So, today’s post is all about how my head works when it comes to decorating, so I’m going to try to share the process that I go through when I go about updating a space. Â Most of us can’t start completely over in a room and we are always tweaking, adding and subtracting to get a new look.
When I moved in 2 years ago, I added more turquoise to my living room with the turquoise zebra rug and the Ikat fabric on the windows. Â Little touches of turquoise were added around the room. Â I’ve enjoyed it a lot, but there was still a lot of gold in the room, which I would rather tone down.
As I mentioned recently, after adding the new foyer table in the living room, my plans for updating and freshening up my living room are going full steam ahead.
Sharing this picture from Christopher Oquendo, AJC photographer who took pics of my house. His look so much better than mine! Â This was before I moved the column.
And this is after I moved the column. Â I will definitely work on getting better photos when I finish this refresh. Â I added both columns on the back wall to make it more symmetrical. Â These are architectural pieces that I picked up years ago, old vintage columns that I picked up from Lakewood Antiques (miss that place!) and I like them in this room.
This is sort of a progress report of what I’m planning to do and why. Â I figured you all might like to know my thought processes on making changes around here.
My brain can be all over the place but one thing I have been thinking about since I moved in here is replacing this chair of many fabrics….with count them, 5 fabrics! Â It’s a great chair, a high-end chair from Taylor King that I bought in 2002 from Furniture Craftsmen here in Marietta. They were going out of business back then and I fell in love with this traditional frame chair.
The fabrics were great back then and I loved it for many years. Â But, now I want to lighten things up in here and the fabrics on this chair are holding me back. Â I will be selling this chair, so if you are in the Atlanta area and interested, chime in and let me know! Â It’s a great chair and I could have it recovered, but with all those nailheads it will be a big job to do that. It’s literally covered in nailheads. Â And I sort of hate to take off all those pretty fabrics. Â If I can sell it intact to someone who loves it, that would be great. Â Or they can recover it.
The 2 caramel colored leather chairs in the living room came from the same sale and I’m keeping them for the long haul. Â Still love them.
Here’s the new plan.
After going up to NYC last spring and attending the Birch Lane furniture line launch, I remembered their pretty pieces and was glad I got to see them in person.  We’ve been in touch over the last year and I’m going to be working with them and bringing in this Shephard chair to my house.  It’s a beautiful upholstered English arm chair and I think it’s going to be really pretty in my living room.  Traditional style and nailheads too!  I’m waiting on fabric samples to decide on a fabric, then I’ll order it.
I know you all might not see my vision when I’m making changes to rooms and that is OK. A house is always evolving and I keep my things for a very long time. I don’t have plans to change out many more pieces of furniture around here, but I do repurpose and repaint things along the way. I’m still very happy with most of my things.  As I mentioned, I did switch out the column from here and placed both of them on the far wall flanking the desk on the back wall.  I like it much better like this and the lady bust is here right by the dining room door now.
If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, you know that this desk is no longer black. Â This was a yardsale find over 10 years ago for $25 and it’s a Henredon piece. Â It was stained wood, but I wasn’t crazy about the color when I bought it and I painted it black and I have enjoyed it like this for years.
All the way back in 2008, I shared a post about how I painted my furniture black, much of it with spray paint, but some with foam rollers and paintbrushes. Â You can see those chairs from that post here in this picture, I’ve had them since early 2000 and they were originally stained until I painted them black. Â And I’m still painting furniture! Â I’ll share the new desk/vanity with you soon. Â It got a dramatic makeover with green paint and I love it.
I still love this Calico Corner Tilbury ikat fabric that I got when I moved in my house. Â It has a bit of green in it as you can see on the seat cushion and I’ll be sprinkling this green around my living room.
So, change is coming and I can’t wait to share it with you all. Â I know that everyone might not like my choices and that is OK. Â I’ve been inspired by many other bloggers who are mixing modern and traditional fabrics and adding punches of color and that is what I’m going for here.
