Okay, so as a reminder this is how the living room looked when we rented the space.
We're so grateful for the gorgeous wood floors, all that natural light and the fantastic wood beamed ceiling. AND we're up in the hills and have an incredible view of the Silverlake Reservoir.
This picture doesn't do it justice one bit and yet it STILL looks gorgeous.
That reservoir is actually calling my name this very second. It does that sometimes. Bridgette, get off your bum. Come down here and exercise... Yeah Yeah...I'll see you soon, lil' reservoir; very soon.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, before we moved in we removed the funky window mouldings, threw a fresh coat of white paint on everything and took down that eyesore of a television that was protruding from the wall.
This is a photo I took after we moved in our first few boxes.
I really love our home. You walk through the front door and there's no mistaking it; there's a very Zen feel in here. The location and the view can't be beat either and I've also really loved having a fireplace again. There's just something about sitting by a fire that I adore. It's true. The first day there's even the slightest chill in the air, I want to throw on a log. I'm a gal who loves to be comfy cozy and warm; so for me, having a fireplace is nearly a necessity. From the get go, I knew I wanted stacked wood inside the house and was dreaming about it even when we were back in Seattle. But where oh where to put all that firewood?
Once we got settled, it seemed to me that the empty space to the right of the fireplace was begging to be utilized. Sadly,
Instead, I thought it would look better if we created a platform for our television to be at eye-level; and for me, it was important aesthetically, for the tv not to be higher than the fireplace mantel. If it were to go higher, it seemed like it would throw that corner off balance. Also part of the plan? The tv platform would double as a structure that would hold our firewood and keep things tidy.
Sooooo, this is what we came up with and truly it could not be a more perfect design solution AND it was easy to install.
The plan was to assemble the structure first and then put it in place and secure it to the wall. BUT... once it was put together we realized that it was a super tight, near impossible, fit. Turns out our beautiful (old) treehouse has walls that are a bit uneven so we just ended up pushing and wedging the platform until it fit. It's so snug that we didn't even need to secure it to the wall. Easiest DIY project ever! Of course, I would always recommend securing anything top heavy like this to a wall if possible, especially if you live in earthquake country like us.
I must say, it's super functional and actually looks like a built-in. I'm super happy with it.
Here are some other shots of the progress we've made in the living room. And I'm still working on my photography skills, folks, so bear with me.
Hello, light, bright & gorgeous lil' treehouse.
Nice to see you, pretty plants in the dining room. Sometimes more IS more, so we've purchased more greenery and some smaller pots and are going to be adding to our garden wall soon!
The wall opposite the fireplace is a little challenged. It's just SO huge. Need to add more art. More art everywhere. I know...I know... But in the meantime, let's all smile at the colorful musings of the lovely Louis Cannizzaro. Check him out at www.powderfrench.com. He's a sweetheart and if you don't own his artwork, you should. You can thank me later.
Woah... Wait a second. I forgot to mention that we had a supermodel on set today. Miss Gracie Jane Pickle...who in this photo is unsure that she wants anything to do with this here photo shoot. Little one, why must you glare at me so?
I wish I could take the credit for this gorgeous fireplace screen. Carol (our landlord) picked it up at the Rosebowl. Look closely and you can almost see an Otomi pattern. I LOVE it so much.
Like I said before, this side of the room is a wee bit "challenged." Although I've loved my Vanessa de Vargas inspired green campaign dresser (LGN wrote about it here), it may be time to bid it adieu. OR maybe we can move her downstairs or give her a fresh coat of paint or something. I dunno. For a second we toyed with the idea of putting a bar in that little nook but now we've got small kiddos on the brain so that is looking less and less likely. We're still a little undecided, but we've also talked about getting some type of vintage shelving for over there. A nice vertical piece with some height to it maybe. Not sure though. AND yes...yes... I know we need more art.
Oy. And much better dresser styling. Keeping it real, people; just keeping it real...
So there you have it, my dears. The longest picture-packed-post ever. Our upstairs living space is almost done. Well, as done as it's going to get for a bit.
Here's why we're just at "almost":
1. We'd love to replace our sofas as they are actually super uncomfortable. Biff and I have discussed it and we are quite certain that we've been cursed with bad sofa karma...although we're not sure why. Also, sadly, Gracie Jane Pickle thinks they are her extra large scratching posts... and as much as I've thought about breaking her legs and tearing out her nails (I know. I'm a horrible person.) when I wake up to the noise of her scratching in the middle of the night, I just love her too damn much to do so. Soooo we've resigned to ugly cat scratched corners on these uncomfortable sofas. I think because of the light color of the sofas though, it's not that super noticeable. Or maybe I'm just dreaming. Who knows.
2. Like I mentioned earlier, we want to change out the green campaign dresser. We'll see when or if that ever happens.
3. I am in the process of buying and creating more art for the entire house. More on that soon.
4. And undoubtedly, a few more pillows, a throw or two and something with a little more height to go on the mantel wouldn't hurt either.
So you see, we are allllllmost there. One of these days I'm going to have this place properly photographed by someone who knows what they're doing. I bet it will make a world of difference. Can't wait! Must. Finish. Projects!!
First though, I better get down to that reservoir and burn some calories.
Have a great night, lovelies.
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