Living Room – Page 6

The Ole Switcharoo

Published on March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

Unfortunately I’m still not finished painting the entry, living and dining rooms like I had hoped. However, I did get a first coat on the ceiling and walls. We hauled the big furniture out so I didn’t have to work around it.

While the sectional was out, I fully realized how much the big beast closed off the room. Though I still have another coat to put on the ceiling, we moved the sofa, chairs, and coffee table to the living room.

When we replace the sectional, I want a normal sofa and two chairs. It’s amazing how much bigger, brighter, and more open the living room feels now. Walking completely around the couch is possible when it wasn’t before.

Seeing the open railing, and those coming in the door, is a great perk, too. And having easy access to end tables? It’s so convenient.

Cozy upholstered chairs would be nice along with a long, rectangular coffee table.

After nearly two years of living here with the same furniture arrangement, this feels so fresh and inviting. And gives us an idea of what we want as replacement stuff.

For now, the sectional awaits its fate in the family room. Where it awkwardly fills the space.

Though there’s still enough walking space to get to the back door, it’s much more cut off than the previous layout.

Most strange is the focal point it has to face. The wall and entry.

The behemoth is 10 feet wide by 7 feet long, so it won’t fit in the 14 foot wide family room any other way.

Another annoying thing about this? If centered on the rug, it’s close to the fireplace when lit.

Finally moving things around has made us even more sure we want to replace the sectional with a standard sofa and chairs. Now to agree on the perfect couch, which is more difficult for us than it should be. Ben wants leather, I want something with removable, flippable seat cushions. Typically those two don’t go together, so a compromise must be made.

Worse Before Better

Published on March 24, 2014March 24, 2014 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

We’re making progress in the family room, after leaving it nearly the same since move in.

This is what progress looks like:

Yes, at first, progress always looks like a big mess. It has to get worse before it can look better. We pulled down the old, upside down (?!) crown before installing the new trim. I forgot to take pictures, but here you can see it in the basement:

We know the previous owner liked to do things his own way, but we’re not fans of the look. Especially compared to properly installed crown via This Old House:

So, down came the old stuff, leaving small nail holes in the ceiling. Filling with joint compound isn’t difficult, just another step added to my list. Two if you count sanding.

Along with caulking seams and filling nail holes in the new trim. While I had the filler out, I removed all nails and spackled old nail holes (there were many).

Trim around the entry hasn’t gotten the full treatment yet, but will once we break the ladders out. After that, painting the last white coat and walls.

We’re crownless in parts of the dining room until we swap the door for a window with a header. At that point, we’ll run a solid piece across.

For now, and hopefully not much longer, we have a lovely patchwork of colors and textures.

I’m carving out time this week to get the trim, ceiling, and walls painted.

Rug Exchange

Published on March 12, 2014 by Our Humble Abode16 Comments

Over a year ago, we added large-scale floral rug to the living room and put our old grid rug in the family room. It certainly brightened things up, but I’ve never been completely happy with the large rugs we currently own.

Especially after we bought a clean lined Mission style dining table. The floral pattern felt too busy and didn’t match the table style.

This weekend we made a simple switch. While working on the family room ceiling, I pulled all furniture out-of-the-way. Before putting it back, I tossed out the idea of swapping the grid and floral rugs. Ben and I moved the table and laid the simple rug under.

Wouldn’t you know, I love the change?!

The geometric design pairs nicely with the dining set and balances the dark wood better.

But I’m still not satisfied with the remaining rugs. While I’m happy with the quality of the floral rugs, the look doesn’t fit in with my end goal.

For the living room, I’d really, really love the Marquis Wool Rug from West Elm:

In my head, the Marquis rug with the Flexsteel Rachael sofa would be a great base for our living room.

Another light, simple geometric rug. Should pair nicely with the dining grid rug. Just enough pattern to add interest, but not enough to draw attention. And the beige/gray/cream mix can go with anything. With select rugs 30% off right now, I was close to pulling the trigger, but the 9 by 12 size isn’t currently available. Womp womp. Back to the rugs we do have. The displaced floral rug is in the family room, for now. You know, until I find something I love.

I do like the added interest and color, but I had gotten used to the simpler look.

Maybe a jute rug to calm the space? Oddly enough, I’m trying to convince Ben we should layer a cowhide rug in. He’s not into it, which is strange because this was the situation when I met him:

While this house was mostly typical plain 70’s (later installed inlay diagonal wood floors and six panel doors excluded), I’m trying to add in more rustic pieces. After all, this is Montana, even if we are in the city. Working in the dining set, Longhorns, our DIY console, and popular (around here at least) Craftsman-style trim are just a few touches so far.