One in particular who inspires me with her bold use of color is Jennifer from Dimples and Tangles. I have featured her on my Feature Friday series and love how she mixes things up. Â Green is her signature color and she has lots of this bold Kelly green in her house.
So I’ve been taking notes from many bloggers and figuring out ways to mix up my living room to make it better for me.
Stay tuned and I hope shortly, I’ll have all the changes pulled together in here. Â It involves getting new pillow covers for all my pillows. I’ve been shopping Etsy shops and found some really great fabrics. Â I’ll be toning down the golds in this room, even though some of it will stay, like the caramel leather chairs. Â There will just be less of it now.
My traditional accessories will stay along with all the vintage things I have found and collected. The main focus will be a new chair, pillow covers, painting that desk and just freshening things up around the room and using less accessories this time around. Â I think it’s going to make a dramatic difference and I hope it all turns out like I envision.
I will admit that I do get excited about new color trends. Â Have you seen Better Home and Garden’s color trends for 2015? Â Looks like I’m going right in that direction with some of my ideas. Â That grassy green is definitely where I’m going and the turquoise hues, I already have in this room. Â Now, I totally do not follow all the trends out there, but I can’t help but be swayed sometimes. Â Most of us keep our things for years, myself included and many of my fabrics date back over 10 years old. Â So, when I can find ways to freshen it all up without breaking the bank, I go for it! Â That’s where paint comes in. Â And some new fabrics.
1. Â Green/cream pillow cover/2. Chaing Mai pillow cover/3. Navy blue linen pillow cover/
4. Black/white pillow cover/5. Blue Peacock pillow cover. Â All from Etsy.
So, tada! Â I’m sharing my mood board for the living room and I can hardly wait to see it all come about. Â I shopped online in several Etsy shops and found all of these pillow covers and I will change out my old pillows with the new ones. I scoured Etsy and bought all of them, these Etsy dealers do not know me. The new fabrics are vibrant and graphic and will add a lot of life to the room. Â I had been way too matchy-matchy with the pillows I brought in here 2 years ago and they blended right in with the furniture and drapes, but really didn’t provide that punch I wanted in the room.
I’ve been inspired by many bloggers out there who add pizazz to their rooms with vibrant greens, blues and even black and white as a bold accent. Â I’ve always loved a bit of black and white and have seen it used over and over with success out there, mixing with bold florals and solids, so I’ve been taking notes. Â I’ve already brought in some blue and white pottery and will continue to use it in here, with several shades of blue. The vibrant green will be painted on the desk on the back wall of the living room and I really think that’s going to be fun, flanked by the black chairs. Â That piece is already painted and I’ll be sharing it soon.
That Chaing Mai dragon fabric (the bold floral) is by Schumacher and I have seen it all over blogland for years now (came out in 2006). Â I finally decided to jump on that train and add it to my room. Â I love how bold and colorful it is and these are the most expensive pillows I’ve ever bought! Â But I think it will be worth it to add that punch to the room.
Some of you may shake your head and not get my vision, but to me it’s going to be beautiful. Â I know it’s a lot of different fabrics going on, but I think they all work together. I’m not getting any 2 pillows alike, but am mixing it all up for a change. I can’t wait to see it come together and of course, I’ll share it all here!
Do you see my vision or not? Â It’s OK if you don’t, I get that we all have our own ideas of how to decorate a room.Â
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kristen says
I love the green desk and the new chair!
I know you really love and have an emotional connection to your columns, but — are you sure they are adding value to your living room right now? Would you buy them today, if you didn’t have them? I ask myself this same question when I go through my own stuff.
Jean from Georgia says
Hi Rhoda,
Your plans for a new look are inspiring me. I love Dimples and Tangles as much as I love your blog. Her green is really pretty and I know it will be great for your new look. Can’t wait to see it.
Linda says
I think home improvements are so exciting & that is why I love decorating blogs. Will be looking forward to seeing your new living room. Have fun with it!
