~Living Room Update~Design Feature

A Living Room Update

~Adding Color to a Neutral Palette~

When I think about Springtime, I think of birds, flowers, rain, and green but most of all I think of....Color! One of the dreaded things about Winter, for me is that all the color seems to be sucked out of the landscape and it becomes dull and dreary. The minute the first flower pops out in color is like a fresh breath! But although I love color especially in my gardens, decorating inside with lots of color is hard for me. I haven't always decorated in neutral color palette's but recently in my living room makeover; I chose a color palette that was full of gray and cream. I chose this neutral palette to cultivate my own design and style while re-decorating my home.

Here is a look at the neutral color palette once the living room was painted gray. After a while, I began to feel that it was too drab and plain. That's when I decided to add color.

Now I know some people who love the bright and generous color in their homes but honestly, that's just not me! I knew I needed to add some color but I mostly like soft hues like blues, greens and lavender. I have learned through trial and error in my own decorating struggles that adding color in accents like pillows, curtains and rugs is the best way to achieve the balance of color in my home.

My walls are gray now and our furniture is neutral with browns and creams. I recently updated the living room by painting, redecorating and eliminated some decor from my home (the red couch). If you would like to see the before of that makeover story; read all about it in the post here.

Once I decided I needed some more color, I started adding color by picking out an area rug. Basically, I was going to work from the ground up to add color. I wanted to find a rug that had soft blues but still added some light, since I have dark floors and furniture. I chose a cream rug that had a mixture of gray, blue, teal and a little bit of yellow mixed in the pattern. After searching for rugs in my price range, I discovered a rug that I loved on Wayfair.com. It was shipped in 4 days! I was so thrilled with the rug! The color and feel of the rug was exactly how it was described online and I received it quickly. My little dog Chewbacca (Chooey for short), likes the rug too!

After the rug arrived I worked on finding new "colorful" throw pillows for my couch. Again, the goal was to lighten up the dark brown leather sofa so with cream or gray to add light. I'm just going to say that I found myself on the 'struggle bus' on this one. I must have looked at 5 different stores in my area and I couldn't find any pillows that worked with my style or color. Do you ever imagine something in your mind that would be perfect for your home, but then can't seem to find it in reality? If someone could duplicate what I see in my mind, it would be awesome!

Finally at the eleventh hour, I found what I was looking for at Gordman's. I don't shop here often, but they have a huge pillow selection and I was pleasantly surprised! I ended up with these two gray (I know, not really color), pillows and a cream pillow with a medium blue pattern that also added texture. I think it works. Not only did I stick to adding more gray to my house, but I also found a pillow with color that matched the rug! It was a win-win!

I found this gray & blue hardback book in a cabinet, while searching for something else, and used it to add some more color.

Once the color was added, I decided to re-paint the dark gray sofa table a creamy white instead! The result was that it definitely brought more light into the house, but you could also see more of the detail in the piece, once it was painted. The whole space looks so much better and I'm happier with how it looks now.

I will be tweeking this space for the next few weeks. One of the things I will be changing is the brown accent chair in this room. I eventually would like to change the dark sofa to a lighter one, (maybe a gray one) but it's not in the budget right now!

I found a really beautiful accent chair at Target.com and it is being shipped next week. Here is a peek at it:

My daughter got on to me about adding yet more gray to this room, once I had shown her a picture of the chair. I explained to her, "Well Em, it's not really gray, it's a natural with gray undertones!" She laughed out loud! It's really pretty though and so much better than the brown. I don't know what she is talking about with too much gray? Is that a thing?

Last week, I told you about restyling my dining room set. I have been working on the chairs off and on all week and it has been a real pain! The chairs and table legs have layers upon layers of latex paint, which has to be sanded off. It has been one of those times when you wish you hadn't started a project at all! Do you have those? If I'm being honest, I might have those moments a little too often. Like the time I decided that I no longer liked the vinyl tile in my very first house and started ripping it out one day without ever have done it before or having any supplies! Hubby came home and the single bathroom was a wreck! Yes, I have my moments.

In fact, while I had my paint brush out painting the sofa table in my living room (yes, I do mean that I painted it in my living room as well), I looked at the shutter doors I hung in my dining room with a gleam in my eye! I thought to myself, how much better would it look if those shutters were a little lighter? I decided I would try to add a little white paint to the shutters by dry brushing in the crevices and then wiping it off in areas. It gave them an aged feel in our French Country design. My husband came home during this messy process and said, "What are you doing?" Basically, I can't be trusted with a paint brush folks! You never know what I may swipe paint on while I have it in my little hands! LOL! :) By the way, the pretty little fern wreaths you see were my gift to me from me. I bought them from the Magnolia Market in Waco, Tx when we were there in March.

Here is one more look at the before and after of the living room update after we added COLOR , just a little bit! :) There is also a few more photos of the pup pup and his new rug! LOL!