Monday, August 9, 2010

To Paint or not to paint...

I need your help!!!  I have gone crazy and am thinking about redecorating our living room!  I know once I start there is no turning back, so I'm scurred!!! But I am kinda tired of our decor...

 
(Please excuse the mess.  The lounging pup is Sammy, he's a little dog trapped in a big dog's body) 

We've had this decor for about 6 years and I want to lighten it up. I also want a space that has 'good bones' and that I can easily change the pillows, curtains, and accessories and get a new look without having to completely start over. Maybe I already have that?!
I have been inspired by other blogs and their WHITE COUCHES!! What?! white with kids? and dogs? and a husband? he he...cuz you know I am always immaculate, dirt just bounces off me! (Tell that to every. single. shirt in my closest)  Apparently the secret is....slipcovers!  Just pull them off and throw them in the wash with bleach and from what I have read... they are like new!

So I have been doing some research and Ikea has some great couches that are affordable too!
Here are the 2 I like:


I know... they are polar opposites.
The karlstad sofa has the option of a slipcover that goes down to the floor and covers the legs...just can't find a picture of it.  Boo. 
The ektorp sofa is more the style I tend to gravitate towards.  But I love, love, LOVE the second one. I'm just not sure how daring I want to be cuz whatever we buy I want to be happy with it for years.  Anyone out there have either one of these sofas? Thoughts? Pros? Cons? Or anyone out there who doesn't have these sofas...thoughts? Pros? Cons?

Our lazyboy recliner isn't the prettiest thing (it's dark red) but for the price it is super comfortable and was great when the girls were newborns and their internal clocks were all out of wack.  
It reclines, rocks, and swivels...I really don't want to get rid of it but it doesn't really fit into my possible plans for the room.  
I know they have slipcovers for recliners but are they any good?  The above sofas have matching chairs that I love too!


Our dining table is dark and rectangle and very banged up.  It shows every single scratch, scrape, or chip.  It's very unforgiving.  It's also too big for the space so I thought a round table would fit better and give us more room and also make the room look bigger.  And besides it's not really my style anymore. 


So I was thinking of changing it to something like this:


Or is that too much white?  Since we don't have a separate dining room I don't want the couch and table to clash but I also don't want everything to be too matchy matchy.  Oooooh this is so hard!  Maybe I should get a consult from Thrifty Decor Chick...she has an awesome sense of style and on the cheap! 

We hope to get a flat screen when our little dinky tv says goodbye.  We've had it as long as we've been married (that's 12 years!!) and we got it second hand.  So whenever we get a flat screen we would like to mount it to the wall and get a console table underneath.  I think that will also help make the room look bigger. 


Okay...one of my fave parts, picking the paint color!!!!
I am thinking some sort of gray.
I stopped by Home Depot (did you know it's actually THE Home depot? Does anyone really say that? Or am I the only one that doesn't?) and I picked up a few paint samples, okay, okay 6...I couldn't decide (surprise, surprise) and I told myself that was the whole point of samples.
Although when I told the guy at the paint counter that I needed "All the ones with stars marked on them" his response was "Oh wow!" Whatev...
So here are the colors I picked up...


Watcha think? Too light? Not gray enough?  I'm kinda diggin' rocky mountain.  Although having my walls painted in 'twilight gray' would be pretty cool.  I heart vampires :-)

I went onto hawthorne threads and found a gazillion few fabrics that I liked. I thought they would look good on some throw pillows for the couch.


I asked my husband his opinion...he thought they were 'girly'...like that's a bad thing?!  I just want a calm, serene space that  we love hanging out in . But of course I want the hubby to like it too.  So who knows!

I'm really fighting my perfectionism with this one and trying not to second guess everything.  IF I ever make a decision and actually start redecorating our living room I will let you know. Until then I would love to hear your opinions, advice, etc.  I need all the help I can get!!  Thanks!



1 comment:

  1. I love the idea of a white couch, but I don't think I'm a big enough risk taker to actually do it. I say go for it.

    I prefer the Ektorp sofa. I think it fits in with several decorating styles should your style change down the road, and it looks a heck of a lot more comfortable.

    A round table would definitely give you more room for your dining area. And I don't think a white table would be overkill... it's all in the accessories when you go white.

    I like the Rocky Mountain paint, too. Abalone Shell isn't gray enough, and Tide Pools/Celtic Gray are almost blue. The fabrics are gorgeous, too.

    Go for it! You'll be glad you did.

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