Living Room Face Lift
My living room recently had a mini makeover. I really spend very little time in this space…. I know that may sound weird, but it is true. Mostly Roman and I will have a glass of wine after dinner here or if we have company, we do hang out here and act like normal people, but it isn’t used too often. Mostly this is the view I see when I walk to my kitchen to get coffee in the morning, so I want it to look good honestly!
Goals here were 1) make TV disappear 2) create a statement mantle 3) find coffee table and chair that we will both love (we are now on third set of each!)
First off, we painted the open plan living, dining and Kitchen out in Benjamin Moore Silver Satin.
I have always loved the look of a slab of stone wrapped elegantly around a fireplace…. I also love not being poor LOL so when I priced out a dreamy 8’ x5’ slab and it came in at $12,000 I decided no, we won’t be getting that (insert crying emoji). Also, our home is 8 years old and so the gas fireplace works like a charm and to replace would have been minimum $6200 so we were going to keep this unit in place…. next up:my Plan B. I found this Nero Black tile via Dal Tile tile at Bridegport Flooring in 12″x48” lengths, this meant the face when sitting across from the fireplace would look like one piece. I added the slats above to create some drama and to attend to goal #1 which was to make the TV disappear. The black is Onyx from Benjamin Moore, and I added a slat wall to match in my hallway to tie this look in elsewhere and make it feel like it was always here and not a spec house add on-which it is!
The TV was a point of domestic disturbance. We have a big tv in our TV room for movie nights, so I didn’t want a massive TV here (husband of course wanted as large as humanly possible☹) So we compromised on size, and I ordered in the 50” Samsung Art TV. We waited 6months for it to come in due to Covid….and Roman hated it. So back it went. We ended up with a simple who knows what smart tv and it is low profile, and it is great- also much cheaper than the art tv, so I guess a win. Also, it fit on our old articulating mount so Roman felt nice about that $60 savings HA!
I fell in love with an abstract city scape canvas on Etsy and had an amazing BC artist Kiley Jane recreate it for me custom to my measures. I added the dreamy vintage vibe CB2 Clooney mirror, this doubles the natural light at this end of the open floor plan and acts to create a cool vibe when paired next to the fireplace marble inspired tile.
Shop the Clooney Mirrors here: https://www.cb2.ca/accessories/
The chair is a swivel low back, perfect for the transition in an open floor plan between the dining room. I like to keep furnishing site lines pretty low when you have a peaked ceiling like I do in this space. It gives the illusion of more height and I find lower furniture more conducive to conversation. It is from LDShoppe, one of my go to’s for great pieces at great prices! Shop them here: https://ldshoppe.com/
The coffee table was a piece I had been drooling over, I had found a solid piece for over $3000 and kept it in my cart for almost ONE YEAR. Finally, just as I was about ready to suck it up and order I came across an almost identical version from Style in Form at Portfolio Interiors for $1200 so I picked it up the next day😊Shop Style in Form here: https://styleinform.com/
For me personally I like minimal décor/accessories. Typically, I change these up seasonally and swap out rugs/pillows about every 24months or so. In a living area for adult entertaining (ha!) I always have some iteration of candles, books, vase with blooms/greens, cool coasters and some sort of memento. If you can’t/don’t like real greens DO invest in high quality fake ones. Besides looking more realistic these tend to repel dust better so over time they will pay for themselves.
My rug is a smidge too small for the space. This is something I choose to live with because I am a crazy cat lady. My cats destroy rugs, just by existing. I use a cherry spray for my furniture but rugs never last in this house and also wine gets spilled a lot so even with regular cleaning my rugs get severe abuse. This one is from Urban Barn, and it was a floor model and I got it for $110.
ACCESSORIES EDIT TIPS:
ALWAYS vary your heights of accessories. Here I have 3 heights of candle sticks on the mantle. I took wooden beads and laid them out horizontally to add a bit of color that ties in with the art and the décor box ides remotes and adds a little pop of shine.
On the coffee table a stack of books paired with a tall vase carries the eye up and toward the focal fireplace. Height ensures your space doesn’t visually “fall flat” and stacking goods, like books add a casualness most spaces can benefit from.
Coasters are a good way to add some style. These are faux marble and offer protection from the worst kind of guest- the red wine drinker.
Trays are one of my favorite items to accessorize with. This hamsa hand is a small version of a tray and it houses some current stones that I am into. It is from The Cross, shop them here: https://thecrossdesign.com/
ALWAYS mix texture. Even in a modern space like mine you need some varied texture. Here the solid wood coffee table is the perfect partner to the smooth fireplace and the linen weave sofa and chair.
RULE OF PILLOWS: Never more than 2 the same. Ensure you have a lumbar (long and narrow) Down is the best investment and will hold their shape over time.
The Mini Makeover Cost Breakdown:
Repainting of Open Area $800
Chair $1150
Rug $110
Coffee Table $960
Fireplace Demo, Tile and Tile Work: $1400
Pillows $550
Side table $180
Candle Sticks $180
Art $500
Mirror $780
TOTAL: $6400
** received trade discounts
