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04.23.13 / Rearranging

Surprise!

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On a whim, I rearranged the living room furniture. We’ve been living here for nearly a year and something felt off about the living room layout. So I decided to switch things up. Luckily, rearranging furniture doesn’t cost a dime, takes little time and is totally reversible – you know, if things don’t work out like you hope they do. Also, my miraculous lifting powers have been likened to an ant’s. Don’t let my petite build fool you. I’m strong when I have to be. Like when an overturned car needs to be removed from a stranger’s mangled body {just kidding, that’s never happened to me} OR when a large piece of furniture needs moved across the room and I’m the only person older than 9 in the house {on the contrary, that happens quite often}.

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The leather sofa used to sit perpendicular to the picture window but now it lives in front of it. I posted a sneak peek of the new layout on instagram and a follower said they needed shots of the room from different angles. Being an online peeping Tom of houses myself, I can appreciate that. This post is devoted to images of what our real life living room looks like right now. No styling. No prepping. Heck, no finished walls in some areas. Just straight up giveittomelikeitis. Here ya go.

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As soon as I moved the furniture around, I was sold. Putting the sofa under the window totally opened up the room and felt more relaxed. My immediate thought was “this is it!” My second thought was “I hope HH likes it.” I pulled the switcharoo while HH was at work. He didn’t even notice when he got home that day. But after two mum days, he spoke up out of nowhere as if it had just hit him “I really like the furniture this way.”

Sold and sold.

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It’s funny how a little thing like changing your furniture layout can change the way you use a room and feel in it. We used this room quite a bit before because it’s our only “sitting room” but now…NOW…we hang out in it. It draws us in. The kids are falling for it too. Mabrey loves standing on the couch, looking out the front window and watching neighbors walk their dogs down the street. {dog-dog!} It’s the place to be. All. the. time.

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Reconfiguring the furniture even makes the unfinished fireplace wall look better. Okay, not really. But it does give me a clearer vision for the room.

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Clearer vision decision #1: the brick fireplace surround is totally getting painted white. You may recall that the original red brick didn’t bother us enough to paint it ASAP so we were living with it as-is because un-painting brick is not an option.

Clearer vision decision #2: the TV will be framed out and recessed within a simple white tongue and groove feature that reaches to the ceiling. Long-time readers may recall that we had a grandiose idea to hide the flatscreen with a large painting that would raise/lower at the push of a button. But, now, that idea seems a little over-the-top. A little too “you’re trying too hard.” Sorry to everyone who was anticipating that.

I am working around the boob speakers. I hung two mirrors from Joss & Main and I think they’ll do. As much as a mirror can do next to bosom audio devices.

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In case you’re wondering where the subwoofer is {I know, it’s weird that I can read your mind like that}, it’s rocking its ginormous cube self on the floor behind a curtain that’s behind a basket that’s behind a chair. Ha. I’ve got you right where I want you, subwoofer.

The media cabinet is vintage and I haven’t done a thing to it. It is screaming for an update. Don’t worry. I have an idea. Isn’t this sliver of wall begging to be a vignette? Much like the old drywall mud drippings on the hearth leftover from renovation are begging to be scraped off. Seriously. I am that busy lazy.

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Looking back the other way is our crack house’s front door. I am ashamed.

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We don’t use the front door yet. It’s a pain to open. It sticks and the jamb needs rebuilt. There’s a nice gap at the bottom too that I’ve stuffed with a beach towel until we find time + warm weather to tackle the door. Fancy, we are not. The UPS guy automatically brings our packages to the picture window for delivery. He knows.

Clearer vision decision #3: the shoe cabinet and octagon mirror will be relocated to the master bedroom. I love them together – just not here. They’re crowding the door. Plus, HH wants shoe storage in our bedroom. Currently, all of our shoes are stored on a rickety shoe rack in the garage.

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Do you like our solution for disguising the wall speakers? It’s just an off-the-shelf wall shelving bracket system that you can get from nearly any home improvement store. We topped it with pine boards that we cut to length, stained and sealed. I LOVE them. I’m going to have fun filling them up.

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Clearer vision decision #4: we won’t be DIYing a console table for behind the leather sofa. When the sofa used to live where the gray chair {above} now lives, we thought it needed a sofa table. But the sofa’s new home is under the window so we’re good. HH is way too excited about being able to set his drinking glass down on the slate windowsill behind the couch where it can’t get knocked over by rambunctious boys or a curious lil’ girl. He tells me at least three times a day how much he likes it. That’s what she said.

