Rearranging the living room

This past weekend I finally got around to installing new flooring in the living room. At 12’ x 22’, it was a bit of a task, just ask my muscles.

As I laid the new floor, I thought about how to arrange such an awkward space. I hate walking around things, probably because I’ve always felt like a bull in a china shop, so there had to be a path that would lead from the entry to the back sliding doors.  It meant giving up my rustic bench, but I recently purchased a Thomasville Allegro desk that is just right for behind the sofa.

I have painted one of the knobs gold to see if I like it, and I do.

Of course one thing leads to another and since I found the tv too high when above the mantel, I have to find a spot for it.  Otherwise, I’m really liking this layout.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be rid of the disgusting parquet. Yippee!

I still need to spiff up the place with some accessories, and hang the artwork.  I have a chair for the desk in the makeover stage that will be finished shortly.

High/Low: Pagoda Mirror

One of my favourite features of Style At Home Magazine, is their monthly High/Low column.

As someone that loves a great deal, I test myself to see if I can pick out the which is which. Sadly, even their low items are outside of my comfort zone. Instead, I cruise the resell classifieds.

I get such a thrill when I find something that is a phenomenal deal. Clearly I can’t buy everything that I see, as much as I would like to, especially when I think it is something that I can make a few bucks on.

Here is my version of High/Low, with a Pagoda Mirror, but unlike Style at Home, I am going to list the high and then the low…

HIGH:

1st Dibs (crazy pricing)

CircaWho (better, but still pricey)

Bombay & Co (not exactly the same, but the same look, currently at 50% off – Canadian dollars)

 

LOW:

Mine, found in online classifieds

The real McCoy my friends. Same as the 1st dibs and Circa Who version.  I was so excited when I found it.  It requires some repairs which are underway…stay tuned to see what I do with it.

My latest thrifty finds

Winter is not my favourite time to search and bring home good finds, but sometimes I see something that I can’t pass up. In this instance it’s these two fabulous Bergere chairs that I picked up off of Kijiji for $175. They are in excellent condition but require a good steam cleaning (this week).

The fabric is very traditional but is very pretty. If I don’t tire of the chairs within a year, they will be worth it to have them reupholstered in a more contemporary fabric.  As they are, the embroidery is in great condition.

I also picked up this little gold side table for $50 at a store that I had never been to before but will definitely keep an eye on; Wicker Emporium. Apparently they’ve been around for a while and I’m not sure why I had not heard of them before. Their clearance items are a good price.

Last weekend I found a pair of Lexington side tables. They were in great condition until I tried squeezing both of them in to my hatchback and scratched, no make that gouged the top of one. So now it seems a paint job and mirrored tops are in their future.

I have this week off of work and debated going south for a week, but then decided that I’ll stay home and replace the living room floor. And wouldn’t you know it, my first cold in more  than a year, knocked me out on Friday morning and I’m still feeling awful. Just my luck:) Oh, and I have a root canal scheduled for Tuesday morning. Some days you’re the statue, some days you’re the pigeon.

What I did on my “Snow Day”

We received a foot of snow last night, which meant a snow day for me, yippee!

Back in November I picked up a large ottoman for $40. Once I removed the fabric, I found that It was in pretty rough shape. It needed some reinforcement on the legs, which I did, and then there it sat in my living room.  I had the most difficult time finding a fabric that I wanted to use. 

I was lucky enough to come upon a great deal for almost 28 metres of fabric from a young man that did an internship at Tonic Living. I got all of this for $100! I worked out what it would have cost me retail and it is $679!

 

I am sure all of you Tonic Living fans recognize many of these. Turns out, not one of them were what I wanted for the ottoman; too busy, not the right shade etc. Today when I went to the basement to reset the modem, I happened to look in my sons closet, and there it was…the fabric I wanted.  It’s a duvet cover that he doesn’t like, so I didn’t feel bad about cutting it up to use. It’s perfect, the right shade of grey/blue and textured.

Before

After

It’s perfect! Oh Happy Day! I replaced the foam, added two layers of batting and sewed down the sides of the fabric before stapling it on.

I finally got around to hanging my curtains too. I bought Ikea drapes and rods, but wasn’t too keen on any of their finials. I had a package of mercury glass drawer knobs, which worked perfectly as I wanted something small.

I replaced the light switch and changed all of the electrical outlets. I used a couple of ceramic plates and this little fish plate that I adore, to hang on the wall between the drapes.

They were hung using picture hangers and lots of hot glue, worked like a charm.

I need more snow days.

Bound and determined to get it done…painting finished

I’ve put off painting my living room for almost an entire year!  This week I finally got to it. I painted the ceiling too, and it’s quite a challenge with 16’ ceilings.

Lot’s of patching after doing a gallery wall and changing it up all of the time.

 

The day after I painted the dreadful tan colour, I wanted to change it. With a north facing room, it looked fleshy during the day…yuck!

Here is a before and after of the wall with the faux fireplace.

 

I won the 55” smart tv from work. It will eventually mounted properly, but for now sits on the mantle. The new to me Ikea Stockholm rug also helps to enliven the space.

this is the opposite wall. I tried a different lay out, but it just didn’t work in this awkward room, which is 12’ wide and 22’ long, and the path to the door intersects it in the middle

 

I still have some work to do, add trim to the window, hang curtains,  change all of the sockets and light switches (1 done, 7 to go) and later in the year, change the flooring to match the dining room and kitchen.

