When we first moved into our new home 12 years ago, there was more space than we had ever seen before. We worked our way around the house, from room to room, making the changes so we could call it home. We’re not much for formal living rooms, so this space was one of the last to see any attention. It was a collection of the furniture that had been replaced by newer furniture throughout the house, and was pretty much the kids’ hangout room. With Christmas over, it was time to clean out the last of the Fraser fir needles, and think about having a “grown up” living room.
As a kid, the formal living room was a place that was only really used on holidays, and not much then. At one point, I remember the plastic furniture covers, that when you sat down on them and slouched (like kids do), you would slide right off. I wanted a living room that we could actually use, and might want to use. The living room would still be a place for the kids’ iMac (so we could see what they were doing on Facebook!), so the computer and the computer desk it sits upon, stayed. With the honey oak desk and trim, that was a starting point. Our daughter is an avid reader, so we wanted to make a place where she could be comfortable reading, with a decent lamp to read by. I love the casual look of many of the resorts we have visited in the Caribbean, so I wanted the room to have an comfortable, island feel.
I started my search, like so many people do now, on Pinterest. If you haven’t seen it, Pinterest is much like a Google image search, except people can “pin” what they like on boards, kind of like a design board. You collect what you’re interested in on the web, and “pin it” to your board so you can reference it later. Other people can follow along on your board and pin stuff they like to their own boards. Boards can be created for anything you like, such as planning a vacation, planning a wedding, or simply having a collection of things you love.
Eventually, after seeing what others were seeing on the web, I started my own board for the redesign of the living room, pinning potential fabrics, furniture, and accessories. So when the project was complete, I pinned photos of the room, to share how everything turned out. Take a look around! Here are the final choices that went into putting this room together, island style.
A special thanks to our designer at the Brookfield, Wisconsin Ethan Allen store, Alvin Heitmann. Alvin’s got style!
Furniture:
Couch, Chair and a half, and ottoman is “Franklin” by Ethan Allen
“Map Coffee Table” by Ethan Allen
Side Tables, “Chloe” by Pottery Barn
Accessories:
Floor Lamp, “Photographer’s Tripod Floor Lamp” by Pottery Barn
Monkey’s Fist Knot Doorstop, made it myself! (instructions here)
Floraform Charger in “Surf” by R. Wood Studio Ceramics
“Reflection” by Antoine Chapon from My Island Art
Paint:
Ceiling: Benjamin Moore “Sea Foam”
Walls: Sherwin Williams “Sea Salt”
Fabrics by Waverly, Robert Allen, and Tommy Bahama
Check out my Pinterest Board for more details! Living Room Redesign Board
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