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So what do you think of the recent turn of events in our home? Are you appalled by our living conditions? Has rearranging furniture given you a clearer vision for a room too?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

109 Comments

23.April.2013

This is really one of the biggest transformations so far, its amazing what a difference just moving furniture makes! You have a beautiful home :)

23.April.2013

I giggled at the part where it took two days for HH to notice the rearrangement. Weeks go by in my house then my husband says, “didn’t that used to be over there?”. Love the new arrangement and that you keep it real.

23.April.2013

I like it the way it is now. I am also planning to rearrange the furniture in our living/dining room (that’s one big room). Our couch is also in the middle of it all to separate the two areas from each other, but now I think I want to open it up like you did. I’m looking forward to doing it!
Jule

23.April.2013

It looks great! Can I ask where the wood end table is from?
Thanks!

23.April.2013

The mirrors totally work! I did not notice the “boob”speakers until you showed a side view!

23.April.2013

Oh, I am allll over this! I noticed that you had nice living room furniture before but didn’t really process it – NOW, I’m fully in love with your entire living room (minus, maybe the unfinished wall – but I can VISUALIZE!). Probably going to pin this for the inspiration board. Not gonna lie.

23.April.2013

I recently moved my furniture very similar to your layout and I had to laugh about HH’s new drinking glass resting spot on the windowsill because I do the same thing. It is snug and I have no fear the dog or cat will knock it over. However, my windowsills are not very deep, so I’ve been thinking about building a very narrow table the width of the window for behind the sofa, since my sofa tables are much too deep to look right behind there now.

23.April.2013

This arrangement really does open the room up. Maybe going high to low, towards the kitchen, is part of it? In any case, nice job!

23.April.2013

I think it looks great, but with that selection of amazing furniture and accessories, you could pile it up in the center of the room and it would still look great. That Thrive chair is amazing! I am anxious to see what you do with that glorious wall of shelves.

Oh I love it and all of your new/old ideas! I’m excited to see it all come together!

23.April.2013

I’m a true blog staulker of yours and absolutely love your style!! My house is laid out very similarly and we’ve renovated ours a few years ago – I’m loving watching your house come together. But what I love most is seeing how you decorate it because that’s what mine is lacking. Would you mind sharing where you go that huge rug in the living room?

23.April.2013

Can you please tell me the thickness of the pine boards and stain color you used on the shelves? It looks like minwax special walnut– am I right ?!? :)

23.April.2013

I have a suggestion: You can buy a super soft piece of carpet from home depot– its 3.99 a square foot– and have it bound at a local rug shop for around 1.75$ a sqaure foot– that way you could get the feet of your chair on your rug PLUS it would super soft are for the kids to play on. I found a very nice grey color when I was out at home depot the other day– I unsderstand HD does bind rugs but from what I have found it is VERY expensive.

It’s so good. It’s soooo good. The instagram of Mabrey looking out the window sealed the deal.

23.April.2013

I love the rearranged space! I also love your floor poufs!!! Did I miss the resource somewhere?

23.April.2013

She said west elm in a previous post.

ok..I just went through your house tour last night…waking up to the re-arrange was a nice surprise and I totally dig it. Why are the inexpensive changes always the most dramatic! great change…

23.April.2013

Good use of that’s what she said! Love the shelves!! Can’t wait to see how you fill them!

23.April.2013

I’ve said it before, but you are a master at using mirrors! :) I love the new arrangement and the way your style seems so effortless. This looks amazing!

23.April.2013

OK, I know that you’ve said the front door is not functional, and I understand that you probably won’t be the least bit sorry to see it go (it sounds like a pain in the rear), but I really do love that 3-window design! It’s unique! It sort-of has a 60’s vibe to it, but it is also very modern. I’m secretly hoping you can revive it, but it sounds like it might not be worth it practically speaking.

23.April.2013

I love how the new configuration opens up the space! One question, though: my husband has a very rigid idea of how seating should be arranged for optimal TV viewing. Is it a problem for you/HH to have your couch perpendicular to the television?

23.April.2013

We move the furniture around about every month. Makes the house look fresh.

23.April.2013

I like this layout. I’m looking forward to how you will style the shelves. That was a good idea for that wall space. And so off point but still drooling over your plank ceiling! Love!

