We are visiting the rooms from the mid-century house we have been working on for the last year, and today’s tour is the living room! Like most of you (I bet), we spend a large percentage of our time in the living room. It has our TV, fireplace and is also set to be the centerpiece of the house.
This room was not a quick fix in any way as we had to make a major roof repair vintage hairstyle ceiling panels, completely replace a sinking tile floor (sharp edges and loose pieces of grout were everywhere), add built-in shelves and make an old fireplace.
But, I must say that the end result brings a lot of light and joy to the home and helps to show the huge windows that helped us fall in love with the house in the first place (see photos before and after the transformation below). !).
I really wanted the whole house to flow in a specific warm color palette with some items (you can see my Home humor board and plans here). So I tried to pick some elements and shapes that would give a retro 70s vibe in a modern, trendy (and pink!) Way.
As you can see, the dark floors and the “before” fireplace are a stark contrast to the brighter “after” photo. We also removed the front of the old wood burning fireplace and installed a gas fireplace. We love it !!
A firefight is one of my favorite things in life (and all winter long).
The biggest change in this room is definitely the floor, though. We had a big problem with the previous tile floor going up from the basement to where it was cracking and breaking all over the place (due to poor installation) and there were piles (not exaggerating!) Of loose pieces of grout everywhere.
We had to wear sneakers or shoes for the first nine months of life there so your feet weren’t gray with grout powder or cut by a broken tile edge, fun! The white oak floor was a very long ordeal to do it right, but we love how it came out! I found it a pleasure to walk barefoot, haha …
My husband calls affectionately this artistic impression “hot dog girl,” though I love the artist and have several of his pieces all over the house. I know some people aren’t into painting stone, and that’s fine, but I love how painted stone allows you to see the nooks and crannies of the texture even better than when it was all a dark color.
We have added a set of ventilated gas logs (with these birch trunks in the size of 30 inches) and converted the fireplace to gas instead of burning firewood; it is definitely the best place in the house once winter arrives. We like to pull over the coffee table and do puzzles with Lola in front of her at night.
Do you enjoy this visit to the room before and after? Check out my…
I like to have at least one floor hanging in most spaces when I can, and you can’t go wrong a simple brass planter. Those herringbone cactus plants they are one of my favorites for hanging planters and are pretty easy to keep alive (so that’s a plus for me).
I really wanted a cozy fireplace and this Turoy swivel chair it’s basically the perfection for the luxury vintage ambiance you were looking for. The rotating part is used a lot to turn back and forth from watching TV to watching the fire (and our cats also love to sleep on it).
Boucle fabric is also an obsession for me and I love the cozy texture it adds.
It took me longer to find a rug I liked for our living room until I found it this pink terrazzo rug. It adds color, print and visual texture and is also very easy to vacuum.
That mushroom coffee table (similar here) and golden cone auxiliary table (similar here) also adds to the vibes of the 70s, and I love it.
There was a $ 1,000 fluted credential I was looking at last year, but I couldn’t spend it (plus shipping) on the item, so I did. this IKEA trick in a Besta showcase, and I am VERY happy with how it turned out!
I think it’s one of the best DIYes I’ve done; you really can’t say fluting has been added and it looks luxurious for less. Here is a smaller closet if you like that fluted look.
Just a little shout a our TV Frame. If you haven’t seen them, I’ve been looking at them for a few years now, as I love how they look like a work of art framed on the wall when not in use. When our TV started losing rows of pixels last year, we decided to opt for the Frame (with a white frame option) and I’m so glad I did.
I can put family photos, seasonal art or Etsy digital art it appears on the screen in an instant and feels like another impression on the wall instead of coming out in a nasty way.
How good are these windows? Very good. We pulled out a bunch of vegetation-covered bushes that covered half the view, so now you can see all the magical seasons and snowstorms in a more panoramic view.
We have installed some roller blinds that filter light over the windows as the sun enters this side of the house during the winter and makes it difficult to watch TV during the day. It also helps keep the room from getting so hot from the shadows in the summer.
I’m not always a person who matches furniture, but I actually love having a chair and the same fabric for our curved Kayra sofa, too. The curved sofa is such a fun piece to have as one of the main things in the home, and it really increases the retro factor while the buckle fabric keeps it modern.
And if you’re curious about having pets and a kid with white furniture, I’ll listen to you! I think about these things when I choose home decor, but I also tend to do what I want and treat myself with life as it happens.
We’ve had plenty of opportunities to clean the furniture, but I got there quickly, and so far everything looks great! Not for everyone, but it works for me 🙂
Love these pillows with round pompoms—So much fun and they are a good contrast my fluffy pink pillows too.
jo they made those built-in shelves last fall, and although we can change this area a bit if we never add a mantle to the fireplace (which I would like), I love having the shelves for holiday decorating and adding a little greenery to this wall .
We also rebuilt the fragile storage area at the bottom to be three closets, so we have a great place for books and toys that we want to keep close but out of sight when the room is tidy (which sometimes but not always, hahaha). ).
For decorating shelves, items such as letter boards, great subjectbooks, vintage / beautifully colored books, prints (here is the “take it easy” i “here comes the sun” prints) and family photos, and plants are usually my basics (these small fluted planters they are fantastic).
I also like to add some unique finds, such as vintage trinkets and other things (this large clear crystal is a vintage find from a decade ago that I still really like).
I love the Sketch restaurant in London on the internet with its pink velvet stands, and I wanted to make a mini version of the walls of his gallery (which are just funny black and white drawings) to create an easy black and white wall DIY.
I chose these prints for my wall (1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6), but I’m really looking forward to getting three more and making a whole new set next year.
Check out this post to create your own Easy black and white gallery wall!
I’m a good sucker balloon light and this one is fantastic as it is the perfect mix of vintage and modern.
Overall, this room feels so bright and happy now that we have updated the space in a major way. We also have plans to paint the exterior so that the part of the fireplace on the outside of the house matches the inside.
You’ll get that inner / outer feel again that you’ll both see through the large glass windows (something very similar to Frank Lloyd Wright that I love).
Feeling cozy at home can be very important, and I love that this room offers us a place to relax and enjoy ourselves throughout the day.
Since this area had not yet been renovated last season, I am really looking forward to putting our tree and all my decorations to make the room as magical as it can be. What do you think, do you feel happy and welcoming ?! xo. Laura
Credits // Author and photography: Laura Gummerman.