Living Room Love

I've been living with Ryan officially for almost two months now. We have a small house with a lot of charm. The one complaint I would have to say is that we have tons of wedding gifts and not nearly enough storage to house them all. This has proved to be somewhat of an obstacle, but at the same time who can complain about receiving too many presents??

I would have to say that in our two month marriage we have yelled at each other bickered about the "clutter" several times. I'm working to find places to stores it all... (i.e... extra linens are in Rubbermaid totes under guest bed, fine china is in top of closet until we fit a china cabinet into the budget).

I love our little house, but it hasn't felt like home just yet. I still refer to it as "Ryan's house" 90% of the time. I think it's because I feel like it is still Ryan's house... not our home, does that make sense? I never actually had an official move in day. I have made several trips here and there and picked up various items and brought them over. It's kind of like I'm simply staying over for a while...

So, I have made the decision to change that. I am making "Ryan's house" "our home." I think the main reason I haven't bitten the bullet until now, so to speak, is because it overwhelms me to think of all the things I want done (i.e new vanity in bathroom, paint and redo bedroom, install some shelves in the laundry room, purchase a new kitchen table and chairs, strip and stain a piece of furniture, stain the porch, hang an outdoor fan the porch....) The thought of it all sort of cripples me into watching TV instead. This makes it great for me to stay on top of Bethenny getting Married?, New Jersey Housewives, The Bachelorette, and other nonsensical shows, but it hasn't done much as far making our house a stylish home.

I finally had to quit looking at the big picture and I have decided to take it one room at a time. We will finish things as we have the time and can afford them. I have decided the first project will be the LIVING ROOM!!

I found a living room that I loved as soon as I saw it. It's kind of quirky, a bit feminine, yet masculine at the same time.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE...

I am using it as my inspiration. I love that it has neutral couches, with pops of color in the throw pillows, it has dark wood furniture and random pictures. I think it's great. I spent a few days looking for something that "spoke to me" more so than this room and nothing came to me. I then decided to run it by Ryan to make sure he would be on board with me revamping our living room with this room in mind. I thought it would be a tough sell (especially with the Lucite coffee table) but he was on board. So full speed ahead.

I started out by looking for a couch online. I found one on Pottery Barn, but it wasn't exactly in my price range. I decided I would use it as an inspiration piece while looking for something less expensive.

Over the weekend, I ventured to Birmingham to spend the weekend with my BFF, Lacey. I had one objective: FIND A COUCH AND LOVE SEAT! And that's just what we did...

The only stipulation I had from Ryan was that I find a couch that would be long enough for him to stretch out on. (he's 6'2"). I could handle that.

This is our new couch (and style of the love seat) that will be delivered on July 20!! Whooo Hooo!

And don't worry, I took Ryan by to see it before I made the big purchase and I insisted that he lay down on it. He fit just fine!

I realize that this fabric is rather light... So we paid extra to have the couch treated and a three year warranty. Should we spill something on it, or stain it in someway we simply have to make a phone call and someone will be sent to professionally clean it.

I have also purchased these two prints that will go somewhere in the room:

Pottery Barn had their frames on sale with free shipping so I've got some cool frames on the way. I let Ryan pick which animals we purchased. I think these are so cool. They are printed on pages from vintage books.

I found this rug online and think it will work well in the room. It is similar to the rug  in the inspiration room and it is 100% cotton so it can be easily dry cleaned!

Click the link above to see a photo of the rug used in a room. The colors are actually more vibrant.

I didn't know if I would be able to find a Lucite coffee table which was affordable. However, after some research I found one for a decent price and Ryan has agreed for me to purchase it as well. YAY!!

I'm still on the hunt for a really cool mirror like the one in the inspiration room (square with thick dark wood). I also need to figure out what to do about our built in bookshelves. I need to style them in a way that jives with the overall feel of the room. Another thing I need to decide on is the window treatments and a potential paint color. My BF Katie Beth is going to help me out... she has great taste and savvy sense of style.

I will keep you all updated and may even do a Before and After post when it's all said and done.

Once we get the living room down... we will move on to the bedroom. One step at a time... one project at a time... "Ryan's house" is becoming "our home."