Hi Friends!

Well, after a week and a half of absolute household mayhem, I can happily report that our living room makeover is finally done, after looking at some secured loans to help us on our financial makeover way, we were complete. I know what you’re probably thinking. Finally? A week and a half seem like a pretty quick timeline for a project! And it is. It’s just that, going into it, I thought, hey, it’s just some painting and trim work. It should take 3 or 4 days, tops. And before we had our kiddos, that probably would have been true.

But as with all renovations, especially ones where kiddos are assisting you every step of the way, life happens! The girls were into everything, destroyed the upstairs while we worked downstairs, managed to track little footprints made of paint all over the kitchen – and I could literally go on all night about all of the crazy things that made the last 10 days completely exhausting. But I’m learning to adjust to my circumstances, and keep what’s important and meaningful at the center of it all. You can read more of what last week taught me {here}.

For now, though, let’s just get to this reveal! I have a lot of photos for you guys tonight!

I’m loving how fresh and happy this space feels right now. But would you believe that this is the third set of curtains that I hung in here in the last two days?

Some women have a shoe problem.

I have a curtain problem. I also have a problem when it comes to sourcing the right coffee table too. I can’t decide which one to purchase from furniture in fashion! I’ll make a decision soon…hopefully!

I’ve been collecting curtains (and table cloths, and bedsheets, and shower curtains, and anything else that could become curtains!) for the last 13 years. Not kidding.

And I just could not decide on which ones to use! I’m still undecided on whether or not I want more pattern. What do you all think? Do you like the solid ones? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Here is the entire space walking in from the kitchen.

And then, walking in our back door, this is the view to the right.

I’ve used the same decor that I had before, aside from the large mirror and blue peony art {home goods}, wall sconces {ikea}, and that adorable watercolor pillow case that you see in the lower left of the bookcase, designed by Lucy at Craftberry Bush, and sold at {society6}. Oh, and the t.v. console, which we also bought at ikea a few months ago, but I don’t think I’ve posted a shot of it on here before.

Isn’t it amazing what millwork, which is just a fancy word for trim, and paint can do?!

Do you remember the before photo of this wall? It has come SUCH a long way. If you missed the before, you can find it {here}. I am so happy with the minimalist look of my walls. One of my friends has gone one step further and has a concrete wall in her home, similar to these ones from thewowdecor.com. A concrete wall is an excellent way to embrace the industrial minimalist trend. Did you know that you can preserve the look of your concrete wall by using a concrete sealer? Using a concrete sealant can protect your walls from damage. This is particularly important in your living room which is likely to be the hub of your home!

Our hand me down chaise is directly through the back french doors and in the back left corner of the living room. It was sold at ikea years ago, and the last time I checked, they no longer sell it. It was part of the Karlstad series. If you’re not too keen on these, then buying these byBESPOEK Wishbone chairs in white, they look SO comfy!

And here are a few peeks at different views in the space.

You may remember me saying in my {spring refresh post} that I love to bring in flowering branches in the spring. Aren’t they beautiful? If I had my way, they’d stay up all year long.

I think they add such a fresh and cheerful vibe to the room.

The main reason we tackled this project was to finally finish up the trim and detail work in this space. It’s been almost 8 years of waiting, folks, and this has been a dream of mine since before we even started looking for houses. I’m seriously passionate about millwork and architectural details. Not in an extravagant way. I love the cottage/farmhouse feel that simple details like planking and crown moulding bring to a space.

A bit of my husband’s handiwork…

I literally started saving photos of trim work when I was 18. I had binders full of inspiration… And then Pinterest came along and made everything so much easier! 🙂

Needless to say, when Michael said that we could get to this project a couple weeks ago, I was over. the. moon. I think details like this add such a sense of history and permanence to a home, and it’s been a dream of mine for so long.

Here are a few more bookshelf details before I go.

Do you guys think a post on how to style shelves would be helpful? I was thinking maybe I’d do one on that soon. That, or maybe a tutorial on how we created the shiplap wall.

And that’s about it friends! I am so, so happy to have this project checked off the list, and even more happy with how it turned out. Now I need to get my house put back together, and start getting ready for Aubrey’s birthday 🙂

I hope you all had a lovely Monday!

Laura ?