Cozy Little Living Room

My Living Room is not at all big.  It actually serves as my office, the place where I blog.  I love to be surrounded by things that I love and this room is filled with some of my most favorite antiques and treasures that I've collected over the years.

To re-upholster or not to re-upholster, that is the question...

So many of you asked about the gallery wall in here.  I actually started it over a year ago and it has kind of evolved since then.  I really think it sets the tone for this whole room.

Believe me, there were many holes in the wall before I got it right.

This piece has had several different looks over the years.  It has a mix of A.S.C.P. in Paris Gray, Chateau Gray and Olive with dark wax and gold rub n' buff.

A few of the paperweights and pipes from my collection.

What's your favorite cozy spot in your home?  Could make for a fun blog party!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulicious day!
xoxo,
Kim

Joining Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

If Trunks Could Talk...

One of my favorite shows on HGTV is If Walls Could Talk.  I'm so envious of these people who restore old homes (that's MY dream!), inherit the amazing antique furniture that came with it, and then find treasures hidden in the strangest places, like a book signed by Ernest Hemingway or a whiskey bottle believed to have been used by Al Capone.  Does it get any better than that?

In my travels to estate sales, yard sales, auctions and the like, I keep a list in my head of things I would love to add to my increasingly-eclectic home, a bucket list if you will.  For example I would love to add more old walking sticks to my growing collection.  Old bread boards are a new favorite, as well as quilts.

About a month ago while out yard saling with Denise, we came across another must-have on my bucket list - a steamer trunk.  I see these all the time on Craig's List, but they go for about $150 around here and I just don't want to spend that much for something that I don't really need.  Besides, these things can be big, so you better have a place to put it.  But just like the houses on the show, antique steamer trunks tell a story.  And.I.Love.That.

It was a "Stumble-Upon" yardsale.  The kind that's not on your list, but if you stumble-upon it and it looks decent you have to stop.  Heck I don't just brake for yardsales, I do a complete 180, tires screeching, small animals running for their lives, etc.  It helps to have a car that stops on a dime.

Anyhoward, it was late in the morning and all the good worms are usually gone by then, scooped up by the earlybirds so when you see something awesome at this time of day you can usually assume that the price tag is high, hence why it is still there.  That's what I assumed when I saw this trunk and almost didn't even bother to inquire about it, knowing the disappointment that was sure to follow.  But curiosity got the best of me and I asked, "How much for the trunk?".  What happened next is a little foggy as I can only remember picking my jaw up off of the ground after hearing the words "three dollars".  The startled look on my face wasn't lost on the seller either because he then added, "what, is that too high?  Okay one dollar."  What just happened?

I collected myself, happily handed over three dollars and checked off an item on my proverbial bucket list.

Oh, and I did find the perfect spot for it.  Right next to the sofa in my Living Room.

See that blanket inside the basket?  That is actually pieces of several old picnic blankets sewed into one big one.  I snatched it up at a church rummage sale last Spring for $2 and almost sold it at my show, but at the last minute came to my senses.

I just love how this room came together - bits and pieces at a time.

And who knows, maybe someday my walls will talk...

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulicious week!
xoxo,
Kim

Joining: Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Living Room Tour

In many homes, the Living Room is a wasted space.  It looks pretty but lacks functionality.  In fact, most new construction doesn't even include this room, being replaced by a Great Room, as open concept is the popular choice nowadays.

Our home is a traditional colonial style, with a formal living room and dining room.  And for the first several years we lived here, the living room was never used.  Not even on Holidays.  A totally wasted space.

The logical thing to do was make it our study.  I added a desk and a computer and it's now my favorite room in the house.  It gets used all the time (blogging....) and I get to enjoy the pretty surroundings.  It's where I have my coffee in the morning after the olders go to school and while the baby takes a nap.

It's also where I keep some of my most special treasures, big and small.

The window treatments are on their way out.  Just waiting to find the right ones.  My first choice has been discontinued by Pottery Barn so I'm scouring Ebay.

Got this chair at a thrift store a few years ago and it's screaming for a paint job and reupholstering.  White? Oh yeahhhhhh...

I just won a beautiful vintage oil on canvas on Ebay and it's going to replace that empty frame on this old desk.  I've been looking forever for a landscape oil and I'm so happy to have finally found one.

I have tons, repeat tons, of old books.  I almost never pass one up if it looks good.  And I love finding old notes inside.  One time I found an old signed bank deposit slip from 1898.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulicious day.
xoxo,
Kim

Wow Us Wednesdays

No Minimalist Here

Finished Gallery Wall

After much tweaking and a thousand holes in the wall, I've got the Gallery Wall I've always wanted in my Living Room and I couldn't be happier.  It's incredible to me how adding art to a wall can transform a room from sterile to warm and cozy.  It's obviously not everyone's taste, but I'm a Traditional girl at heart and I believe you should surround yourself with things you love.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulicious day!
xoxo,
Kim

More IS More!

The Island of Misfit Decor has a few less misfits these days.  I've been finding new homes for things all over the place - and I love it.  This is not the norm for me as I usually like to keep things bare for a while after taking down all of the Christmas decor.  Not this year.  It's been so much fun fluffing and tweaking.

I've had the most fun in my Living Room where I decided to create a gallery wall after seeing an inspiration pic in my newest issue of Southern Living.

I don't even have a good before shot of this wall because I couldn't stand to show it with nothing on it.  So I avoided taking a picture of the whole wall and instead just showed a portion of it with one of my favorite antiques.

My living room is my most favorite room in the house.  It's where I blog and in the morning the sun comes pouring through.  I love to sit here and have my coffee while the baby is sleeping.  Hubby thinks it's a little stuffy in here, but to me it feels warm and cozy.  Even more so now that I added some of my favorite artwork to the wall.

What's funny is that most of these pictures have been on the island for years collecting dust.  I never got rid of them because I knew I'd find a home for them someday.

It took about 5 seconds to decide that I was not going to plan this out on the floor.  So with a handful of nails in one hand and a hammer, level and ticky tack in the other, I randomly set about creating a gallery wall.   Of course I had to move things around, which meant even more holes, but, like having 3 children, what's one more?

I'll be adding more over time, and eventually would like to cover the whole wall, but I love how it looks for now.  It makes the room so much cozier without the huge bare wall.

Thanks for visiting and have a fabulicious day.
xoxo,

Kim