January 16, 2009 8:20 pm

Living Room Progress

Since you all were so helpful in assisting my big purchase decision, I am now the proud new owner of a Grown-Up Couch from Room & Board.

New Couch!

The couch is positively lovely. It fits both Daniel and I at the same time (lengthwise) and the color is exactly what I expected. It’s a bespeckled white-and-black nubbly fabric that seems like it’ll hide stains reasonably well, which is good because we plan on keeping it for a long time. The pillows will definitely be changed out periodically once I get a good cover collection.

More pictures and long descriptions of our progress:

IKEA BILLY Bookshelves, with glass doors:

Bookshelves

These were sort of an impulse purchase. I’d wanted them for a while, ever since I saw them over at Making It Lovely and when we were trying to decide what to do with that wall, we realized that our current mis-matched Target bookshelves weren’t going to cut it. I started thinking bookshelves, and we revisited the glass-front idea and decided to just go for it.

I LOVE THEM. They seemed a little imposing at first, but I adore the quasi-library look and the fact that my books shouldn’t really get dusty due to the doors. They do reflect a fair amount of light, which I hadn’t thought about beforehand (in the photo you can see my computer background!) but overall I am very happy with them.

In this photo, you can see the neat branches + vase ensemble I’ve wanted for a while as well. Daniel managed to snag the branches from an old counter display at the coffeeshop and picked up the vase at Ross for about $15. I really like the look and I like that it makes that edge of the bookcase a weensy bit less harsh. It doesn’t look like it abruptly ends so much anymore.

Coffee Table

Coffee Table

We found some tables online while looking for entertainment and occasional tables. I have no idea what the actual retail price of this thing is, but I suspect far more expensive. This thing is HEFTY. Large, heavy, and well-constructed. Daniel put it together himself but had to wrestle with it a bunch, so I think he’d probably recommend two people to assemble. We’re vaguely considering getting the matching console, but I’m just not sure where I’d put it at the moment.

Overall

Living Room

We actually bought curtains and blinds like these shutters santa for the two windows on the left, but we haven’t purchased hardware for them yet so they’re stuffed in one of the coffee table compartments for the time being. I wanted sheer white, but we were at IKEA (buying the bookcases) and I found pretty sheer-ish curtains with a black leaf pattern and tiny green and orange accents. PERFECT.

Really, the only major things left are finding a rug, a speaker, and a TV stand. That orange rug we wanted is heavily discounted online but I want to see it in person before I make a decision, since Daniel saw it and said it was bright, which made me nervous.

I still just don’t know how you know if a particular rug like those vintage persian rugs, is right for your room. I think I know what kind of materials I want, but how do you tell if a bright rug will work? Or if a darker, more subdued rug would be good, or would it be too gloomy with black-ish furniture? DECISIONS, DECISIONS.

I want a TV stand that can hold our non-LCD/plasma TV, a PS2, Xbox, Wii, and VCR. And some DVDs. We’re still on the lookout since that wall is awkwardly short and not a lot of media consoles are short-ish.

So! If anyone has rug recommendations (or just good websites to look at rugs) feel free to say so. Our most immediate goal is to get the custom drapery up on the windows, but a rug is definitely on our list. I’m super happy with how it’s turning out so far.

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13 Comments

  • Kaylee says:

    Stain-hiding fabric ftw! Everything looks fantastic. I’m really impressed! If/when I ever move into my own place, I would love for it to be decorated that nicely. Unfortunately I’m not very talented in that area, and so I can’t really offer advice about the rug.

    I love IKEA :)

  • Sharon says:

    Wonderful! the couch is just soooo nice and I love the glass bookshelves what a nice addition (keep the dinosaur). Thanks for the update. :happy:

  • Lene says:

    Wow, it definitely looks amazing! I’m inlove with that new big couch of yours. It looks so comfortable and… big :grin: The color is amazing too.

    The bookshelves are lovely too. I absolutely hate dusty books, so the little doors are always a big plus.

    The coffee table looks great, I think it matches the bookshelves :) It also looks very sturdy and high-quality, so getting it from Overstock.com probably saved you a lot of money.

    I don’t have a *real* regarding the rug, but, this is what I would do: I would take a picture of the room from different angles (including the area where the rug would be). Then, using a photo-editing software, I would add pictures of rugs to see what looks better.

    The process is somewhat lengthy, but you can find rug-patters and color samples from the websites of stores that sell them, and the photo doesn’t have to look as if the rug was really there, but it really does give you a more realistic idea of how it would look in your home with your furniture.

    We did that when we had to decide the color of our living room walls, and the result was pretty good :)

    By the way, I think JCPenney and Target have pretty nice looking rugs!

  • Josh says:

    That couch looks comfy. The kind you can take a nice nap on. And I love the way your walls transition into the ceiling – I’ve never seen something like it before.

  • Vixx says:

    It all looks gorgeous, although I think I’m particularly in love with bookshelves. I love to see books on display, and the glass-fronted shelves look beautiful. :)

    V xx

  • Meggan says:

    Thanks, guys! I’m really happy with how it’s coming along.

    @Josh – I hadn’t either until we moved in. These photos actually make it look more harsh than it is in real life, too. It’s this neat seamless curve up into the ceiling. I think I’d be pretty sad leaving it if/when we ever move out.

    @Lene – Photoshopping the rug into a photo is a great idea! I’ve made collages with them but haven’t tried actually making it look like it’s in the space yet, so I will have to try that soon.

    I ended up seeing the Pottery Barn rug in person yesterday, and… I am not so stoked on it anymore. (Glad you guys talked me out of it!) It is actually pretty bright in person. I was thinking it’d be more of a toned-down, rust orange, but it’s really more of a “Blogger Logo” orange. More of a #e89c23 versus the nicer #c87b02 (and yes, I just used hex values to describe a rug). Still on the lookout. :)

  • Kerri Anne says:

    I can’t wait to see it all in person! Awesome, awesome.

  • Cristina says:

    I really love how the living has turned out so far. I too plan on getting the Billy bookcases once I move. Question: will they fit binders? If they did that would awesome news for me!

  • Meggan says:

    I’ll check when I get home today – I have a bunch of large-ish books that fit, but one Calvin & Hobbes paperback that doesn’t, but I don’t know which one is closest to the size of a binder. You might also check on the IKEA website and see if the depth dimensions are larger or smaller than your binders.

  • Cecelia says:

    Mmm.. That sofa looks like the kind you’ll never be able to get up from.. :grin:

  • Erin says:

    I’m not sure where to shop rugs at but I do want to say that your living room looks marvelous. My favorite part is the glass door bookcase. That thing is magnificent. Love it! I totally want one now but I’m not sure where we’d put it… I’ll have to think on it.

  • Jessy says:

    oh wow, your living room looks fantastic! and I absolutely love those ikea bookshelves!

  • Sarah says:

    I love the couch! It’s very sleek but still functional and comfortable-looking. After you’ve finished decorating, it’s going to look great, I can just tell. The main pieces you’ve bought already, look so nice together, I can only imagine how nice a new rug and TV stand will look. It’s got to be hard to find a small enough TV stand to hold all of your stuff without taking away from the wall and the beautiful fireplace. I wish I had some suggestions for you! Good luck!