Foyer Update

Shopping my house is my favorite thing to do. Besides saving money, it's instant gratification. Move a few things around and you have an entirely new space. Sometimes it creates gaps to fill, but sometimes it doesn't and you get to mark things off your shopping list. This is exactly what I did when I received my new foyer rug last week.  I absolutely fell in love with this gray rug and if I could have run out to shop for the chairs to go with it, I would have. I did the next best thing and grabbed my two dining room armchairs to "just see" how it would look. I loved the color combination and the arrangement so much I decided they are going to stay there indefinitely. Luckily, I already have six side chairs in the dining room that can be arranged so it looks complete. I just saved money and didn't have to wait on new chairs to arrive. That brings me to another tip. Before ordering new furniture, use existing furniture to create the layout you want in your room. It will ensure you are buying the right pieces for the space. That is, unless it's my living room. I can't decide for the life of me if I want the chairs or the sofa to face the TV. I switched it again this morning. Never ending!

 

 

The dining room with six side chairs (sorry, if I'm blinding you)

 

 

 

This spot functions so well, too. It's a great spot for women to drop their purse when they walk in the door or wait for someone by the door. I've also realized it's a quiet spot to talk on the phone and still have an eye on the kids in the living room.

After Christmas, I'll be finishing it off with lamps, pillows, and artwork. It's a little hard to decorate around that huge reindeer on the table. I'm not one that's big on Christmas decorations other than ribbon, greenery, and ornaments. I had to have this guy though! I think he needs a few berries in his wreath, but I'm exhausted so maybe next year.

I ordered these new garlands for the stairs, too. They are pre-lit and battery operated so there are no wires to trip over. I only added a few ribbons and large pinecones since it's full enough on it's own. I would show you what it looks like lit up, but I'm nervous I'll mess up the timer!

I am finishing up the Christmas decorations today and will be showing you the rest of those soon. I'm also getting a few new pieces of furniture Thursday. I can't wait to see how they finish off the living and dining room!

 

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My Thanksgiving Table

My new dining room furniture is all dressed up for the first time and I couldn't be happier. I love the simple and neutral décor this year. It just feels right and has made me smile as I walked past it all week. Not only will it be our first Thanksgiving here, it will also be our first meal in this room. I can't wait to share it will all of our family tomorrow.

I need to get to work ironing those table linens and scotch-guarding those chairs now. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and a successful Black Friday!

New Living Room Furniture and Fall Mantel

I know I'm a little behind with fall decorating since most bloggers are gearing up for Christmas, but I'm behind on everything these days as you can tell by my lack of updates. Some people are very particular about not decorating for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over, but that's not the case with me. I will happily eat my turkey next to a twinkling garland any other year. The only reason I'm not dragging out the tree is that I never got to really enjoy my fall décor since I just decorated my mantel last weekend. Don't worry though, I am prepping for Christmas in a big way so I will be ready to go as soon as the pumpkin pie is finished. A new magnolia garland for the fireplace, a dried boxwood wreath for the kitchen vent hood, a huge deer statue for the entry, and other goodies are waiting for me in the hall closet. I can't wait! But, first let me show you my fall mantel!

 

 

 

Yes, that's my new mirror! I got a great deal on it from Wayfair considering how large it is. Everything I'm buying is large these days because of the tall ceilings in the new house. It's definitely a different look from my former cottage-style home. The house is French country and as easy as it would be to decorate just in that style because of its popularity these days, I want a few transitional pieces included so it doesn't look like I went completely "French chateau." It's a beautiful look, but I would get tired of it after a while since I am fickle that way. That's what happens when you truly love so many different decorating styles. I blended my traditional horse and ornate candle snuffer with the contemporary candle holder from Target I'm using as a vase. It makes my heart sing... for a little while. I did tell you I'm fickle!

Now, comes what I am so excited to show you! All of the new furniture I have ordered so far has come in. I only have a few small things to buy and then I can focus on the accessories that will really pull it all together. Will I meet my deadline to have the downstairs done by Christmas? Probably not, but it will be good enough by then.