23.April.2013

HH typically likes his sofa in front of the TV as well so I knew when I rearranged the furniture there was a good possibility he wouldn’t approve. But that’s the great thing about moving furniture around…you can try it out for as long or as little as you like. If it doesn’t work out, you can always go back to the original layout. No harm done.

After giving it a few days, HH found that he truly preferred the new layout as opposed to the old one where the sofa was facing the flatscreen. It helps that we still have a big comfy chair facing the TV so if he wants to watch TV straight on, he can. But if we’re watching TV, he almost always ends up lying on the couch with his head on the arm nearest the front door. Before, he couldn’t really lie down on the couch while watching TV – he’d have to lay on his side to see the TV which resulted in a sore neck/stiff propping arm. I think this way is actually more comfortable.

In the end, though, I think what converted him had nothing to do with the TV. {We rarely watch TV but we like to watch a movie or two a week.} Mostly, we use the room and sofa for hanging out as a family. This new configuration is much more conducive to that. There’s more open floor space for the kids to romp. It’s easier to converse with people in the kitchen from the living room. We sit in front of a window that lets natural light and views of the outside world pour in. It’s like this is the way it was always supposed to be.

23.April.2013

The floor poufs are from West Elm. I bought them a few months ago when they were on sale after dreaming of them for over a year. They were a splurge but worth it in my book. They get used every day by everyone. The boys sit on them in the living room or drag them to their room to play with. Mabrey likes to climb up and sit on them. HH and I prop our feet up on them in the evenings. They are so versatile and durable!

23.April.2013

Good eye! I do need to pull the rug back from the fireplace. It’s too close to the hearth. I’m glad you brought up the soft surface thing. Our current rug is sisal and while it’s super durable, protects the wood floor and shows absolutely no sign of wear after one year and three kids, it isn’t the softest thing. We’re actually looking into layering a smaller & plusher rug/carpet over it!

23.April.2013

So the boards are standard pine 1×12’s off the shelf from any home improvement store. But did you know that 1×12’s aren’t exactly 1″ thick and 12″ wide?? The boards are 3/4″ thick, 11 1/4″ deep and, you got it!, the stain is Minwax Special Walnut. We only applied one coat of the stain though. We didn’t want the boards to contrast too much with the light walls. We were going for more of a natural wood tone to tie into the open reclaimed shelves in the kitchen. We sealed them with a satin topcoat. We didn’t want anything glossy.

23.April.2013

The large rug is sisal from Overstock. After one year and three kids, it still looks brand new. It has a latex backing so it doesn’t slide and it’s durable enough to protect the wood floors under it. The only negative is that it isn’t the most comfortable surface to lie on. We’re searching for a cushier smaller rug to layer on top of it but haven’t found “the one” yet.

If you’re looking for a very durable rug for a high traffic area, sisal is great.

23.April.2013

Oh my. It will probably be the only cinder block wall on Pinterest!

23.April.2013

I found the scalloped wood table at a Grandin Road outlet near Cincy years ago. That was before they were “in” and I paid less than $70 for it.

23.April.2013

Yes! Love it! We, too, have our LR configured this way and our kids love the couch under the window….now, please get busy on that fireplace as we have one that looks just like that & I have been patiently waiting for you to start the renovation – so I can copy cat!! :)

23.April.2013

love it Dana… it looks wonderful… i too love the 3 glass door.. it’s very different… how about painting it black… might be interesting and easy to do too… you’re wonderfully creative and i always look forward to reading your blog… xo

23.April.2013

Love the new layout! You did a great job as usual.
I have a question regarding your mudroom tile. What size of driftwood travertine tile and what grout color did you use? They look amazing. If you can provide a link for the source that would be much appreciated.

23.April.2013

You had me seriously laughing with the “That’s what she said” comment! I love the way your house is coming together— Thanks for sharing!

23.April.2013

I might have read before and missed it, but do you use blinds or a shade of some sort other than the curtains that I just can’t see? If not, does the couch interfere with closing the curtains at night? I loved our sofa in front of our picture window, but I really didn’t want to use a shade on the window and pulling the curtains closed behind it was the biggest pain in the patootie that I just gave up and moved things again. Wondering if you have a secret tip to share?

23.April.2013

Love the free makeover! everything can breathe now. And so agree about putting the shoe cabinet and mirror elsewhere, that spot is calling for a great piece of art!

