I hope and pray that you are all safe and doing as well as you can during these unprecedented times. As we are all housebound, I am currently doing FaceTime redesigns for anyone who needs a pick-me-up. It is a very small way that I can help or encourage someone. So if you are struggling and want some fresh eyes on your home to cheer you up, please contact me and we can play around with a room for an hour or two over FaceTime.
In the meantime, I am finally getting around to posting some room makeovers that happened in-person. I hope you enjoy this living room makeover!
In the after picture you can see that while the fireplace is in the centre of the room it is flanked by a niche and a doorway, which presents a bit of a layout challenge. Jenn and Todd had originally centred the room between the fireplace and niche. I suggested we change that and make the fireplace the focal point. We drew the furniture away from the back wall and anchored it with a big rug. Now the room feels grounded with a true focal point. One of my favourite changes is the niche. They had their TV on a stand in the corner, and we thought it would be great to get an armoire to hide it in. We searched Craigslist for an option before realizing that the one they already owned could be made to work. Jenn loves this piece of furniture so to be able to use it in the main space was amazing. It also balances the doors on the other side and is so pretty to look at. I used things they already owned to style the mantel.
We placed a sofa table behind the main couch and styled it with Jenn’s cookbooks and plants. They have an island to eat at and a huge dining room just across the main floor, so they didn’t really need another dining table in the living room space. Moving it out gave us so much more breathing room. We moved the bookcase into their powder room and hung a mug rack that she already owned by the back door. It gives them some storage options without encroaching on the room. We also changed the curtains. We had to leave the blinds because it’s TEXAS y’all and it gets hotter than Hades in the summer. But during the rest of the year they can pull them up and just use the curtains. Thankfully Jenn had already bought them so I just had to hang them. I love me some white curtains and they made such a difference to the feel of the room.
Two things we did buy that week were the rug and the coffee table trio. Y’all, the rug shopping was an adventure. We may have bought and returned four other rugs before we brought this one home. The ladies at Tuesday Morning didn’t seem too happy. I may have abandoned Jenn when she returned the last one, which was not my finest friend moment. This one was found at Home Goods our first day out looking; it had a lot going for it. It was wool, it had the weave and the colours Jenn was looking for, and it was on clearance for $199.99, but she had her heart set on one with a design pattern. So we tried four others before we thought, “let’s just try that one and see how it works.” So we strolled into Home Goods 25 minutes before they closed to get it. The manager was amazing to work with, and while we were there we spotted these stools which I thought would work perfectly for a coffee table. They are easy to move when the kids want a dance party or if someone wants a stool close to where they are sitting, but together they fill out the space perfectly. While Jenn was checking out, I may have fallen asleep on the couch Home Goods had set up at the entrance to the store. Guys, we worked hard on this living room makeover that week! When we set the rug up, it worked so well in the room. After thinking about it for an hour or so, Jenn agreed. It’s hard when we get our hearts set on something and then realize we have to make a different choice. I think it worked out really well, and it ties this living room makeover together beautifully.
The other spot we worked on was the dining room. Jenn had a lot of it set up already so it mostly involved tweaking and styling the different areas. Here are some after shots.
This is such a great-sized room. It’s their formal dining room but it’s also their homeschool room, so a lot happens in this space every day. Jenn built the chalkboard by herself before I got there so it was all ready to hang. They use it for school and I love that they can change it and make it whatever they want for different occasions. The day I left, Jenn was throwing a baby shower and she had made it into a really sweet party decoration.
I often see people on Instagram or blogs saying, “Forage your yard for greenery.” It is not that easy in Edmonton, but I’ll tell you it was a breeze in Texas. I styled the top of Jenn’s black china cabinet with things she already owned and some greenery from her yard. It was fun and if you live somewhere that is not constantly winter, I highly recommend it. We also added curtains in the dining room to soften the space and give it some nice texture.
Her IKEA cabinets made a great sideboard and have tonnes of storage for homeschooling. Using what Jenn already had, I styled the top. It’s such a fun homeschool/dining room. In my dreams where I’m a totally different person who homeschools, I would love to have a room like this.
The final space I worked on was the piano area. Jenn and Todd already had their piano set up in the niche next to the stairs. I hung the banjo and guitar, both of which Todd plays like an angel, and I styled it out. Now they have a little music area and it’s such a nice spot for the girls to play the piano. I forgot to take a before pic but here is an after.
The picture that I hung above the piano has been in all their houses since I met them and it just reminds me of them and our friendship. This might be one of my favourite spots in the house.
Dallas was exhausting but so much fun. I even got to take a little time off from this living room makeover and do things like eat my face off at the Texas State Fair and wander through all the antique shops in downtown Waxahachie. It was so great to be able to spend time with my friends while helping them out.
