living room update (it's about time!)

It's been long enough without an update on the living room. So, let's get this party-train started:

BEFORE

This pic is from the house listing.  I dont know if you can really tell, but the walls were an attempt at beige, which went horribly greenish.  Anyways, other than the MISSING QUARTER-ROUND MOLDING and a bit of grime on the floor, this room was probably the best in shape on move-in day.

DURING

I thought orange would be a good accent color for these rooms...

I thought wrong.  The orange wasn't enough contrast, and in the end everything felt very orangey-brown.  And not, well, "me."

I have since embraced my love of yellow, and there is no stopping me now!  I particularly love the peacock/marine blue and yellow combination (and have an entire pinterest board devoted to it!*)  Why do you care?  Well, to be honest, you probably don't.  But for the purpose of this post, you DO care because that's the direction my living room is going!




*I will follow you, if you follow me....




AFTER/NOW

VOILA!  Much more cheerful and it makes me happy.  

Much happier.  

For more on that kick-a$$ bar, check out this post.

If that picture looks like everything is kinda off-center and misaligned, then I apologize.  It's not.  I think this is totally a perspective thing; I don't line up my furniture on a diagonal!

Now for a few details, close-ups, and things-I-love:

(Yes, this is a pic from the orange days.  And I have no idea why there's a palate in my dining room...)

This beauty was from HomeGoods for about $25.  I KNOW!  There's a piece missing?  Though I can't find where that missing piece is... but, for that price, I'm not gonna object!

We got this table and chair set (from here, only we paid $299.99... dunno what that crazy price hike is about!)  The thought process behind this was to add more seating, especially with a Superbowl party nearing, and to give us another place to eat.  Both of which, I am loving!  I also enjoy how it doubles as a (better) place to put drinks- much more easy to reach than the coffee table/ottoman!  I love the lines, both straight and semi-circles.  The cushions are quite comfortable and, best of all, it's a Transformers-table!  Check it out:

That's right, it expands!  There are legs for the other side that unfold, too.  I just didn't have the room to display that at this time.  I'm super happy with the fact that this table can grow with us or be used in different ways in houses down the line.

These pillows were an Xmas present from the beau.  He saw me go crazy for them while watching an episode of ColorSplash, and he thought to go online to their website & found out where they got them!  Awesome, right?  Then, the poor guy had to play defense when we went to a ZGallerie store to make sure I didn't buy them myself or, banish the thought, see something else I liked more!  His surprise was safe, and I was so delighted to unwrap them!

On that note, he also got me these bookends:

THE BEST!  They're really really well done.  (For those that don't know, we are a greyhound household.)  

I saw this beauty at ZGallerie on sale for $16, and I HAD to have him.  Had to.  And that little blue-bird is a good-luck thing; my mom always kept a figurine in the house.

I found this little vase at HomeGoods for $12.  I love it.  I love how it reads green in some light and teal in others.  And, it is the perfect way to bring the colors of the pillows to other areas of the room.

These two candle holders were a host gift that I think work perfectly.  I like that added bit of quirkiness the frog & lizard add.  The blue coasters are also great, though I think I may look to get two more to make a set of four.

Ok, one more look at the whole thing... this time with a lazy dog sneaking into the frame: