The Living Room...

I posted a few weeks ago about our lower level family room.  We do spend a lot of time down there... but we also spend a lot of time in our living room.

In fact, I'm going to show you a rare photo -- where the living room is.... clean!

The pics aren't great, but I just can't seem to find the good ones I took a month ago... Hmmm.... ???

So here it is:  The Living room.

This is the front hallway, looking toward our front door and foyer.  It is very narrow... about three feet wide, but it does it's job.

Since the hallway isn't wide enough for a table -- or even a shelf --  

we hung a mirror and a couple of sconces in stead... 

Please pardon the yellow -- it was cloudy outside and the lighting was really bad.  

Can you see the rain on the windows?

This is the view you see from the front door as you enter through that long hallway.

This is the view you get as you enter the living room.  

To the right is the kitchen -- open to the living room.  We do love the openness of this room.

From behind the sofa, you see the opposite side of the room.  If you look to the left side of the photo you'll see the hallway you just entered through.

And from the desk side of the room.  You can see into the breakfast room and kitchen.  

(Oops.  I forgot to close the pantry doors...)

I

This is one of our sage green chairs... they're recliners and we do love them!  We bought the sofa, and then a year later decided we needed a chair... What we didn't know is that, although we bought them at two different times, at two different stores, from two different manufacturers, they have the same stylings:  rolled backs, rounded arms, tapered legs... They really match well.

The pillows were purchased at The Peddlers Mall for $10 for the pair... They are custom made at a high-end upholstery and interior decorating store in town... I guess someone just didn't want them anymore.  Oh well...one man's trash...

I made the afghan a few years ago.

Here's our "free" painting... We had some friends that moved shortly after we did, but when they moved into their house, the previous owner had left some "artwork" (aka posters). This beauty was in their trash pile...well, Mr. Lovey really liked this hand painted picture and wanted to take it home.  So, we adopted the unloved and it became part of our family.

We love the way the orange and brown and greens match exactly our living room colors.

These little gems were purchased at Garden Ridge...The plate was $6.00 and the fleur de lis dish was $8.00 -- 

These candle sticks were purchased -- again at the Peddler's Mall -- for $12.00 for the pair.  I suspect they came from Kirklands originally, but I bet they were more than $12.00!  

Score one for the frugal shopper!

The next photo is full of shadows...sorry... but you get the picture (no pun intended.)

The black table I bought at Annie's Attic about 7 years ago... It was a vanity table.  I took off the mirror and painted it black.  It has a drawer for stashing stuff, too.  Very handy.

The ivy sconces have been with us for about 19 years.  I bought them from Home Interiors our first year of marriage.  About 8 years ago, I painted them black.  I still love them!  

I don't care if they're 20 years old. 

The book ends are solid concrete.  Boy are they heavy!  

My Goodness, what a workout just rearranging them.  But they're fun!

Here they are close up.  

Here's the entertainment center.  It's about 16 years old... The coffee table and end table all match...

I love the little fleur de lis "thingy" on top.  I don't know what it is, or what it's for, but it's fun...and it matches the goodies in the living room.

This is the table scape of the side table next to the sofa.  So these lamps... You're not gonna believe this:  I went into Cato one day, and they were in the clearance section.  The bases are porcelain, and the shades are a taupe color with brown trim.  There we are...Lovey and I.

Here's the other one of the pair.  Any guess how much?  $17.99!  Yep, that's right.  

Here's the throw and some sofa pillows -- just in case you decide on a nap... not that I ever do that... 

(That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!) 

And against the back wall, I placed the "desk."  It's really a sofa table, but the kids needed a place for their laptop.  So, it goes against the window -- the kids can overlook the pond outback... 

So, here's the window dilemma:  The two windows against the back window are tall.  They are full sized windows, with a little extra window at the top.  The windows on the fire place wall are just normal sized windows.  So if I hang taller curtains on the shorter windows, then I have this section of bare wall about 13 inches high... Hmmmm.  So I have a valance on the two shorter windows.

Any one have any ideas?

I'm glad you stopped by for a visit today.

It has been quite the couple of weeks:  Remember two weeks ago my 6 year old son had the flu?  Well, he got over it within a couple days.  Flu B must not be that bad, huh?  Then last weekend, my daughter came home from our shopping trip with a sore throat and headache...three days of that!  Then today, the school called me to come get my big guy again... His fever was 104!  Can you imagine?  We went straight to the doctor.  Guess what he has?  Flu A.  Yep -- Two types of flu, one 6 year old boy - 15 days apart.  UUUGGGGHHH.  But, maybe tomorrow I'll get the house cleaned while he rests...

I guess I'll be making chicken soup tonight, huh?

Anywho:  Until we chat again,

Only By HIs Grace,

Billie

p.s.  anyone with suggestions for furniture arrangement, artwork, or window treatments for the living room are more than welcome to comment...