Barbara in Atlanta suburbs says
Rhoda,
I love your decorating style and wish you could help me freshen up my living room, dining room and kitchen. My youngest daughter lives in Manhattan but is coming home to be married in November. I want my house to look freshened up in case I have the opportunity to entertain the new in-laws (who live in Albany, NY) while they’re here for any of the pre-wedding festivities. I just had my kitchen reno’d last November and I love it but am at a loss as to how to decorate around the beautiful new space. I guess I’ll muddle through but if you ever decide to offer your consultation/decorating/shopping expertise please post it, I’ll be one of the first to jump on your bandwagon.
Victoria says
Rhoda, love your blog. You mention in the comment section that you don’t see your room as cluttered (especially since you admittedly display much less than you used to). In this last decade, it’s true, what was once fashionable (lots of layers and “frosting” as I like to call it!) has transitioned to a much “cleaner” lined look. This can be a challenge for us collectors! We love our finds and want to share their beauty with others. As an Interior Stylist I often declutter for my clients…this is an easy task as I see things with fresh eyes, have no attachment to the accoutrement and will pull out and showcase what is most ascetically beautiful to highlight the room. Let’s say the frame to a lovely painting. The frame should never over shadow the picture…that’s a good perspective. Having said that, I have to have my sister come over a couple of times a year to do this expressly for me!! And as she takes things away ( I sadly cringe) but know that it takes an objective eye to help us collectors achieve our best look! I hope my comments are taken in the spirit that they were written. Love your talent!!
Pat @ LifeAtLydiasHouse says
I can see your vision and can’t wait to see the big reveal!! I find some of the comments above hilarious! We are all so opinionated about décor in someone else’s home! I rarely change things and your readers would eat me alive to know that I have had the same “dated” fabrics and wallpaper for 28 years since I built this house! Apparently some of your dear readers don’t understand the concept of timeless appeal!
Pat @ LifeAtLydiasHouse says
I do hope that you are keeping your 5 fabric chair to recover and repurpose in another room! It has great bones!
Tammy says
Our tastes in general don’t jump together, ( I love my accessories, too, but I tend towards florals and deeper colors) but I can’t wait to see what you do! It shouldn’t matter what’s in style; you should do what you love, not what some group of designers somewhere proclaim is the current “thing”. It’s like wearing clothing that don’t flatter you, just because it’s in style at the moment.
I personally don’t care for a really clean, minimalist look; aside from looking rather anal and barren to me, it is tedious to keep up. If one little thing gets moved a bit, or God forbid someone leaves a book or a glass of tea out, the entire look is ruined.
I’m glad you’re following YOUR heart, not someone elses.
Becky in 'Bama says
Rhoda you are brave to open your rooms to the camera…it is hard to get a full perspective of a room when you only get a limited snap shot of the entire space. We are about to put our home on the market, and the thought of the realtor’s photographer coming in to snap pictures just raised my anxiety level up a notch. I can just imagine the comments of people seeing my pitiful efforts at decorating. Ouch.
Tricia says
Rhoda, I enjoy seeing how you decorate your home & am looking forward to the new changes. You’ve given me new ideas in the past. I’m in the process of staging my home & I’m getting a little antsy about the thoughts of pictures being taken. I am a traditionalist in decorating & find it hard to incorporate some of the new ideas I see. My feeling though is to use what you like & not decorate like everyone else.
BTW, I painted our basement in Comfort Gray from SW. I put two coats of paint over the brown paneling & then the top coat. It looks like a mint green instead of the pictures I see online of the color. I then went upstairs & painted a wall in the main bathroom & it looked terrible–like pea soup. I decided to reverse it back to white & left the basement color. How can a paint look so different in two places?
Rhoda says
Hey, Tricia, colors can look so different from home to home, so that is why I always say to test it out first. Sorry it didn’t work for you, you did use primer first? But, white will definitely brighten things up.
