Living Room Progress

Well, things are shaping up at the Contreras household. After a long weekend filled with both work and play, we’re happy to be done with the messier projects in our living room. We finished the bookshelves a week ago but we wanted to take advantage of all the books being on the floor and paint the walls too. This board below illustrates my initial plans for the room. I say initial because I have since changed my mind. I still love my original choices for the space but, I have realized that they won’t work so well for our room. The reason is the lack of architectural details like crown molding, trim or hardwood flooring. I’d love to see this scheme come to life with a backdrop of white paneled (vertical shiplap) walls, even a fireplace and pickled, wide heart of pine floors. I’m looking for a chic cottage feel but the truth is our simple white walls and beige wall-to-wall apartment carpeting won’t do this blue-and-white scheme justice.

Time for Plan B… Once I realized that a blue and white scheme won’t work, I asked myself what could make white shelves and a beige sofa look better? The answer was contrast, of course. In the absence of architectural details, painting the walls a darker hue is great camouflage. And I knew exactly what I wanted – Farrow & Ball’s French Gray was filed away months ago for just the right project and so I had it matched at a local paint store. I’m sure the match is not 100% but of all the samples we tried, it was the only one we felt strongly about.  I followed my instincts and I love the result! This is the board I put together with a more neutral scheme that will, in time, be the backdrop for pops of color in the accessories.

Here’s a pic I snapped of the finished shelves before styling and I have to say, the image doesn’t do justice to this gorgeous warm- green -gray color. I love it so much that I extended it to the small hallway that leads to the bedrooms. It’s warm and moody and adds some much needed drama in the space. And the best part – it takes cues from the green-grays just outside our living room windows.

I have slipcover and/or new upholstery plans for the brown velvet chair on the left.

I may leave the wing back chair alone. We’ll see.

Below is a picture of our beige sofa surrounded by mid-painting mess. I only show you this because for weeks I kept thinking of  fabrics that will elevate it from bland to fabulous and I’m happy that instead of changing the slipcover, painting the walls somehow made the sofa more interesting. Against the darker wall, it now looks prettier.

The sconces I ordered last week have arrived and were very close to being sent right back. They look nothing like the website picture!!! (see here). But they are growing on me. They are not antiqued bronze, like advertised, but they are pretty and were a bargain so, instead of returning them, I’ve decided to either leave them as they are, spray paint them an antique gold (not ideal, I know), or move them to our bedroom. Still deciding.

And this is a glimpse of the pretty mess that was my desk last week. I’m looking at different possibilities for fabrics and, now that the walls are painted, I’m thinking of adding more yellow and green into the scheme. Just to make the decision-making process easier 🙂 And the scary part is that despite the madness – paint swatches, fabric memos and (too) much inspiration-  I still find it all incredibly fun!

What’s next?

1. A large natural fiber rug. As you can see from the pictures, our apartment has wall-to-wall carpeting and we’re not supposed to remove it, which leaves me with only one choice – hide it under something pretty.

2. Custom drapes – fabric to be decided.

3. Window seat cushion – fabric to be decided 🙂

4. Fluff – pillows, throws and a small ottoman.

5. Artwork. I’m torn between a large bird print above the sofa or a gallery wall with a collection of Dutch Masters reproduction sketches I scored at an antiques shop the other day. I will be sure to post pictures and a before & after when I have more “after ” to show. Thanks for stopping by!

P.S: I know, I know… I went overboard with all the hydrangeas, but that’s what happens when you cary scissors in your purse on neighborhood walks. You know, just in case 🙂

xo,

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