The thing that sold us on this house was definitely the space. It is very open and has three large living areas and an extremely spacious kitchen. The area directly behind this couch is the dining room (well, it's all one room but it's where the dining area is). I tried not to get too much of it in the pictures as our dining set is being painted right now so it's empty for the time being.
The decor on the console is definitely not what I have in mind, but I need to purchase several pieces so I used what I had for now.
This room came together about like I had pictured in my head - I had wanted something that felt very sophisticated but still comfortable, and something with a lot of texture and depth but with heavy doses of white. I think I achieved that look pretty well, but you know it's always a work in progress!
Oh built-ins...if you've been reading my blog for a while you know my love/hate relationship with shelving. Everyone always says how much they love built-ins...until you have to style them! It's such a fine balance between too cluttered and too sparse. This isn't too bad for my first go-around but you know they'll change about 383769 more times while we live here : )
I would eventually love to put these scones on either side of the TV, but for now our bus roll art works great! I think the bricklayer coffee table gives the room a sleeker, more industrial vibe, which I love.
Here you can really see how all the textures play well together. The clean lines and wood of the coffee table mix well with the texture of the rug and the trunk, all grounded by the white upholstery and shelving.
I have to tell you I'm very impressed with Ikea's Ektorp sofa. It far surpassed my expectations for both quality and comfort. I think it's very comfortable and the slipcover is heavy and well made. I am glad we chose to save money here and only spend $400 vs. my dream $1,800 Crate and Barrel sofa. It's a great compromise! I also have to tell you I'm very proud of the zinc side table. I have wanted it since before we were married and held off on purchasing it. Then I found it on clearance at World Market right before we moved in and paid a mere $38 for it!
This might be my favorite shot of the room. You can see how far back the room goes and over to the area that leads to our kitchen. You can also see how this paint can read differently depending on the light. I wanted a French gray in here - something that was mostly gray but with a taupe undertone. You can see how gray it looks by the white chair, and how taupe-y/brown it looks if you look in the back far corner. Just what I was going for!
Here you can also see into the "man cave" in the far left corner of this shot. That room probably won't see much action here on the blog, but I will say Matt loves having it and I do too. It's outfitted with an extra-long sofa, pool table, 50" TV and lots of sports memorabilia. It's his dream and it's worked out so well, especially for entertaining. I don't mind because I have two whole other living rooms to decorate/photograph : )
My beloved church pew found a home in the area that leads to the kitchen. I absolutely love how this corner turned out with the salvaged molding and photos above, and the giant antique basket below. This area is actually quite large and so I'm saving and waiting for a buffet for the other side.
Here you can see how it connects into our kitchen..post on that coming soon!
I feel like there is still a lot to do in the house but it's coming together! Once the table is painted, I want to purchase a mirror for the wall behind it, eventually find a buffet for the nook, get new pillows for the couch and install roman shades and curtains across the window. It will all happen in time I'm sure!
I'll leave you with a few detail shots (you know those are my favorite!) Source list is below. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Living Room Sources
Paint Color: Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore in Eggshell
Trim Color: Was already white but we gave the shelves a fresh coat in Simply White by Benjamin Moore (semi-gloss) and it matched, so all touch ups/further paint will be done in that
Couch: Ikea Ektorp
Coffee Table: Home Decorators
End Table: World Market
White Wing Chair: TJ Maxx
Linen Club Chairs: Joss and Main
Rug: Overstock.com
Arched Mirror: One King's Lane
Any other sources: Just ask!