Segreto secrets says
It’s going to be so fun to see the changes you make in your pretty living room! I know it will be gorgeous – thanks for taking us along!
xo. Leslie
Segreto Finishes
Sally M. says
Hi Rhoda,
Love the direction you are going with your room. Love, love, love blue and white pieces, they’re classic!
My take on your changes are – do what your heart leads you to, it’s your space not someone else’s.
And my take on the blogs I sometimes visit is that I see a lot of the same thing on everyone of them. Where is the individuality? You are an original, don’t change a thing!
Lynne says
I never got around to telling you the antique white table you just got is perfect for that room.Please don’t paint it. And as a lover of green, I think the bright green desk will be nice in there. You will probably need to remove some things but I can’t wait to see how it all turns out with the new pillow covers and chair. I just love all the bright colors available to us. Lucky you!
Diane in Wis says
Can’t wait to see all your changes Rhoda! They sound great!
Susan says
Pretty choice for a new chair. I like the neutral fabric on the sample. Pretty color choices in your living room. I am confused by the two chairs directly behind the two chairs . I would remove the two chairs that are on either side of the desk. It seems that there is a throw on every upholstered piece. Removing a few of these would definitely give this room a less cluttered look. Happy decorating and hats off to be brave enough to ask random strangers for their opinions!
sandy says
Rhoda, I like all the little vignettes throughout – I am a realtor and do lots of staging for clients getting ready to sell; if you are trying to sell, that is different, you want the features of the home to shine through, not the “things” so less is more then; I always tell people do as I say not as I do because I tend to like my stuff hehe – thanks for sharing
Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage says
Lovingn all the inspiration ideas and can’t wait to see you pull it all together. It’s going to be bold, and classy. Looking forward to seeing that peek of green in the full 😉 The Birch Lane chair is gorgeous and I can see it working in wonderfully!!
Joyce Ackley says
Rhoda, I’m glad you are happily involved in giving your living room a re-do. I love the desk, by the way, and I am amazed that you can paint without getting a drop of paint anywhere! I’d have the floor, walls, everything else in the room speckled with paint. You’re good!
We each have our own style of decorating and styling. I like many of the accessories you use, and I love the new chair you’ll be getting. To me, your style is a bit busy and overdone. It may look different in person, but in the photos, it looks like there’s too much going on. It’s hard for the eye to take in any one area or grouping. In my home, some of my tabletops and surfaces have lots of accessories, while others do not. I do think the little turquoise demi-lune table is overloaded. The large mirror over it and all the accessories seem to overpower it because it’s a delicate piece.
These are my opinions, and you are your own decorating guru, so you can do what your heart desires. You are a confident decorator, pleased with the choices you make, and that is what counts in the long run.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it when it’s done, and I am anxious to see your progress!
Lynly says
I love the new chair you’ve chosen for the room. You have many beautiful things, but count me in the “it’s way too much altogether” group. When I look at your living room, I see pretty things, but I see them fighting with each other in terms of color, height and positioning and that leans toward an out-dated look in my opinion, and that’s all it is; my opiion. A designer friend once told me the eye needs a place to rest to see the beauty of the busier places. As part of your redo, which I think will be fun, maybe you could experiment with far less things (both big and small), especially if you are going to bring in lots of personality with fabrics. Are those columns super heavy? They’d be lovely in a garden setting too.
Vicki says
I must comment on the comments about Rhoda’s cluttered look. Bottom line, it is her living room in her house. It is too busy for me but I respect her style as she expresses it in her personal home. Rhoda is a professional in her field. She is not limited to or hindered by her own personal decorating style and taste. For example, when consulting others, she understands and considers their lifestyle and decorating style and applies it to her recommendations for their personal space. A perfect example of this is Ruby’s lake cottage. Additionally, Rhoda IS simple in that she doesn’t discard and replace pieces, rather she moves them around or re-purposes them. As her readers, we learn a lot from her, including how to accessorize, or not. Thank you, Rhoda, for being so open and vulnerable with us. I’m looking forward to the refreshed living room post!