It involves this gorgeous fabric by Dwell!

The next part of the the living room evolution kinda happened because I found some lamps on super clearance at Target and I needed a place to put them!

So I DIY'ed my own sofa table!

Yup! from lumber to furniture I made this little baby!

It's fits beautifully behind the sofa, and has since received a little crisp white paint, you may remember reading about the little accident I had with caulking gun.....well have no fear all turned out well!  I was just to exhausted from that experience that I have yet to add the creative little finishing touches to the piece!  I promise I'm working that all out right now, and will have this little beauty completely completed soon!

Now those little lamps I found for such a fabulous price at Target had a home and really look quite glamorous behind the sofa!  Well after a little DIY gold leaf application!

Hmm, I just realized I never did show you all how BOTH of these gorgeous lamps look on the sofa table!!

Bad blogger!   I will take pictures of that tonight!

Next I did a little furniture rearranging in the living and turned our media center from this.....

to this......

So there you have it!  Those are the changes I've made to the living room in the last six months.  I love how it's all coming together and can't wait till I finish a few more things!  I think the space actually motivates me to be more creative.  Something about the space before was kinda depressing and a little un-motivating!

Does that make sense?!  Or am I the only one that gets motivated to be creative ONLY if the space around them is!?   I can't believe I lived with that drab little sofa for a few years, but I'm working on paying off all those student loans....so whatcha gonna do!

So there you have it, I'm a real person on a REAL decorating budget....which is almost non-existent...so it's just going to take some time to get it all to come together!

Savvy Southern Style