Our Living Room

The living room in our house has undergone a pretty drastic transformation (see my before pics in this post) since the day we bought it.   We decided to start our renovation process before we moved into the house to make it as easy on us as possible - I was in an apartment, and Mark was renting at a friend's house.  One of my favorite parts about the renovation process was visiting the house every evening to check out the day's progress - there is nothing in this world I find more satisfying than making positive changes to a home. Once it was all ready (save for a few touch ups) we moved in!

The whole process was bit of a whirlwind, and I'm so thankful I had been stockpiling ideas on Pinterest for a long time to help me make sense of what I wanted to accomplish in the house.  To bring this house into the 21st century, our aim was to lighten it up as much as possible while keeping some of the charm and character that comes with an older home - I had to keep reminding myself that the house was built in 1963, not yesterday.

The whole renovation process can be a bit intimidating for first-timers, especially for those who aren't dealing with this sort of thing at their day job.  We first walked the house with our contractor, Bryan, and came up with a reasonable punch list.  He had some great suggestions, and as we got more and more excited, we kept adding more and more updates to the list.  Once we had a bid from him, Mark and I looked it all over and decided on a budget and timeline.  Since a renovation can have a bit of a snowball effect, it is important to leave some buffer room in your budget for those incidentals and little things you will inevitably add on throughout the project - I'd recommend about 20%.

In case you missed the before tour...

Our punch list:

• Replace original parquet floor with plank hardwood
• remove the wall between the kitchen and living room (it had an awkward cupboard that the old owners were using to store firewood) to open up the space
• replace funky 60s mantle with new mantle
• paint brick white (Decorator's White, of course)
• paint existing bookshelves high-gloss black
• add crown moulding
• paint all walls eggshell Decorator's White
• paint all trim high-gloss white - I love to accent the trim this way... the reflection of light draws your attention to the trim in a subtle way.
• install new can lighting and remove ceiling fan.
• Install surround sound speaker system for better Nascar viewing (Mark) and Real Housewives marathons (me)... Sidenote: this was one of those "incidentals" I mentioned earlier. The guys teamed up and presented me with the fact that since we were already punching holes in the ceiling and patching and painting in order to install the can lighting, we might as well add some nice speakers while we were at it. I'm a sucker for a pleading man I guess... 
• Install a fabulous flush-mount light we picked up in High Point
• Remove shutters
• Replace windowsills with white marble
• Paint back door and interior doors black 

A few mid-renovation pics so you can get the full effect:

Bye Bye floors and wall!

We had to add a header in between the kitchen and living room for support. 

I wanted a gray/brown stain and Bryan gave us a few options to choose from.  We went with the far right!

These got freshened up with glossy black paint and new hardware. Thankfully, the shelves were already adjustable!

New floors going in!

Also removed this brass fireplace front

Looking into the kitchen - post on this coming soon!

Can lighting in, my men checking things out!  You can also see where we patchd over some existing cans that were placed in an odd configuration.  If you're going add recessed lighting, I always say try not to make your beautiful ceiling look like Swiss cheese.  

Crown moulding is up!

Enter the Black Paint! I'm not entirely sure what those little white panels are...

More prep work

First coat of white on the fireplace... looking better already!

Move-in day, new mantle awaiting a coat of glossy black paint. We were also waiting on more furniture to arrive from the upholsterer - we definitely ate our first pizza dinner in the new living room on the floor, but we were so thrilled to be in the house, that we didn't care!

Sadly, I don't have any great pics of the room before we started moving furniture in... I wasn't even thinking about starting a blog at that time! Note to self: be more diligent photographer in the future. And finally, here are some shots of what the room looks like right now:

This space felt so tight and dark before - Crazy what the power of paint can do!

 Our much-beloved Verellen sofa, where we spend 98% of our free time. I have always wanted a black sofa, and I finally got one. People are often afraid of black (my husband included), but I like to think of black as a classic, clean neutral - just like your little black dress that goes with almost everything in your closet, your little black sofa will stand the test of time and the inevitable pillow-swap-out that comes with the seasonal redecorating itch.    

Post on the kitchen coming soon, but for now, you can see how opening up that wall allowed us to combine the two smaller spaces into one large entertaining area.

