Oh Make Me Over!

So this is my first post ever...and I've been thinking about creating a blog for awhile now but have been a little chicken to do it. I have been a fan of so many other blogs for so long and when I met Holly from http://www.inthefunlane.com/ (whose blog I absolutely adore) she gave me that extra confidence I needed to take the leap (thank you Holly!). It wasn't my lack of computer skills (which I really do lack) that was holding me back so much as the worry that I don't think my life is interesting enough that anyone will want to read about it! Ha!
For my first post I thought I'd share our living room makeover. Here is the story of how our living room came to be:

This is our first house which we bought almost a year ago last August 15th. The living room was pretty much absent of any style or decor when we moved in, so I thought what better than a blank slate for me to decorate my first room!
I got to work and painted the walls Behr Chinchilla Gray. It was a little dark but I loved the Gray walls. I was already searching online and saving for a set of Ikea Ektorp couches (I really was looking forward to having slipcovers with all the paw prints and fluff around here).



Then, to my surprise, my Dad called me and told me he was sending a moving van out from Victoria (we live in Edmonton) full of furniture for us!!!

When the moving van arrived I was very excited to see that he had gifted us two newer leather couches....except...they were BURGUNDY. I know everyone is different but this really is NOT one of my favorite colors. And once I put them up against the Chinchilla Gray walls, the walls appeared purple and the couches looked quite red. This was not the look I was going for.

Off I went to Benjamin Moore to try and find the perfect color to offset the burgundy. Alas...I had found a perfect option! I brought home a can of Alexandria Beige and repainted the whole room this lovely shade of taupe.


Still quite dark for my tastes... but after all that work, I had to work with it. Then my only issue was the room seemed too dark. So I purchased MANY white accessories (mostly from Home Sense) and two bamboo end tables on sale for $60 each at Pier One (they were lime green so I repainted them BM Mascarpone). The Final touches were a new Chandelier from Home Depot which I got on sale for $19 (regular almost $200), LONG white window panels from Jysk, and I also painted the dark mahogany coffee table my Dad gave me Creamy White by Benjamin Moore. The art behind the couch is an ikea print of a two cows which I cut in half, cropped and framed with two Ikea frames.

And Voila!







Hope you like it! Let me know what you think!


38 comments:

pattijo212 said...

I love this! I love the lighting and the coffee table! I would have probably put some Audrey Hepburn pictures up on left and right of the mirror, but that's my style :) It looks great though!

Brenda said...

The transformation is amazing. Love the touches of white that you added to the room. That is so much safer to me than having a white couch (I have 2 little ones and a dog) But all of the accesories are perfect. I can't wait to see more of your house.

Rebecca said...

Thanks ladies!! The burgundy couches really were a challenge for me but I think all the white touches and accessories help distract me from noticing them all the time! lol! Brenda, you are right they are pretty easy to wipe down when the dogs get their dirty paws on them....I just wish I could get my darling cats to stop sharpening their claws on them:) Pattijo, I agree I think I should put something 'prettier' in those frames!..the cow print was kind of a last minute solution just to put something there.

Unknown said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE it all to death!!!

Norma said...

Hi Rebecca, I just love the way your room turned out, great job.

Norma said...

Hi Rebecca, I really love your room, you did a fantastic job in decorating it. You can come to my place and help me out decorating my new basement.

lisa said...

We were gifted leather burgundy couches too! And I know exactly what you mean. They're extremely comfortable, but not the color I would have chosen. We're painting right now (also chose a beige of sorts) and hoping it turns out. I LOVE the chandelier (how so cheap?!) and esp. the white highlights. Very nice touch.

Carolyn said...

WOW!! love the mirror above the couch. it looks perfect there!

Rebecca said...

Thanks Holly and everyone!!! Norma, we are currently finishing our basement too! We should alert eachother when we find great deals!! So far got our framing and plumbing done. Wish hubby was a little more handy so we could do more ourselves :)
Lisa, yay Im so glad Im not suffering alone, lol. Try some LARGE accent pillows to cover most of the couch! that helped me a bit! I actually was just in Home Depot looking around when I saw that white chandelier on clearance for $19!! There were about four of them left. Hubby hated it at first when he saw it in the box...now he loves it!
Carolyn, the mirror is from Superstore...can't remember exactly how much it was but I know it was pretty cheap. It was originally black but I painted it white (BM Mascarpone.)

lauren @ gathering moss said...

girlfriend, we have similar taste in patterns (check out my recent post: http://www.stonesgatheringmoss.blogspot.com/)

i've been considering those pier one tables and was on the fence, but after seeing yours painted white, i'm sold! gotta stop by my local store on the way home from work to see if they still have some in stock!

