Saturday, February 25, 2012

From Blah and Boring to Bursting with Boldness... Living Room Reveal

I am going to give you a fair warning, right now.  This reveal is not for the faint hearted.  If you're way too afraid of change and color, stop reading NOW.  You may hurl from color overload.  If you are sick and tired of your boring construction grade beige walls, then follow along with me.  Also, if you were expecting this area of my home to mimic my Master Suite, then you're in for a surprise.  I no longer follow the rule of one home = one theme.  I want to love my home, but love all the rooms differently. 

Below is a reminder of how humdrum and lifeless my living room used to be.  It was so crammed and tight that I could almost hear it screaming to stretch its legs.  The couch was tiresome to look at, the ottoman had turned into a dumping ground for backpacks, remote controls, jackets, sweaters.. you name it - it ended up on that ottoman.  The entertainment center had also turned into an eyesore.  I am by no means a minimalist, but I hate hate hate clutter!

Note the old drum set chair is being used to hold Mr. Smitten's coffee cup.

So are you ready for it?  Brace yourself.  If you need a reminder or extra preparedness time, click here to see what color palette and decor I chose.  When I revealed to Mr. Smitten the color I chose for the accent wall, he looked at me like I had definitely been dropped on my head as a baby way too many times.  Guess what?!  It turns out I'm not as crazy as he thought!  


Taa-daaaaa!!!


How's that for stimulating the senses?!  I freakin love my living room!  With just a few changes and a small budget, you can wake up a room.  In my case, I didn't just gently shake my living room awake, I barged in with a marching band in tow.


Just another angle
Here's what I changed:

 Changed the accent wall color
Added an area rug
Gave the ottoman an overdue eviction notice
Added more eye candy
Finally found a storage solution
Cleaned up all that clutter


Do you love my ginormous Ikea light fixture?

I gave Mr. Smitten his very own table for his Friday Night Game Time necessities: Coffee, remotes, iPad, Xbox controller

Now he's ready to pull an all nighter for Halo Reach

 I found a tufted side chair in the perfect shade of green at Marshalls.


My favorite aspect of the entire chair is this great nailhead trim design.


No, I didn't give in to Pier 1 and spend $100 on each ceramic stool.  I found these lovelies at Ross for $29.00 each.

I can't seem to get the lighting right, but these stools are navy blue with an amazing glaze job!
 When I'm determined to find a piece of furniture, I never throw in the towel until I can claim it as mine.  I stormed through over seven stores until I found this mirrored dresser at TJ Maxx in Riverdale.  This stores over 350 dvds, all of the hubby's video games and a couple gaming systems.  My sister, Winnie from Fam Och in the Yukon will show you how she taught me how to accomplish just that in a future post.

So purdy

Added a touch of Asian to the mix.
 I will always stress in every post that I am on a budget.  I cannot afford to splurge on a fantastic piece of art on a large scale.  Have you ever checked out the prices on those babies?!  Not my cup of tea.  What do I always do if I can't but it?  I make it myself!  Since there was already enough going on with my dresser vignette, I needed my art piece to be simple, but at the same time make a statement.  I also needed it to be fairly large.  Paint canvases can get pricey and Walmart couldn't accommodate me with a huge one, so I used a thin piece of plywood.  I am resourceful, if nothing else.

Easiest painting I ever created!


I used a couple of the same pieces of decor I already had up.  Love this giraffe and charger  so much and it was perfect for the color scheme!

If you haven't noticed, it's all about circular objects for this project.
One more look at my *Color Splashed* living room.


Did I do David Bromstad proud?

Are you ready for more???  I've started a new project today.  The picture below was my old office before I moved down to my Marie Antoinette Inspired Art Room/Office.  It has slowly accumulated junk and transformed into a storage unit.  I'm turning this room into a guest bedroom that my out of town visitors will love to sleep in.  And my inspiration?



This little blue box



~*Abigail*~

33 comments:

  1. OMG!
    That looks amazing! So bright and colorful!
    Just getting in a good mood even when I look at those photos!
    Thank you for sharing and can`t wait to see your guest room!

    Lovely greetings...

    http://pudel-design.blogspot.com/

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  2. Thank you!!! This was definitely one of my most fun projects that I've worked on. :). The guest bedroom will take a bit longer to complete - budget and all, but I'm excited to see the finished project as well! Thanks for stopping by!

    Abigail

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  3. You welcome;)
    Thank you for your lovely comment on my art, that mean a lot to me!
    I am your latest follower!

