Thursday, July 29, 2010

Living Room Makeover: Gray with a Pop of Turquoise

A little bit less than a week ago I wrote this plea regarding my "Random and Beige" living room. Well, perhaps there is a reason my friends and husband think I am crazy, because over the weekend, in less than 4 hours, I redid the entire space. I kept going back to the pictures and listening to the advice left by others and I just couldn't stand it! Once my pictures were out there in space, I just could not stand the unrest I felt.

So, on Sunday, my husband and I took advantage of a few hours of babysitting and cleared out, repainted and reorganized our living room. Here is the result:

BEFORE


AFTER


The first step to freshening up this room was a new paint color. I loved the ideas both Sandy and Rachel gave to include a hazy, grayish blue. I ended up finding Manhattan Mist at Home Depot and loved it. We used a paint plus primer grade paint, and here is the real kicker, we only had to do ONE coat. Talk about time saver, we painted the whole room in less than 3 hours! And by the time we finished, the first walls were dry enough to remove the tape. It was awesome. I may be biased, but I believe the gray really made the beige couch pop. You can really see the shape of the piece and it works well to keep the new cool room warm and comfy. (And sorry to those of you who suggested we slipcover it, it was a recent purchase and my husband basically attached himself to piece and refused to let me do any such thing!)

With the gray backdrop, our accent colors of blue and green really came to life. I was able to rearrange some accessories I already had to get just the right touch. At this point, we chose not to hang anything back up on the walls. I love the way the paint color just calms the whole room and makes all of the furniture pieces and accessories feel purposeful. I am not longer distracted by the chaos of the wall decorations.



We kept most of the existing furniture in the room, rearranging it slightly. I just couldn't part with my $10 antique rocker. It provided a lot more interest than the old slip covered recliner, so we booted the latter to the office for now. I recovered the seat in a rustic yet modern floral pattern that I felt tied into the room perfectly. (And, it didn't cost a thing because it was scrap fabric I already had at home!)


Before, the fabric choices were pretty much cohesive, but my rosette pillow threw off the whole color scheme. Now, I feel a lot better about the combination of the fabric, and have ordered a nice modern, geometric fabric that matched nicely to make large couch pillows as some suggested.

Before

After

I did add one new piece to the room, which was the large mirror. While the picture below doesn't do it justice, it is a large piece that really does help bring the room to life. It reflects all the way down the hallway and picks up a lot of light. It also helps the black coffee table, curtain rods, and TV feel much less random. I love it! Thanks Kim. The second you left your comment I was thinking, "Of course, a mirror!" And I did indeed find the perfect one at homegoods.



All that was needed were some small changes, like replacing the overly formal black knobs on my TV cabinet. Every time I looked at the piece it was so black and white and didn't mesh well with what I had going on in the room. So, with $2 knobs from Hobby Lobby the piece got a little makeoever.

Before
After



Finally I added some $7.00 panels I found at Target and the room felt perfect. It is calming, uncluttered and just right for my family. We gravitate towards the cool colors, as the rest of our house would certainly show you, so this room is now very much in character for us.



I would still like to add a rug as almost every commenter suggested, but we just haven't found the right one yet. There are a few from Dash and Albert that I am swooning over, but with the price tag, maybe we will make that a Christmas present this year. Or, if we can get to Ikea anytime soon, I know there are a few there that might be just the ticket. Our budget for this makeover was $200 and we came in at around $150; mirror, knobs, curtains and paint included. I am feeling pretty good about that!

I'll be linking to the CSI Turquoise Project
Visit thecsiproject.com

Happy Thursday!

43 comments:

Unknown July 29, 2010 at 5:29 AM  

Lovin the color! Very calming. And where did you get those pears? They are adorable!
Great transformation.

Hopeful Housewife July 29, 2010 at 6:00 AM  

Love the new look! My sister and I were just discussing neutral paint colors to go with her beige furniture. I sent her your link....hope she loves it as much as I do!

Unknown July 29, 2010 at 7:20 AM  

love the new look!! If you do decide to put something back up on the wall, you might try a painting, unframed, with a floral design, but an old world feel, kind of like the fabric on your rocker. by the way, the rocker is great!! it keeps the room from feeling overly modern and formal, plus it is beautiful!!

Proper Prim July 29, 2010 at 7:40 AM  

You did an amazing job... you are right it is so calming now. I love your old rocker, perfect in the room.

Hugs, Deb

Jessica July 29, 2010 at 7:53 AM  

Patrice, the transformation is amazing. I adore the color, as I am partial to the gray family as well. ;
Great Job and for that price..who wouldn't want to make over a room?

claire @ a peachtree city life July 29, 2010 at 8:15 AM  

that looks great! our guest room is manhattan mist, and i love it! it's the perfect neutralish color, but it still picks up other colors in the room - yours seems to look more blueish, while mine looks a tiny bit purple :) isn't it great how paint can transform a room?? great job

Michelle @ Sweet Something Design July 29, 2010 at 8:31 AM  

Great job! I love the color you chose! The mirror is fantastic too!

Sassy Sites! July 29, 2010 at 9:59 AM  

Great job! I love the pears that you made!! Your blog is so cute with lots of fun ideas here! I'm a follower ...coming from Sassy Sites. :)

Becky July 29, 2010 at 10:13 AM  

I really like the changes. Very simple and clean looking.