23.April.2013

Can you tell us where you got the couch? I love it! I’ve been looking for the perfect leather couch for years and I have never found one with the right color that is, at the same time, not too stiff-looking and not too schlumpy-looking. Yours is great!

23.April.2013

I totally agree! As soon as I saw the mirrors up there, it took about 10 seconds for my eyes to transition to the “boob” speakers, and then I thought, “Dang, girl. Good thinkin’!” Worked like a charm! :)

23.April.2013

Gosh you have gorgeous furniture. My place would not look that nice with unfinished walls! I love the poufs and, surprisingly, the leather couch. I’ve always hated leather furniture, but somehow, that one’s like a perfect (expensive) handbag. Who knew?

23.April.2013

I love that you have a leather sofa. So many blogs and magazines showcase white sofas. I think the leather sofa sets your look apart from the crowd. And I think that leather is so perfect for families.

The red brick actually looks great from my computer screen, but maybe it screams in person. You can’t go wrong either way.

23.April.2013

The media cabinet looks a little squished into its corner. I wonder how it would look between the front door and sofa where the white piece is now?

SAN

23.April.2013

I can’t wait to see the fireplace finished!

23.April.2013

Love the changes! I am such a fan of the shelves. Can’t wait to see what you do with them. I am coveting your poufs. I understand the rearranging thing completely. I just moved things around our in our bedroom after a couple years of decorators block (I put together so many mood boards bur nothing felt right!) After a little switch a roo everything just started to flow and now I love spending time in there. I wrote about it on my blog a couple weeks ago if you want to check it out. http://abeautifulbackdrop.blogspot.ca/

23.April.2013

Love the new arrangement! So excited to see it all coming together. Looks great AND cozy too, which is a testament to your decorating skills. :)

A couple of suggestions/questions. (I’ll totally understand if you disagree — just ideas from my point of view in the photos)

– What about putting the subwoofer IN a basket? Then it wouldn’t need to be hidden behind the curtain, the sound could still get through the woven basket, and you could layer a pillow or throw on top so it couldn’t be seen down in the basket.

– What about scooting the vintage cabinet over and making it a side table for the sofa now? I realize it’s a little tall, but maybe some tweaking? Then it wouldn’t seem out of place there in the corner.

Like I said, I don’t know your space, so I hope my suggestions aren’t offensive! Just throwing ideas out there. I’m actually a huge fan of your blog, more so than any of the other 50 or so design blogs I read. :)

23.April.2013

NO FOAM, PEOPLE! NO FOAM!

23.April.2013

Just a note, we also got the premium grade pine boards. They are much more expensive than standard board, but for shelving we wanted them nice and straight … which you won’t get with long standard pine boards.

23.April.2013

Looks great, Dana! Question – is the chair in front of your cabinet a real Wegner or replica? Would love a source. THANK YOU for all of your inspiration!

23.April.2013

Love this! Can I ask where the curtains are from? Can’t wait to see what you do with the shelves.

23.April.2013

Appalled? I’m sure we are all laughing at that! Your home is inspiring, not appalling. I’m the kind of person who likes doors on my storage. Otherwise, I’ll use baskets on an open shelf, so I’m excited yo see how you fill those open shelves. You are full of great ideas!

23.April.2013

Erin, I’m lobbying for rehabbing this door too ;)

23.April.2013

Looks awesome! I also had a suggestion/question concerning your nemesis, the subwoofer :) Once you update the media cabinet, how would it look/work next to the front door as an entry table/console in place of the shoe cabinet? I know absolutely nothing about sound equipment, so this may not work for obvious reasons! Love your home and your blog! :)

23.April.2013

I love the new arrangement. I can’t wait to see the TV area when it is finished. I have been anxiously awaiting your decision on the brick and I think it will look wonderful. I do think the red brick doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of your room. Your blog is definitely my favorite. Each day I can’t wait to see what you change next. Keep up the good work!!!

23.April.2013

As a student I feel like a poseur reading this blog because I won’t live in a permanent “house” for a while…but I DID just rearrange the furniture in my small private room and it’s changed my life! It makes fitting a sewing studio +bed +makeup table +dresser +desk feel achievable as a highly functioning place. I subverted the design “rule” that furniture shouldn’t just be pushed out against the walls…but it makes the room feel so much larger and more flexible and I love it.
Thanks for keeping up such a wonderful blog! I love seeing the transformation of your home/family!