 

 My collection of vintage lighters - the yellow chinoiserie in the center is a memento from my time  spent interning under Charles Faudree, and I picked up the white onyx on my first trip to High Point Market with 30A Home. Memories are what make collections so special!

My love for blue and white porcelain will never die!

A pair of Staffordshire dogs that were a gift from my mother. 

And Finally, one more before-and-after for good measure! 

 

Before

After!

Projects leftover:

• Roman shades - you know what they say, the cobbler's kids have no shoes... I have not gotten around to getting my own window treatments made, even though we've lived here for over a year!
• Somehow hide the mass of TV cords (my cord cover isn't quite doing the trick)
• Add a fun trim or passementerie frogs to skirt of white club chairs
• Fun character rug or hide under the cocktail tables
• Replace wedding photos in mirrored frames with scenic photos from honeymoon (These were deemed "too much of a shrine to us" by my other half)

Thanks for following me on this crazy house makeover journey! It's been quite a treat to share with all of you!

Xx
Ivy

SOURCES:

• Seagrass rug: remnant from local carpet supplier - this is one of my favorite ways to save a buck on bound rugs. Ask to see the remnant selection at any carpet showroom, and you will be amazed at what you can find!  Note: I don't recommend seagrass for homeowners worried about spills. We had an unfortunate red-wine incident that left a permanent stain this rug, and I've been informed that the natural grass fibers are very very difficult to clean.  You win some, you lose some! 
• Sofa: Verellen's Mathilda 98" in black chintz linen.  I can't sing Verellen's praises enough - 30A Home has been a proud Verellen vendor for many years, and I am so so passionate about this amazing line... I feel another post coming! We were so fortunate to receive this sofa as a wedding gift, and we absolutely adore it.  
• Metallic linen pillows: Verellen
• Green Chest: Craigslist find, lacquered green + new hardware. Has been with me since my single girl days.
• Mirrored frames: West Elm
• Mount: courtesy of my outdoorsy man
• Fauteuil: I purchased this chair from the estate of local boutique owner, Ruth Meyers, and had it upholstered in Charles Faudree's "Trophy" velvet.  
• Tray on green chest: Michael Aram. I use this tray to corral holiday cards, birth announcements and outdated invitations. Call me sentimental, but I hate throwing that kind of thing away!
• Blue and white ginger jar on green chest: Juliska (another cherished wedding gift)
• Chinoiserie bowl on green chest: OKC consignment shop. I love finding anything with the tobacco leaf pattern on our china.  Holds my collection of vintage matchbooks found at an estate sale! 
• Artwork over sofa: "Landscape 1004-12" by Oklahoma artist Michi Susan.  A gift from Mark's parents on our first "official" Christmas.   To me, this piece represents my grandparents' farm where I spent much of my childhood, and where we were engaged in 2014. Her work can be seen at JRB Art at the Elms in the Paseo Arts District of OKC. 
• Gold Side Table: 30A Home
• Antique Milk Glass Lamp: 30A Home
• White Club Chairs: These actually were sourced from the depths of Mark's family storage unit.  I had them reupholstered in a Tempotest outdoor fabric, which has saved them from many a red wine disaster!  I simply pop the cushion covers in the washer and air-dry.  Using an outdoor fabric was the only possible way white fabric would work in our household, and I have repeatedly recommended this solution to customers with children and pets. It always helps to have a little personal experience, right? 
• Pink Ikat Pillows: 30A Home - made from a vintage african textile, but Madeline Weinrib has some pillows that look identical! 
• Orange & Green Throws: West Elm and Steinmart (no longer available, but similar here)
• Brass Martini Table: Vintage, found at an antique shop in OKC. I'm pretty sure it's original use was as an ashtray, but now it holds cocktail glasses.
• Ming Cocktail Tables: probably my favorite craigslist find ever! (who am I kidding, I say that every time) They are not in the best of shape, but I feel like they have major character. 
• Gold Tray: Target, old.
• Blue and white remote control tray: Estate sale find.
• Pink vase: Bebe's OKC.
• Flush mount light: Vintage 70s piece found at High Point Market on a buying trip.