    Lovely greetings...

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  4. oh you are brave! It looks fantastic, but I'm such a decorating wimp. My walls are light blue in my living room, but one wall is dark brown and I'm sitting here in a brown recliner on the brown carpet with a lighter brown couch and rocking chair. lol. :) I should at least branch out with some fun pillows, right?

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    1. You should definitely add some pops of color here and there! :). Fresh flowers in a vivid color should also do the trick.

      Abigail

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  5. that is flipping amazing! i LOOOVE the blue wall, and it works perfectly with your diy pink art. how? i dunno, but it just does. yes yes yes, that ottoman needed to go in your cozy space (i have a cozy space, too, so i know you don't want to lose an inch.) i love the tv wall. totally inspiring!!

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    1. I don't know how it works either, but it does and I'm lovin it! Lol. Thank you so much for your awesome comment! You are so sweet and I hope I inspired you to try something bold and funky somewhere in your home!
      -Abigail

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  6. Love this! Totally reflects my personal color preferences. If only we didn't live in an apartment and not want the commitment of painting. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi jelli- that's the great thing about paint - there is no commitment! Thanks for stopping by!

      -Abigail

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  7. Beautifully done! I love color and use bright red and blue in my livingroom. That feature wall is great!

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    1. Ann- thank you! I checked out your blog and I am smitten with your chandelier! What a great idea!

      Abigail

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  8. It looks amazing! I love all of the color. And that mirrored dresser is gorgeous (and functional). You made me want to start working on my living room!

    Stopping by from Night Owl Crafting!

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    1. Sam - thank you so much! I loooove that dresser as well! Who says media storage has to be boring, right? Let me know how your living room turns out. Excited to see it!

      Abigail

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  9. What a great transformation! I love the color and all your creative touches! I am a thrifter/budget style deocrator myself, great job!!!!

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    1. Hi Ange! Do you have pictures? I love swapping ideas with my fellow budget decorators. So much fun!

      Abigail

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  10. Wow! I love it! Great color choices. It looks so stylish, fresh and modern.

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    1. Miss Charming -
      This was definitely super fun to put together! Thank you for your sweet comment!

      Abigail

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  11. I love the transformation, the color wall is perfect, and the lime chair:) Bright and happy!

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    1. Latoya - thank you!! I wanted to be a happy gathering area for the Smitten clan, so I used colors that make me smile. :)

      Abigail

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  12. great colors! you're so brave! love how it turned out. dropping by from tipjunkie!

    kimberly
    anightowlblog.blogspot.com

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    1. Kimberly, thank you so much! This was definitely a leap of faith project for me but I love the outcome!
      Abigail

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  13. Abigail it turned out great! Love the color scheme, so fun! I'm now following you via GFC and via Bloglovin'! Hope you drop by my place when you get a chance and stay in touch!
    Love, Olga
    www.stardust-decorstyle.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Olga,
      Love your blog! I'm a new follower as well! Thank you so much for your awesome comment, I had so much fun with this room. :)
      Abigail

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  14. It looks FABULOUS!!! You made David B. proud for sure. Way to go!

    Found you through Addicted to Decorating, and I am very glad.

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    1. Yay!!! Someone answered my question! Lol. Thank you so much for finding me! I love Addicted to Decorating!

      Abigail

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  15. You've been featured on Handy Man, Crafty Woman's Wicked Awesome Wednesday! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your Living Room Reveal!

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    1. Wow!!! Thank you! I am so honored and flattered! I love your blog!!

      -Abigail

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  16. Wow, that looks like such a fun and happy place to live in! <3 I am so smitten with all of the pops of color!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  17. Jen,

    I heart your blog! You've inspired me to get more organized. Thank you so much for your sweet comment!

    Abigail

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  18. I love this living room, my decor is different but somewhat of the same colors, I one wall decorated but and the rest just looks blah! I need help!!

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    1. Hi Loubell,

      Please send me pictures!

      Thanks,
      Abigail

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  19. Hi Abigail,

    I felt in love with your living room. Excellent job! If possible, could you please tell me the exact color that you use for the wall? I would also like to know where you got your white hanging chandelier.

    Best Regards,
    Victoria

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    1. I apologize for taking so long to reply, but the color of the wall is by Glidden and it's called Nagarransett. The chandelier is from IKEA - very inexpensive at $80.00 for the largest one. I'm so glad you love the room!

      xoxo,
      Abigail

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