Living Room Makeover - a warm & cozy cottage

I hope you all had a wondeful holiday weekend! And, in case you were wondering - I've got a few more posts to go in my Party-Time Tuesday series...but I'm just not feelin' it today. (I did have all the party posts created ahead of time - until my hard drive crashed a few weeks ago.) So it'll be back next Tuesday. (Or possibly tomorrow? I haven't decided yet. That's the beauty of being my own boss. I can change the rules on a whim! Thanks for sticking with me here, people.) What I am feeling like today is showing you another interior redesign!

close-up of fireplace mantel after redesign

This was a really fun redesign for me because the client had such fun things to work with. (Plus, she let me do whatever I wanted! Gotta love that.) As a former "Southern Living at Home" consultant, she had a variety of decorative accessories of great quality, style and colors. It was simply a matter of re-arranging everything in a way that highlighted the decor and visually made sense. Since light was limited in this living room, with only one large window, my goal was to brighten the space in every way possible. I did this by removing several black throw pillows, which were really sucking the light out of the room; adding more lamps; and placing spots of color evenly around the room with accessories.


BEFORE...

The TV and fireplace were vying for attention as the focal point. The mantel was a bit cluttered and didn't show to its full potential.

AFTER...

I simplified the mantel arrangement with just one large framed piece and a few accessories. We moved the TV to the wall perpendicular to the fireplace - it's still convenient for viewing, but no longer visually crowds the fireplace, which is a really great focal point.

BEFORE...

AFTER.... Now these two chairs face the sofa and and the fireplace and round out a cozy conversation circle. The TV stands alone on this wall and no longer crowds the fireplace.


We took these wonderful jars out of storage and placed them together on the hearth. This really shows them off as a collection and helps distribute valuable color.




Sometimes placing two smaller pieces together as if they are one, like this, can really help bring character to a space and help you fill a large wall.

This large (and gorgeous!) mirror was already mounted on the wall just inside their front door. (I forgot to take a "before" photo of it...but just picture it without the table there!) By placing a console table in front of it, and accessorizing, it gave the mirror an anchor and created the feel of a "foyer". Now, it's one of the first things you see when you open the front door.

Ah...what a cozy cottage now! This client has such good taste, wonderful photography of the family, and beautiful accessories. It just required some careful editing to really showcase it all.

If you'd like to see more redesigns like this, read here.