Welcome Friends!

Thank you for stopping by to watch me transform my much used/loved/ill-treated family room over the next 6 weeks!  And thank you to Linda, from CallingitHome, for inviting all the humble bloggers out there to participate!  I think this go round is definitely going to be the best one yet!

Am I wrong to think that the family room is the hardest to decorate?

You really have to consider the needs of each member of the family, comfort and of course, whether you can actually keep the space looking it’s best.  I mean, it’s all fine and dandy to have a fancy-schmancy room for a day, but will it work a year from now?  Will those little sticky fingers, zillion legos and dripping popsicles ruin all your beautiful work?

Meet my room.

This was after I covered up my sofa with some homemade cushion covers…. about a year and a half ago.  Those covers are still going strong!  Are they the best ever?  Well no, but at $2 a yard the fabric has been surprisingly sturdy and at least I get to sit on a clean cushion.

That’s saying a lot in this house.

Can you see the weird openings?  There are actually doors/openings on every wall of the room.  I love it since it’s so open, but it makes furniture placement a bit tricky.

So what am I thinking?  Well, I’m going to try bringing sexy back!  I think my brood can handle a little bit more sophistication…. but I still need to keep the room fun, get my toy storage on, and figure out how to have lots of seating without it looking like a sofa ate my room.

It’s going to be interesting!  I’m so excited that you’ll be by my side to help me make some tough decisions.

A few key pieces need to stick around… the couch, the coffee tables and possibly the Asian cabinet.  Beyond that, everything is free game!

In a sewing frenzy I made a bunch of pillows – practice makes perfect, right?!  Well, I’m going to delete a bunch since I’m tired (TIRED) of picking them up off the floor.  And in a painting frenzy, I already painted the walls Benjamin Moore’s Magnolia… oh, and I sure think that the vent looks a lot better.  You can see how I made that easy frame here.

And this my friends, is exactly how the room looks today.  Bare, boring white walls… crazy pillows and a lack of general pizazz.  Whomp, whomp.

Inspiration?

How about a vibe like this?

Textural.  Collected.  Warm.

With a sense of humor, for sure.

But totally put your feet up and chill.  If it needs a coaster, take it back!!

Here’s the game plan, subject to change if a wild whim strikes me, of course =)

1.  Build two gallery shelves for the focal wall.

2.  Add a new rug

3.  Do some alterations to my slip covers

4.  Make new pillow covers, But first, decide on fabric

5.  Add a sconce, perhaps??

6.  Side tables and bar stools would be nice

7.  Make all the flat areas interesting and oh, so pretty.

8.  Find, make, steal some art.

I think that’s it!

I can’t wait to have a fabulous new room to relax in!!  Shall we put our sunglasses on and drive off the cliff together?!?

And please make sure that you head over to Calling it Home to see all the beautiful makeovers in progress!!

Happy Creating!  Tootles!  Jessica