~ Kelly Ann ♥ said...

Lovely Blog-

I'm a now follower~

~ Kelly ~
http://kellyannstudio.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Gorgeous room, I adore your white accessories. That little birdy on your table is so cute!

G said...

I love how you took the focus away from the burgundy leather - amazing what a different wallcolor and a few white accessories can do! I'm trying to disguise a orangey/burgundy barcalounger myself.... why, boys, why??

Brakes and Gas said...

I like the cows! It is the perfect touch of humor in such an elegant and glam room! Looking forward to reading more posts!

The Pittsburgh Pair said...

I love your blog! I found it via Holly's!

I think you should paint your dresser on which your TV sits as well. Painting it white would just complete the room perfectly.

LOVE IT and your feathered headbands!

Unknown said...

Stunning! I do love a good room makeover. I love how you cleverly hid the bergundy, leather sofa with those beautiful trellis pillows. The white accents are such a nice pop against your dark walls. Great contrast!

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

I love it all! The white accessories make it. =)

erin said...

Looooveeee the lamps! It's a lovely room. I can't wait to see more!

Mrs. 5C said...

It is BEAUTIFUL! Great job!
ps: I love your blog name :)

MrsKBJ said...

You did a wonderful job! I love it all!! (I saw your blog on Holly's):O)

Melissa said...

your living room is beautiful!!! I love the colors!! =)

Ani said...

looks awesome :-) nice job!!
I just think that dresser with the TV needs the Holly treatment, then it will be PERFECT! ;-)

Tiffany said...

This is so fabulous! I love the lighting choices!

elle said...

WOW! You did an amazing job with your living room! I love that you took what you got and made it work, not everyone can do that. I look forward to your blog as I need some decor inspiration.

Unknown said...

It's wonderful how you turned the whole room around. It's both fun and sophisticated. The only thing I would change is stain that dresser under the TV very deep dark chocolate brown. It would add elegance and round the whole thing nicely without being too matchy/matchy (painting it white would be too much, not good).

Lovely Little Nest said...

Fabulous job! And I LOVE those lamps ~ where are they from?? Great makeover! :)

Little Lovables said...

what an amazing job, incredible and the burgandy couches totally blend in now.

what a steal on the chandalier, wow!!

Little Lovables said...

ps... love love love the white!

Trac~ said...

I love what you did with the room -AWESOME JOB! Like the Pittsburgh pair said - I would definitely consider painting the dresser your tv sits on White. Funny how that was my first thought before I read everyone else's comments! Again, great job and thanks for sharing! :o)

ladydi said...

Hi
I found your blog from Holly. I love the look. I am going to check out Home Sense in Ottawa re the lighting. I love it. I will be following your blog.

dianne

Roeshel said...

What a gorgeous transformation! It's a beautiful and inspirational room! Great job!

Welcome to the blog world! I look forward to seeing your projects! Love the headbands and napkins rings! So pretty!

And that cat-door is genius!

Roeshel

Rebecca said...

Thanks so much eveyone for leaving me such nice comments! It made me so happy the other night when I came home to read so many awesome compliments! I owe Holly a million thanks for posting a link to my new blog!
Lovely Little Nest, the lamps are all from Home Sense. They were each under $50. They really have a great selection there! Our house might look like a lighting shop if my husband didn't pull in the reins on me.
I AGREE with all of you that I need to do something with my dresser the tv sits on! Not sure what I'm going to do...a vintage look or a Hollywood Regency type deal.

j said...

Very nice! Welcome to blog land!

Jill said...

You did an amazing job, both on the room and the blog! Keep it up!

Cherish @ My Cup of Tea said...

I think you're a genius, and you should do this for a living. That's what I think. That and I want you to decorate MY house!!! I'm so in love with your blog. I've added it to my favorites list, if you'd like to reciprocate, please feel free.

www.cherishscupoftea.blogspot.com

Thrifty Decor Chick said...

What a gorgeous room!!

Sarah P said...

I cannot tell you how helpful this post is to me. I'm pretty sure I have the exact same couch and over-stuffed chair in burgundy. I inherited them when I married my hubby. My walls are similar color to yours but nothing looks right. It's soooo dark and bland. But now that I've seen what you've done with all that bright white...it's beautiful! Now I know how to fix my living room!!!! Thank you!

Vintage Home said...

....wow I am so impressed with your great work!...you should be very pleased with yourself!....CS