50 shades of gray? No way!

shades of grayWe moved into our house almost 5 years ago and we have repeatedly wondered what to do to arrange our living room in a comfortable way so that we could all hang out together and talk to each other.

For years we had our couch facing the back wall, which did not seem very welcoming or conducive to engaging with anyone in the rest of the house.  Finally somebody had the idea to flip the room around, which involved moving the tv and satellite dish to accommodate the TV being on a different wall.

This allowed us to buy a sectional, something we have wanted for a while but didn’t think we had the right layout for. We love our new couch, especially the fact that we can all sit or lay on it and not even touch each other.  The room already feels much more open and welcoming.

Living room new sofa

But this is going to be the new “before” photo.  Now that I’m on a roll, why not change a few things?

The color paint that we chose when we moved in makes the house feel a bit like a cave so I decided to paint.  It was just a matter of figuring out the color.  Ha ha… it’s not ever that simple is that?

Gray? Beige? Greige? There are maybe 7000 different paint colors depending on which brand you go with.  It became a minor obsession, I admit. I would test samples on several walls and watch it throughout the day finally admitting that I didn’t like it, then go back and get another color to repeat the process.  It was very very frustrating for someone who just likes to get it done!

Anyhow, to make a long story short slightly less long, we ultimately chose a color and our painter will have it done soon.  Another way to lighten up the room is to change out a couple of the pieces of furniture and some decorative items. We are even thinking of putting in two more windows to add more light.

Of course if you paint the living room, you have to paint the kitchen and the dining room and the hallway and the doors and the trim.  A small project turns much bigger. 

I will have some before and after pictures (which we all love) as we go forward making changes.  Decluttering is a huge part of this process.  I thought I’d done a good job but there is soooo much more to get out of here.  I’ve often wondered when looking in magazine photos… where do people put their stuff????? Turns out, they have LESS on purpose! And furniture pieces with storage.  😉

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7 Responses to 50 shades of gray? No way!

  1. How fun! I’m looking forward to the big paint reveal and seeing more photos. And while I totally support your efforts to declutter and let go of things that aren’t treasures, the truth of magazine photos is that stylists remove tons of stuff from each room before they photograph. So you always have to assume you’re actually seeing an idealized and not actual room that supports living people.
    Deborah Weber recently posted…Celebrating Flower EssencesMy Profile

  2. Amy Putkonen says:

    I love your ottoman AND your new sofa to go with it! I can’t wait to see what you choose!
    Amy Putkonen recently posted…Don’t Give Up Yet…My Profile

  3. Looks like fun! I’ll be anxious to see the photos. As for the magazine photos? I think they hide all their junk in the garage. I refuse to believe there is enough storage on the planet to keep EVERYTHING out of sight!
    Janet Forrest recently posted…Village of Taormina, Sicily, ItalyMy Profile

  4. Becky says:

    What color did you choose?!?!

    I had very strict rules in my head of what I wanted the grey in our house to be like, and I think I found a great one. Too bad about the flood! Oh well, next house, one day …
    Becky recently posted…June, July & August 2015 Wrap UpMy Profile

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