I have to apologize in advance for the terrible pictures. This house is so difficult to photograph because of the tall ceilings and large windows. I'm sure I will eventually figure it out. These shots were my third try and they are a huge improvement from the previous ones.

One the first pieces of furniture I ordered for the house was this sofa. It took forever and a day because I changed the fabric to an indoor Sunbrella that looks like linen. I know it will be worth it in the end because real linen is like kryptonite if you have kids and pets.

I'm still working on the lamp situation. The new standing lamp is from Pottery Barn. It has a bit of dark gold in it to complement the mirror over the fireplace. The gray shade on the silver lamp is what goes with it, but I was trying to see if the gray shade would also work on the silver lamp and forgot to switch them back. Unfortunately, that silver lamp just doesn't work here and will have to be replaced. I'm hoping it will find it's way into another room.

Eventually there will be drapes above the three transoms. I'm avoiding that for a while because I know it will cost a fortune.

I wasn't quite sure if I was going to place the sofa in front of the windows or put the chairs there. I've tried it both ways and they both look good, but I think it's going to stay in front of the window after living with it a few days. There's just something more comfortable about having it this way. Now, that means I get to pick a rug and coffee table based on this arrangement. It was the main reason I was holding off on both until now. If you remember, I really bought this rug for the dining room and temporarily parked it in here.

The new cream chairs are from Pottery Barn, but also covered in a Sunbrella that looks like linen. I'm still a nervous wreck I'm going to spill wine or coffee on them despite their stain resistance so I usually drape a throw over them before I sit down. I think I might be worse than the kids when it comes to spilling my drinks.

Now, on to the other side of the room. In my previous home I always avoided taking pictures of the TV wall because it was such an eyesore. This new media cabinet makes me love this view. I'm not a fan of the artwork and mirrors, but I needed something temporarily because the TV on that huge wall by itself looked terrible. Eventually, I will surround the TV with better artwork. At least it looks finished even if it makes me cringe a little. I'm not even going to mention the fake florals. Let's just pretend not to see those. Let your eye skim around them.

I absolutely adore this media cabinet from Restoration Hardware and have eyed it for a couple of years. I never bought it because I knew there was a very good chance we would move even though I didn't want to admit we were outgrowing our house. I immediately knew this was going to be in my living room when we picked this house. The best part is that hardware! I really wanted the same hardware on my kitchen cabinets, but I couldn't find a way to make them work since the doors aren't flush with the frame. Believe me I asked the cabinet maker for these kind of cabinets, but it's not something they offered. The skeleton keys are very cool too for the doors on the ends. I have to admit I take way too much joy in opening these doors.

I still have quite a few things to do for this room-coffee and end table, rug, drapes, pillows, artwork, accessories, and a chandelier. Eek! It almost seems done until I type out the list. Honestly, I'm just hoping to get the new tables, a rug and a lamp before Christmas. If that happens I will be a happy camper.

Next, I will be showing you the new dining buffet and entry table. I promise I won't take a month this time!

Goth Lights Be Gone!

There was one thing I could not wait to change in this house and that was the light fixtures in the bathrooms. I still haven't ordered all of them, but I've made a lot of progress.

The black sconces in the master bathroom were the worst. I have since replaced them with these polished nickel and crystal sconces.

This is much better than the before.



The next step is to frame in the mirrors and add hardware to the cabinets. I'm also looking for a chandelier to replace the main light in the master bathroom. The powder room light and guest bathroom light has been replaced, but we still need to order lights for the three boys bathrooms upstairs.

Yes, that makes a total of six bathrooms. Good grief! As you can imagine we have a lot of furniture to buy. I'm trying my best to get it all done before the holidays. I ordered two sofas, two chairs, and a new dining room table and chairs so far. I'm trying to get the big things/custom pieces done first since they take a while to come in. I wish I could have gone with stock pieces, but they weren't the most family and dog friendly. The living room is going to have all indoor Sunbrella fabric on the sofa and two chairs. I am planning on taking a video soon of how amazing it is. Look for it on Instagram soon!