Annie Louise July 29, 2010 at 10:16 AM  

I love the makeover. That color is perfect, it makes the room come alive, yet is serene and calming. Love how the painting was done so quick with the primer included--good job. Thanks for sharing-very inspirational.
Jeanette

Ashlie July 29, 2010 at 11:09 AM  

I am new to your blog so I am not sure if you have already discussed this...but did you make or buy the artwork on your TV stand? I am dying to put one in my kitchen. You can e-mail me at ashlie.jenkins@gmail.com ~ Thanks so much!

Angie@Echoes of Laughter July 29, 2010 at 12:20 PM  

Your living room looks really lovely! I love the wall colour. It all looks so fresh! Wonderful job!!

Val July 29, 2010 at 12:47 PM  

I love it!!!

Jennifer July 29, 2010 at 3:06 PM  

Love the gray! I'm obsessed with gray right now myself. The green accents really keep the room from looking too blue, and I am a sucker for a huge beautiful mirror!

Erin A July 29, 2010 at 3:10 PM  

Yeah, it looks amazing! That color is perfect, it just cooled the whole room off and it looks so much brighter!

Love the pears, love the new knobs, the fabric on the rocker is perfect. The whole thing is a home run. :)

Hannah ~ Carys Home July 29, 2010 at 3:13 PM  

Looks amazing! I'm so inspired to go finish my living room too. Thanks for posting pics!

Allison {A Glimpse Inside} July 29, 2010 at 4:15 PM  

Looks fabulous! Great weekend project!

Amy Kinser July 29, 2010 at 10:16 PM  

Your before looked great and your after looks great. I do love the new color. So fresh and pretty!

Lina Thomlinson July 30, 2010 at 8:50 AM  

What a change! I wish my living room looked so nice. Maybe once I get more followers for my blog I can do something similar and get tips.

Amanda @ Life with A.Co July 30, 2010 at 10:04 AM  

WOWEE!! What a difference a week makes! :P Or four hours, I should say ;)

Great work! Looks soo much better! YIPEE!

A.Co @ A.Co est. 1984

Sarah @ Hennessey House July 30, 2010 at 10:10 AM  

i love EVERYTHING in your fantastic living room!

Suzanne@Meridian Road July 30, 2010 at 11:52 AM  

That's such a pretty gray. The whole room looks really great~well done!

Joy@Thrifty Parsonage Living July 30, 2010 at 1:33 PM  

I love the gray wall color. It's so calming and makes your accents pop in the room.

JolieAnne July 30, 2010 at 2:18 PM  

I love the changes you made.
The paint color does make your gorgous sofa come alive!
The only thing I would look for is a different table to put next to the rocker-love that rocker, great patina!

Maria July 31, 2010 at 10:58 AM  

Very nice. The walls really accentuate your beautiful floors.

KasiaJ July 31, 2010 at 10:40 PM  

Beautiful. The grey is perfect. And I echo the question: where did you get those pears? I love them.

Rachel August 1, 2010 at 9:29 AM  

Wow! I'm so happy you liked my suggestion! Its really lovely!

Jen August 2, 2010 at 7:19 AM  

Love the new paint color!
I'm obsessed right now with the blue/gray paint color!
Looks great!

Unknown August 2, 2010 at 7:48 AM  

Awesome!! That looks great!! :)

Amy Chalmers August 2, 2010 at 8:41 AM  

HI! I am doing the same thing you are right now..calming down my space. Your walls look bluer in some pics and greyer in others...I am considering a greyish blue..but don't want it to be cold. Your space is so nice now, I think it came out great.

Amy Chalmers August 2, 2010 at 8:41 AM  

HI! I am doing the same thing you are right now..calming down my space. Your walls look bluer in some pics and greyer in others...I am considering a greyish blue..but don't want it to be cold. Your space is so nice now, I think it came out great.

Ashlee Marie August 2, 2010 at 12:03 PM  

What a difference paint makes! Lovely change, and in just a few hours! Wow~! I'd love it if you'd link up to my Topsy Turvy Tuesday's tomorrow!

Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple August 2, 2010 at 1:47 PM  

WOW your living room is beautiful!!! I love it! It looks like a room from a magazine!

Tiffany August 2, 2010 at 7:23 PM  

I think it's perfect. Beautiful color. I actually think the "before" is pretty too though!

Tiffany August 2, 2010 at 7:23 PM  

I think it's perfect. Beautiful color. I actually think the "before" is pretty too though!

Jami August 3, 2010 at 12:42 AM  

It looks just great! I love that soothing color you used. And all the little touches bring it together so nicely!

Missives From Suburbia August 3, 2010 at 1:28 PM  

My gosh, it's fantastic! Can I post photos of my living room on your site and get ideas from your brilliant readers? Or can I just fly them all out for a makeover party? :)

Julie August 4, 2010 at 8:11 AM  

Looks great! I love a gray-blue and black color combo. It's one of my favorites!

Julie August 4, 2010 at 8:11 AM  
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door August 4, 2010 at 9:06 AM  

Great job! Love the oversized mirror! Been on the hunt for one of those myself! And the pears on your coffee table are adorable.
Great makeover!

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal August 4, 2010 at 10:17 PM  

The color you picked is a wonderful change! I totally agree, less stuff on the walls is calming. I discovered that when we moved here a year ago and I just didn't put everything back up on the walls. It's all still in my closets and I don't miss having them up!

Heather August 6, 2010 at 8:19 PM  

I have that same polka dot lamp AND the Keep Calm and Carry On (only in yellow) in my "formal" living room. We have great taste. :)

Anonymous August 10, 2010 at 12:44 PM  

Interesting page! I haven't found lemontreecreations.blogspot.com before in my browsing!I found very useful information about
[url=http://nuscin-online.info]cosmetics[/url] here... Keep up the great work!

Related Posts with Thumbnails