Monday, 8 April 2013

My Living Room Makeover

I am thrilled to show off my latest makeover project which just happens to be my own living room!  It has been a long time coming and I am so excited to share with you the before and afters.  Here is my living room before, decorated nearly 10 years ago when I couldn't get enough of browns.

My living room - before picture
My living room was dated with brown walls and over sized furniture.  My vision for this frequently used space on our main floor was to personalise the room, mix older pieces with new items and add a blue hue that I have been craving for way too long! 

Wall colour - Flint by Benjamin Moore, the Affinity Collection
Here is my newly decorated living room!  The myth that a dark colour makes a room feel smaller is just that, a myth.  This space is much brighter and fresher than I ever imagined & I couldn't be happier.  

My inspiration for this space started with these two lovely ladies...

An organic and nature feel is exactly the look that  I was going for in my living room
These women have been painted onto wood boards and they called to me with their various colours and 'nature' feel.  Although it was never part of my plan to keep the patterned cushions you see on the couch, they worked well with the overall colour scheme I was etching towards so I decided to hold on to them.  The antique chest is over 100 years old and when my parents showed it to me, I snatched it up straight away so it never got a chance to make it to Aberfoyle!

Tulips and hydrangeas are my favourite flowers
I did quite a bit of work on this old record cabinet and I love how it turned out
The framed pictures were taken by me, my brother in law and my mom.  The birds of prey are our fluffy friends from Mountsberg and the photo on the bottom right is the view from the bedroom at the cottage overlooking the lake at sunrise.

So, what do you think?  Would you like to have a cup of tea with me in my newly designed living room?



Stay tuned as later this week I am having another photo shoot at a clients home where I've helped them redesign both their living room and dining room.

If you have a space that you would like to make uniquely yours, contact me and I can help you fall in love with your home again.  Contact me by e-mail: claire@creatingcontrastdesigns.com

10 comments:

  1. Oh my Claire! So beautiful! I would love to have a cuppa with you in your new living room. I love it!

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  2. Lovely space Claire. I agree that dark rooms can feel quite lovely. There is something grounding about a dark room. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Betty Goodchild8 April 2013 at 12:04

      Absolutely beautiful. I never would have know that it was your old living room. Give yourself many pats on the back for a job so well done..

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  3. Claire I am almost finished painting my dining room the same colour. Now I feel almost up-to-date!!!

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  4. Great job Claire! Love the wall colour and the antique chest is a great find. Can't wait to have tea there!

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  5. Cheers for all your lovely comments, we are loving this room too. A big thanks to Mary for taking wonderful photographs of it!

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  6. Looks great. I am curious about what you used on the cabinet. Is it fabric or wallpaper? I wouldn't mind knowing the source too. Thanks!

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  7. Thanks Julia. That is fabric that I used to cover the speakers, I will be posting about that vignette and how I created it in the near future. Was it the source for the fabric you wanted or the piece of furniture? The furniture was a second hand find and the fabric was from Designer Fabrics in Toronto on Queen Street West. Hope this helps!

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  8. I love how contemporary yet colourful and welcoming your living room turned out! I recall seeing that record cabinet in an Aberfoyle photo (it looks like a unit on there website)and like the way you have mixed artwork, fabrics and wood to create a fun room! Great job!

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