New (Free) Area Rug

What's better than a new rug? A free one! A friend of mine bought this beautiful rug for her home, but decided after a while that it didn't really fit with the room. Now it's mine!

Since painting my living room blue last year, the space hasn't had a suitable rug. I've had some beautiful flat weave rugs, but they aren't really practical for us because our youngest is either in his wheel chair smooshing the rug up with turning wheels or he's getting caught up on the edges scooting around on his bottom. Now I have a rug that stays put and meshes perfectly with the vibe of my living room. I'm a happy mama!

Most recently I had a beautiful rug from Pottery Barn, but the color wasn't right for the space - see the photo below. I've moved that rug to my dining room where it is much happier.

Woven Textiles | Layer it On

A smattering of boho textiles for a Wednesday morning? Yes, please. Honestly, when my home needs a pick-me-up, layering woven textiles is my go-to decorating trick. Pillows, rugs, tapestries, window treatments and wall hangings are the quickest and least permanent way to spiff up your space. And to prove my point, I submit the evidence below:

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Magic Carpets

Why put something bland on your floor when, for just a few thousand dollars, you can have something spectacular? These area rugs have captured my imagination but the price tags are crazy balls. I wonder if you could take a plain flat weave rug and just paint a similar design over top?  No?  Yeah, I thought so.

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My Living Room is Finished!

I painted my living room blue last weekend and the results are in!  I snapped photos yesterday morning while fixing oatmeal for my 5-year-old and intermittently picking up a crying 2-year-old. So while they're not top notch photos, you'll get an idea of what I've done!  Presenting my very blue living room:

And just for fun, here's a before shot:

I painted with Benjamin Moore's Symphony Blue, which took four coats.  It was crazy but worth it.  Most of the room is comprised of furniture I already had on hand. However, there are a few new things in place.  The primary purchase was a set of red ikat curtain panels from Castle Creek Designs on Etsy.  They are beautiful and I'm in love with these curtains.  The other new piece is the red tripod table pictured above from West Elm - an early Christmas gift from my husband.  It was on sale!

Where did everything else come from?  Here's the breakdown:

Everything below came from Craigslist:

pair of yellow Midcentury chairs

pair of blue barrel back chairs

brown sofa

both sofa side tables

coffee table

circular table between blue chairs

Thrift Store

all four table lamps, each lamp was 5 dollars or less
(I spray painted two of them in turquoise)

Etsy

red ikat curtains from Castle Creek Designs

grey chevron pouf by Aleta Fae - I won from a blog giveaway at Head Over Heels

Joss & Main

blue Ikat pillows on sofa

lumbar ikat pillow I won from a blog giveaway at Deliciously Organized

Pottery Barn

red paisley throw pillow and blanket

area rug

Stuff I made:

yellow suzani pillows on sofa

red art above hearth

And just for fun... here are photos of our eat-in kitchen and dining room, both of which share space with our new living room... 

P.S.  All of the art in the photos below were painted by my son, Walker. 

Our dining room is like his little gallery.

Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to go bold and paint my living room dark indigo blue.  I love the look of it, as does my family.  It's warm, dramatic, energizing and just plain fun.  Have a GREAT weekend!

Fur

I usually don't go in for fur, but I keep coming back to the photo below.  Is it the wood built-ins?  Is it the wonderful light quality?  Is it the Buddha on the shelf?  Is it the natural fiber rug?  Possibly.  But I think it might be that crazy fur covered couch. 

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Spicy Stripes at West Elm

I am in love with West Elm's new Morocco Collection.  I love the stripes and I love the colors - spicy hues of cardamom, cinnamon, curry, chile, nutmeg, clove, fennel, saffron, etc.  I may have to stop by my local West Elm today and see them in person!

 

Don't forget to enter the Bedding Style Giveaway!  

You could win a beautiful bedding set!  

Enter to win by clicking HERE.

Pattern Under Foot

Its a gray, damp Tuesday and I'm at home with my kiddos in our pajamas.  Despite the weather, I am cheered - as always - by my home.  As I look around the house, the thing that cheers me the most, besides the great company, is the eclectic mix of pattern.  The only place that lacks big pattern is the floor.  Most of my area rugs are a solid color or if they do have pattern, they're on the small side.  I'm always drawn towards ethnic weaves, but I also love a bold floral print every once in a while.  I'm definitely inspired by the area rugs in the photos below.

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