Nice work! I think the new arrangement really takes advantage of the open living concept. I also love that the pics keep it real by showing the unfinished walls (we have had some holes in our walls for years now, due to rewiring our entire house). Maybe I missed this post, but I’d love to hear what made you ditch your painted-kid-castoff-blue-and-white-striped rug . . .

23.April.2013

Ah! I was thinking the same thing! It looks great with the style of the furniture/house. I could see it painted white and feeling very retro-cool. It would be awesome if it could be salvaged. =)

23.April.2013

I am so happy to hear that you will paint that brick. I love your shelves near the entrance.

23.April.2013

What’s funny is after seeing this arrangement and the new shelves, I thought the room had a more mid-century feel. I then thought that the red brick really “goes” with this new arrangement and looks great. Which is probably why I’m not a decorator, since you had the exact opposite thought.

23.April.2013

I love the new arrangement! It’s amazing to see your home coming together, and I can’t wait to see what you do next. Also, I love seeing HH’s comments– it’s always nice to see how you two work together here and off the blog.

23.April.2013

agree – really like the door – doors with windows are really making a come back in Austin new build central and renovations. I think it fits the decor here very well.

23.April.2013

it’s a bit weird, but i really appreciate this post because we’re moving into out new house next weekend, and i have no idea how i’m going t arrange the furniture in the main living area – this was just a little reminder that it’s NOT PERMANENT! der. i feel like i have to get it right the first time or that’s it, i’ve ruined it forever. perfectionist, much? i’ve really enjoyed watching your house evolve – one step at a time!

23.April.2013

I love this arrangement! I makes it look more open to the rest of the house so I completely see how you really use this space more. We spontaneously rearranged our living room (at 10:00 Thanksgiving night) after living in our home for a year and immediately fell in love with the change. Now I wonder how we thought the room looked good before.

This room is really coming together. I love the changes and can’t wait to see the brick painted white. I thought you’d eventually go with that. :-) The other night I removed a door in our house while my husband watched TV and he never noticed. :-)

23.April.2013

Dana, your living room looks amazing now. I’m also astonished at how well you’ve been able to harmonize with your 1950’s architecture without going totally vintage/mid century. The low sofa, the narrow legs on the tripod lamp, to name just a couple details I noticed. And yes, sometimes the only tweak you need is to move around what you have.

23.April.2013

Hi Dana! I love your house and style! But I wanted to ask you a question about baby proofing…I have a little guy that is a little older than Mabrey and he gets into everything! I’ve had to remove a lot from our main living room. I noticed those awesome accessories on your coffee table and thought to myself those would on floor in .2 seconds! Is Mabrey an angel and not get into anything?? Would love to hear!

23.April.2013

Love the little girl shoes and the star mirrors! I like the new arrangement too. I was thinking there was a tall chair in your living room at one time that you thrifted. I miss it, it broke up the height of everything else since all the seating and chairs are on the same plane. And I LOVE the brick… don’t do it! It makes it look so much more interesting and eclectic… like those cool bronzy mirrors. What a great texture, you’ll lose it with paint.

24.April.2013

The arrangement looks great and it sounds like everyone is enjoying the change. I don’t know what direction the windows face, but just wanted to let you know that my son had a lovely leather couch very much like yours in front of an east-facing picture window and the top/back faded terribly in just a year… Just a word of caution. We haven’t really figured out if or how we can restore it to its original condition.

24.April.2013

Great layout ! It’s more casual yet a lot more appropriate for entertaining. One question … where did the homemade striped rug go ? Take care !

Wow, I LOVE your furniture. Love the leather couch and that double or large gray chair.

24.April.2013

Awesome interior decorating! You have set a great layout, very well done!

I’m loving it! I really, really am loving it! I agree that the shoe storage and mirror can move. Love the new shelving! Layout is great. I just adore your style!!! Can I borrow you?