I’m naturally attracted to modern furniture. The clean lines get me every time. I find I like a mix of the two a lot lately. And the cow rug could look really fun with the modern chairs and coffee table. What do you think of the options? Any rugs you love that would work well in either of these spaces?

Honing Skills

Published on March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

Many times, the little details and changes make a surprisingly big impact. Like this small change that brightens our living room.

Do you know what it is? Here’s a hint:

And now, look on the bright side.

This weekend, our weather was incredible. Almost 70 degree high yesterday, though we might get snow tonight. Ben took advantage of the nice weather by cutting marble remnants to replace the chipped laminate table tops. It’s a super dusty task, so it’s best to work outside with a mask on.

When we bought our hall bathroom slab, the guy tossed in a few scraps of Carrara marble. Two of which were the perfect size for these tables. Free pretty marble is free for a reason. These pieces were chipped, scratched, and had a few starter cuts. For that reason, I decided a honed finish would work best.

Ben used a diamond blade saw to cut the rectangles, then a right angle grinder for on the edges, and followed up with sandpaper on an orbit sander to smooth the top. The honed marble feels a little more rustic and used.

Glad I bought these $15 tables years ago, because the bases are super sturdy and pair nicely with the marble. Sure beats the peeling fake walnut veneer.

And the new lamps look great on there, too.

Now I need to finish my patched walls, pick a paint color, and go to town on this room.

Tangle of Triangle

Published on February 13, 2014February 13, 2014 by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

Going stir crazy this winter, I’ve been looking for changes I can make to the living room. It’s not terrible, but we have barely touched it. I’d really love a new sofa, but I’m settling for new lamps right now. I remember seeing the Isosceles lamps from Land of Nod (now unavailable) months ago, and loved the simple design.

So I recently made a version for about 12 dollars per lamp because I already had the white shades.

At Home Depot, I bought 12 feet of 1/2 inch round wooden dowel for six bucks. To make the bases, I cut 7 1/2 inch long pieces, with 60 degree angles to form each base triangle. And another set at 3 1/2 inches to make the top equilateral triangle.

A little wood glue and tape to hold it in place until it dried did the trick. To connect the triangles, I cut 15 inch long pieces at a 20 degree angle, though my cuts were slightly off. But that’s okay, wood filler will make it look okay. Ben helped my by shooting in pin nails while I held the pieces together to make this:

The triangles face opposite directions, and the connectors swirl around, point to opposite point.

Fill in all gaps and corners, then let them dry.

Because I wanted slightly rounded corners, I used 50 grit sand paper to quickly take off the extra base triangle point. Holding the sand paper at the same angle as the vertical while I worked made for a more seamless corner. Then I followed up with 150 paper for a smooth finish.

Then, to hold the lamp socket in place, I but two more triangles from 1/4 inch MDF. The top looks normal, but to fit snugly without falling through, I sanded the bottom to fit the rounded shape. Before putting the top in, I found the center and drilled a hole large enough for my threaded piece to fit through.

More wood glue holds this top in place, giving the socket a resting place.

I bought two bottle lamp kits from Wal-Mart for $6.50 each, and used these pieces in addition to the wire.

To cover the threaded fitting, I bought a small chunk of brass tube to make a sleeve. Once cut to size, I spray painted it white to match the lamps.

Then threaded the piece through the hole:

And secured it with the small flat nut on the underside.

After connecting the wires, I popped the shade on and voilà, a new lamp. Like the Land of Nod lamp, the cord isn’t hidden, just tucked in the center and drapes along the back.

No more clinking of lamp chains from our old lights. And the taller lamps give have a warm, even glow. I tried lining the shades with gold fabric, but it blocked too much light, so I had to nix it. All the gold paper I could find wasn’t long enough to fully wrap around the shade.

I’ve got a plan to update those cheapie end tables, too. White marble remnant in the garage, prepare to be used. And look how happy my fig looks! It has already sprouted two new leaves and is working on a third. Those tulips should bloom in a few weeks, too. I’m so excited. Loving all the green in the house during this dark, cold winter. Anyway, back to the lamps. If I were to make these again, I’d make the top triangle a little larger to have a wider spread. But, I’m still happy with the result.