Living Room Show Off

Here it is, as promised months ago, my living room. Every piece of furniture in here has been bought used on Craigslist or a thrift store. The couches,  I finished upholstering this summer and painted the frame. The piano I painted just this month, the stool was a pink vanity stool from a thrift store. The armoire was an orange oak color and was just $35 thrifted. The small chair in the corner I sewed my first ever slip cover in red toile. The checkered coffee table was an orange/brown oak. The only project that I am not 100 percent pleased with was painting the bookcases. The bookcases are a laminate, I tried Annie Sloan Chalk Paint first, it wouldn't stick. I've even painted plastic with this stuff but it just wasn't cutting it. I used a primer made for all surfaces and latex paint, it still scrapes off. I followed all those "painting laminate bookcase" tutorials and such, no luck. I'll have to find a replacement for the shelves at some point.

I have unintentionally started a vintage shoe collection in my living room. I have an old pair of English Riding boots on the bookcase, wooden shoes on the piano, and on the coffee table, a pair of wooden shoe inserts.

I added a boxwood wreath for the holidays but I love it so much I think I'll just keep it all year. The wood rocking "mule" my grandpa carved for my daughter as a Christmas gift. The man is very talented with wood.

I was inspired by my love of horses to do an equestrian look with a bit of Swedish spin. I love the sophisticated but country feel of it, the rustic plaids and checks, the warm red and blacks offset by the cool crisp whites.

The saddle in the corner is the one I use to ride, I thought I might as well put it to use when I'm not using it.
I took full advantage of the site Graphics Fairy and use her beautiful finds to print onto some scrapbook paper. The funky anatomical horse graphics tell a little about me and make it my home. I popped them into some cheap black walmart frames. I also used her graphics to print some vintage Christmas images for a rustic Christmas tree garland.

In the next six months my only plans to improve my living room will be to extend the laminate wood flooring from my kitchen you can see in the background. I think the whitewashed gray will be great against the red, whites and blacks.

Curious about what it looked like before? I'm embarassed to show you but I want you to realize that you are capable of changing anything with a little paint and a few DIY projects. You can see how much my style preferences have changed too.  Happy Holidays everyone!

Jenine

Linking back to...
kammyskorner.com
missmustardseed.com