I love the new furniture layout! Your solution for disguising the wall speakers is genius! Can’t wait to see them all styled up :)

24.April.2013

I pulled up the striped rug during the winter because Everett kept sneaking his feet and legs up underneath it. It was driving me bonkers. Right now, it’s in the attic. I think we’re going to try a more substantial rug layered on top of the sisal. To be continued…

24.April.2013

Mabrey LOVES to play with the accessories {totally unstyled in this post} on the coffee table. I actually put her Cheerios in the large wooden bowl and she stands at the table and eats her snack there. The other accessories are very kid-friendly too: two brass animals from Target, a yarn wrapped antelope figurine, a thrifted wooden sculpture and a stack of hardback books. She bangs the animal pieces around, throws them on the floor and carries them off from time to time but she can’t really hurt them. I’ve found that wooden and brass pieces work best with littles – they can’t be messed up too badly. I also try to use some thrifted finds as accessories in case something does happen to them. That way, I don’t feel bad if my $3 wood sculpture ends up bent. So far, that wooden sculpture thing has made it through two toddlers!

24.April.2013

We actually had the wall right behind the media cabinet wired especially for surround sound/TV/etc when the walls were opened up during renovations, so I don’t think we’ll be moving the cabinet. The electrical supply outlets for the media components are insane looking. I couldn’t even tell you what they’re all for!

24.April.2013

The curtains are from West Elm over a year ago. Bought them before we even had drywall in the house. I just loved them.

24.April.2013

The chair is an inexpensive knockoff. I found it at a place called Home Emporium in Fairfield, Ohio for $99. They buy overstock/discontinued items from high end sources like Restoration Hardware and sell them for much less. Our neighbors told us about the store a year ago and we’ve found everything from tongue and groove plank to accessories there.

24.April.2013

Ooooooh, I LOVE the idea of putting the subwoofer in a basket! Perhaps I can find one with the perfect measurements?

The media cabinet will probably stay put just because we had that area of the wall right behind it wired especially for media components. It’s a mess behind there! I think it will look better with a large lamp, maybe a frame on the wall and some accessories. Ideally, we’d leave that corner open but we have to put the media stuff somewhere.

24.April.2013

Unfortunately, the wall behind the media cabinet is wired for all the electrical components so the cabinet is probably staying put. Ideally, I do think it would look better out of the corner but I think I can make it work.

24.April.2013

It’s the Soho from Elements Fine Home Furnishings. Just google for the best price…it’s much less expensive now than what we paid for it over a year ago!!

24.April.2013

Our living room is like a fishbowl at night! We don’t pull the curtains closed or anything but we could because the sofa does sit out a few inches from the windowsill. We’d like to add textured blinds at some point but probably wouldn’t close those either. Our house sits far enough off the road and is on a quiet street that we don’t really feel the need to close things up at night in the living room. We’re strange like that, I know. We do have blackout roller blinds in each of the three bedrooms though for privacy.

25.April.2013

I was wondering where you got your black and white zig-zag ottoman/floor cushions. I’ve been searching high and low for something like them.

25.April.2013

West Elm a few months ago when they were on sale!

25.April.2013

I love love love those shelves!!

25.April.2013

Great post, especially liked the way you described how new arrangement clarified decisions.

25.April.2013

Hey Dana!

I wanted to tell you that I love the original style of your front door. I don’t know what your plans are for replacing/fixing the door, but I wanted to pass along a wonderful resource for a door company in Austin, Tx who makes mid century style doors for old ranch style homes. We recently purchased a pair for our front and back door and absolutely love them! Here is the website…. http://www.crestviewdoors.com

25.April.2013

Looks great! I’ve really loved watching your style evolve.

25.April.2013

Lovely! What kind of camera do you use? These pictures are great! Do you use a tripod?

25.April.2013

I love your wishbone chair. Is that a local purchase? Are you using it as a fifth chair for the dining table too?

25.April.2013

WOW! Who knew what a little rearranging could do!!! Where do I begin…oh yes – your decision to PAINT THE BRICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you do that SOOOOON!!!!!!! Great idea for the shelving and so DIY-friendly/cost effective.: ) You will have so much fun accessorizing…OH! And why not just paint that front door while waiting for the fix???
Love the new arrangement!

25.April.2013

Looks awesome! Love it when it turns out great for free!

25.April.2013

What a great resource! Thanks for sharing.

25.April.2013

I have a DSLR Canon EOS Rebel XSi. I do have a tripod that I bust out for more formal shoots but I didn’t use it for this “real life” post.

25.April.2013

What’s to be appauled about? Where is the color?

