Ever since we moved into this house, I've been really unhappy with how dark our living room always seemed to be.
I bought a corner sofa and matching armchair a few years ago when Jon & I first moved in together, and made the mistake of buying it in a color that I adored at the time - Teal.
Why was that a mistake? Because I didn't continue to love it. And a color as bright as teal can be difficult to live with once you fall out of love with it - it also makes it impossible to change the theme of a room because when your sofa is a strong colour, no other colours are really going to work around it!
I really want to get a new sofa, but with a new baby already in the house and another on the way it doesn't really seem like the right time to be investing in new furniture that's only going to wee'd and vomited on a lot over the coming year or so! Plus if I was to get a new sofa I'd want one a light color such as white or gray - so not really ideal with children, although I'm not entirely ruling it out - I have been browsing lots of lovely furniture pieces on the Danetti website and lots of them have me seriously tempted - we'll see what happens!
But for now - the sofa stays.
So I needed to find a way to brighten up the living room around it, whilst not clashing with the teal color in the sofa but also not using it anywhere else in the room.
I was chatting about the situation with my mom - who loves the chance to get involved in any decorating projects - and she decided she wanted to do a "60 minute makeover" on the room! Of course it wouldn't really be 60 minutes - there were only two of them! - but I was still pretty impressed by how quickly they achieved the transformation!
She and my Dad sent us all out for the day, and when we returned 4 hours later - everything was different!
BEFORE:
The walls which were once painted a very dark cream color (which certainly seemed to sap the light out of the room) were now antique white - SO much brighter and seems to hold the daylight so much more!
The curtains, which I hated - a horrible shiny cream pair that I bought in a hurry when we moved in - had been replaced with a much ligher pair in white - they do still need some lining sewn in as they're quite sheer but they really lift the room! The slate heart tie backs are also really lovely!
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
They had also hidden my real fireplace which we never use and was just housing some candles, with this much prettier little cream fire which I just love!!
The mantel looks so much calmer and more organised now too!
The toys, which were once piled up in the corner having found their way in from Tyne's playroom, were now kept in my lovely massive storage basket from Dunelm Mill (which I bought a few weeks ago - it should have been £45 but was reduced to £18 because it was ex display, despite their being nothing at all wrong with it!).
I do love my little "Hayley" touches here and there, and having things with personal meaning to me is important - this "All You Need Is Love" sign is a little reminder of home for me (Being that its from The Beatles song, and The Beatles remind me of my hometown of Liverpool!)
I absolutely adore this framed Childrens poem from Bespoke Verse - I found the poem itself so touching - reading it on the website made me well up and reading it when it arrived had the same effect, and I was able to have it personalised with a dedication to the boys, which I love.
Visitors have already commented on how special it is, and it's something that will be treasured always.
It's available HERE for £24.00
All of my magazines and books are now kept neatly in this cute little basket, which was actually a basket that I received a gift hamper in - but it certainly does the job!
My owl bits & pieces, and my Willow Tree collection are still present on my mantel of course - I think they go really nicely in the living room.
I also recently received some really lovely bits from Home Bargains new Autumn homewear range which have been absolutely perfect for the living room overhaul.
The clear candlesticks above are a lovely addition to the window area (£1.99), and the gray photo frame below is really lovely (£1.49).
I've been so impressed with Home Bargains autumn home wear collection, there are so many truly lovely bits & pieces that you just wouldn't expect to find in such a cut price store.
This rose gold tea light holder (£3.99) now lives in our playroom and I just love it!
Another favorite has been this winter themed gray fleece throw (an amazing £2.49) - as you can see the boys & I love to snuggle under it of an evening! It's so warm and fleecy, and it's going to match my Christmas decor perfectly!!
You can browse more of the homeware range or locate your nearest store at www.homebargains.co.uk
I'm so much happier with our living room now, it really is amazing what a lick of paint, a new pair of curtains and a bit of a spruce up can do for a room!
I'm almost happy with the entire house now, just the hallway to go!!
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