I Dream of Homes: Living Room

       I'm back with another installment and this time I'm featuring the living room. But before I get to that I wanted to share my latest addiction. It goes by the name of Pinterest and it is a major time suck. I'm definitely late on the Pinterest train (I usually catch on to trends about a year late), but I'm oh-so-glad that I've now landed myself there. If you like oogling over images of homes, fashion, jewelry, food, art, crafts, (you get my drift) check it out. It's a great place to bookmark and upload your favorite inspirational photos as well as see whats inspiring your friends and favorite bloggers. Now get on over there and start oogling. 

Things that I've been spotting over there as of late

I'd love to remake this piece of art for our future house

in a palette of our choosing.

Affordable art, yes please.

I'm dying to build a banquette in our future home

AND I'm kind of obsessed with lanterns at the moment.

This photo serves as double inspiration.

Pinterest has fed my love for white paneling and ceiling beams.

And I've spotted lots of inspiration over there for Nolan's

1st Birthday bash in July!

So if you have time to kill, go get yourself set up with 

a pinterest account and find me!

Okay, now back to my living room breakdown. 

      With so much daily life revolving around this space, it's oh-so-important that it offer function and form and reflect your style. Knowing our budget, when it comes to buying a house we probably won't be afforded a home with a living room AND a family room, so we need to find a balance all in one room. 
       I've played around with a design plan for the living room several times. I've toyed with Navy, Grey, and exposed brick, but my final design is something a bit more subdued.  And once I knew which direction I wanted to go, it came together really effortlessly. Above all else, I want our living room to feel comfortable and inviting. I strongly dislike pieces that are so stylish that you're afraid you might ruin them, or they don't offer comfort. We need furniture with style that is liveable too! We like to put our feet up. We spill. We have a yellow lab and a baby (and hopefully more to follow at some point) And yes, sometimes we eat on the couch (yes, sometimes often)! 

So what's my plan. Well, it goes a little something like this.

And now for the breakdown...

1) White wood paneling. I am coo-coo for white paneling. Horizontal or vertical, I love it all. I've been researching the cost of adding paneling to a space and it looks to be an affordable, reasonable, and DIY way to add lots of character and charm. Bring. It. On.


2) Grey, that's the plan! I have a real thing for grey. I'm not sure what it is, but it speaks to me. I even really like the name Grayson for a boy, but Jon has vetoed that (dang it!). I'm always finding ways that I want to use grey (I painted Nolan's Easter basket a light and I gravitate toward clothes that are grey). I like that's its neutral, understated and classic. AND it compliments other colors so well. 


3) So, that leads me to a grey couch. I had flirted with the idea of a navy couch, but I think grey is a much smarter choice because it's more adaptable to room colors and something tells me I would get sick of a navy couch. 


4) Hard wood floors! Yes, I love hardwood and dream of having them throughout our home to add cohesiveness. I wonder if we'll be able to afford them...


5) Yellows and pattern. Yellow and grey are a very current color combo but I like it for more then that. I think yellow is a comfortable color, while being bright and airy.  If we end up living in a cold winter locale, we need as much bright and airy as we can get. And pattern! Did I mention that I have a thing for textiles and print? Well, I definitely hope to incorporate print via curtains, a rug, lampshades, pillows, etc. I also really hope to incorporate a couple of patterned chairs into our living room design. If you get sick of them you can have them recovered for a lot less then replacing a sofa (and, hopefully we can find them second hand to begin with!).


6) Rustic. I love rustic. I would love a coffee table made of reclaimed wood, and oh, maybe reclaimed beams overhead. A a reclaimed mantel? Alright, you get it. 


7)Last but not least, I wanted to mention that beauty of a grey hutch in the background. I LOVE hutches and I can't get enough of them. This grey and white one caught my eye. Sure, it's not in our budget but I'm thinking I may re-create one by utilizing a second hand piece.

Here are some living room spaces that I'm loving.

via

via

via

via

via

via

       I've been trying to come up with a term to define our (or, my) decorating style. I think I've settled on country rustic, with an eclectic touch. As much as I hate that I'm falling into the category of country, I can't help what I like.  One of these days I'll start picking Jon's brain to find out what style he prefers. 

Love from Tahoe!