26.April.2013

We contemplated putting a sofa table behind our leather couch but didn’t want something too large since our living room is pretty narrow. We installed the long LACK wall shelf from IKEA to the wall behind the couch.. This was done because we don’t have the talent/tools/motivation to DIY but also because we didn’t want to spend a ton of money. It is narrow enough that the sofa doesn’t crowd the room but we now have a ledge for decorative things as well as a place to put glasses. Works for us so far.

28.April.2013

Hi Dana: I am a former interior designer and mom of two little girls, ages 1 and 3. I have been enjoying your blog for about a year or so now. You are doing such a great job with your home. It’s really looking great. My big question about your living room reconfiguration (which is great) is regarding the leather sofa. I also have a brown leather sofa (perfect when you have small kids) and it is placed in front of a big window like yours. Have you thought at all about the sun drying out or fading the leather? I was just curious if you have any ideas. I have a leather conditioner I purchased at our nearest grocery store. Our sofa is pretty new, so I’m not sure yet if the conditioner is actually helping or not.

I am enjoying seeing the evolution of each room. I love your front door with windows :). I could see it painted a color (like yellow) to add a little punch to the space. What I think is so nice about your approach is that you have a lot of neutral colors you are layering. Color can be added if you wish (accessorizing) and totally change the feel of a room really easily. (I love the red pillows in the boys room.)

It’s all very inspiring and fun to be a part of. Thank you for sharing all of your hard work and also your real life.

28.April.2013

First-time commenter… I discovered you from YHL and enjoy following your house tweaks! I love your plans for this room… except for painting the fireplace. I wonder if you might change your mind if make painting it your last project. Personally I LOVE the look of the unpainted brick. It just GOES with the other elements of the room (leather, stained pine boards, etc…). Another commenter admired your leather couch in contrast to all the other white couches she sees on-line. I feel the same way about your unpainted brick; it is a wonderful contrast to all the white painted brick I see on-line. I also realize I don’t see this room in person as you do and that I will probably be eventually proven wrong in my opinion! :)

28.April.2013

haha! I was just told my comment was too short, but all I wanted to do was laugh at that.

28.April.2013

I am so happy and relieved about all of your newfound clarity! I completely agree with all of your thoughts! i.e. Yes, move the shoe cabinet and mirror but keep them together. I also read the comment about putting the subwoofer in a basket-totally genius, so the curtain doesn’t need to hide it!!! I’m so excited to read about everything. I love your blog so much.

Also, your jeans are stellar. What brand are they?

28.April.2013

oops-comment about the jeans was for your laundry nook post!!

29.April.2013

No problem! They are Levi’s. Nothing fancy. Got them at Kohl’s with a 30% off coupon!

29.April.2013

Painting the brick probably won’t happen for while. The weather is nice now and so we’ve turned our attention to the exterior. We only have so many months of outside DIY weather here!

29.April.2013

I have leather conditioner wipes that I use on the sofa every month or so. The leather actually gets drier in the winter with the heat running. While the picture window is on the south side of the house, the sofa doesn’t receive any direct sunlight. There is a deep ~3′ overhang on the front of the house. We can always pull the sofa out away from the window, too, to avoid fading if necessary but, so far, I don’t see it being a problem.

29.April.2013

Hey! Can you specify which curtains these are at West Elm? I’ve been looking for the perfect gray curtains and I like the tone of yours. I looked on WE but wasn’t sure…
Thanks!

29.April.2013

I bought them a year and a half ago. It looks like they’ve discontinued them since then. I think these may be similar in color.

30.April.2013

We moved into a ranch just over three years ago and I painted the red brick asap! I’d love it if you’d check out my painting technique! Here’s the link to the post I wrote about it: http://differentdogblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-paint-brick-wall-without-really.html

LOVE what you’re doing with your home! I can’t wait to read more!

13.May.2013

If you can’t revive the old door, Crestview still makes this style of door (and other mid-century styles) – they are a little pricey, but made in the USA and backed by good customer service. Retro Renovation has featured their doors at least twice. :-)

13.May.2013

Thanks for the suggestion! We’re going to see what we can do with the original…but may end up buying new in the end. I’ll keep you posted!

28.May.2013

Love the new layout…so wish I could just take a sledge hammer and knock out a wall..open concept, presto! ? On fireplace..when painting a fireplace white..do I paint the same color as my ceilings & trim (white dove BM) not sure, my walls are a gray.

28.May.2013

Our walls are Benjamin tapestry beige – a light grayish/beige. We’ll be painting the fireplace BM white dove to match the ceiling and trim.