I’m happy to have it completed (mostly) before 2015 rolls in.  I really hope it’s a better year for me; after reeling from the sudden death of my sister 3 years ago, my nephew died suddenly this year. Tragic and heartbreaking and very difficult to come to terms with.

Here’s to 2015, may it be the best year for you and yours.

Blue and white and lately

As a single, sole support mum of two, making a little extra money helps me to give my kids things they otherwise would not get.  I didn’t intend to buy and sell furniture, but as I acquired new pieces the old ones had to go somewhere. Over the last two years I have bought lots of palm beach regency and faux bamboo furniture, most of it sold quickly and at a VERY good profit. I’m lucky enough to live in a densely populated city with lots to choose from and lots of buyers.

Recently I bought four of these chairs with a dining table included.

These rattan Brighton Pavilion chairs are showing up everywhere in home decor lately. I flipped the set without doing anything to it and now my daughter will be going on a school trip to Chicago! That’s economics Mum style!

Recently I found a set of two faux bamboo étagère's. I was hoping that I would be able to keep them the natural walnut colour, but they were in awful condition and would have been way more work than I have time for. Instead I opted to spray paint them in high gloss black lacquer. How long they live with me, I don’t know.

It was fun styling them with all of my thrift store treasures.

 

Another thrift store treasure was this blue and white ceramic lamp at $15. The shade was another find, brand new for $3 and a perfect fit.

Large purchases will be a thing of the past as I traded in my old trusty van, for something a little sleeker. There is still enough room for a fair amount, but nothing too big.

source

In February I damaged my right foot (hey, maybe I can make a new movie with that tile, one to rival My Left Foot..ha ha) and have been limping around since. Several trips to the doctors, new orthotics and deep tissue therapy and I’m still hobbling. It has really thrown me off of my reno game and I’ve gained a fair amount of weight, which certainly doesn’t help. Or, maybe it’s that I gave up smoking…hmmmm  Anyway, I'm at the point where I just want to work through the pain and get something done.  Maybe next weekend. 

Hoping your weekend is a good one.

Summer was entirely too fast…

Hello out there! 

I’m going to mark this summer in my memory as the summer that wasn’t. I can count on one hand the number of times I turned on my central air conditioning.
Of course that left me with a few extras bucks; there is always a silver lining.

I haven’t posted much this summer and every time I went to write something, I felt overwhelmed . I have come to realize that I really miss blogging. It served as a motivator to get things done and I’ve been really slacking. I still haven’t gotten around  to painting my living room.  At least I have my colours picked out. The ceiling will be the darker of the two colours, and the walls the lighter, which is what is in the dining room. The darker colour will come down the wall 12” followed by some white trim, all in an  attempt to bring the high ceiling down visually…let’s hope it works out ‘cause it’s going to be a lot of work.



I did manage to buy and sell some fab furniture this summer.
This set of 4 chairs were really dirty, but I cleaned them up with 1 part vinegar to 3 parts canola oil, and they came out smashing. The  seats were recovered with a Target shower curtain.



I found a couple of lamps for $8 each, but didn’t like  the colour so much. Spray paint to the rescue.





My kids and I found a restaurant  not too far from where we live that we will NEVER eat at. Guess why?


I am selling my gilt faux bamboo coffee table and side tables because I have a new table. I love it (for now)  and got it at a very good price from a lovely couple. When I went to pick it up we had a great conversation and they showed me around their home. The hubby even played his piano for me with a composition that he wrote himself. His wife said I must be very special because he NEVER plays for other people. I was really touched.



I have done some junkin’ over the summer, but am trying my best not to buy things that I don’t really need.  Today I bought some new throws for the chairs, to change things up a bit.



I am looking forward to  fall, my favourite  season. To me it always evokes a sense of nesting and comfort, oh, and turkey dinner….mmmmm

As soon as the cooler weather arrives, but before the snow, I’m going to get my painting done. Then I’ll replace the flooring.



I hope to be back again soon. Thanks for stopping in.

Rustic Console and other changes

I heard you, loud and clear, the blue console was too blue, too small and just didn’t fit with my space. Hey, I’m willing to share my fails too *smile*

I needed something big and bold that would hold my tv and my blankets and some decorative items. I used two plans that I found on line and created this baby. Total cost for the wood was $96, plus stain and some Kreg screws, about another $15. I couldn’t buy this for that amount.

I haven’t added the X’s to the sides yet as I don’t have a saw that can cut the correct degrees, so I have to figure out how to do it with a circular saw, another day.

Let’s have a look at the before and after, you will agree I’m sure that after is a whole lot better.

I’ve found some great deals on new to me items in the last little while…

Yesterday I was at my local Sally Ann and found this rug for $19.99, brand new. At Ikea it is $159 for this size! (CDN)

My old Ektorp sofa was bought second hand and I got 3 years out of it before I had to replace it. I found a new Ektorp sofa with a Risane slipcover for $180. I love the slipcover with it’s tailored finish and the linen colour goes perfectly with my new to me scoop arm chairs.

And finally I found this Chinese cork sculpture at the Goodwill for $4. It is so pretty and I don’t know how they are able to cut the cork so intricately.

 

I keep saying it, but one day I really will get to the painting. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the changes and the thrifty finds.