I am in the process of “redecorating” my living room. I use quotes because I am not really making that many changes. I found new curtains that will let me keep my existing sofa sectional, and I think we won’t need to entirely repaint, just touch up over Brian’s crayon scrawls. Basically that means I replaced the curtains, a desk, occasional tables, art, lamps, am adding a storage cabinet, and am swapping a loveseat for a side chair.\
When we bought our townhouse, Kevin and I decided to make our living room and dining area nice and adult (no Target art like we had in college), without being too formal: beautiful taupe suede paint on the walls, cherry wood occasional tables, to-die-for drapes, colorful glass vases, an extra large dining table for guests. After 5 years of living with this though, I have accepted my laziness (I never used a cover for the table and the water spots were destroying the finish), lack of a social life (most of the chairs went unused and were cumbersome for the size of the area), the desire for the computer to be moved from the basement office to a more central location, and the need for more storage. (TMI alert- Kevin thinks I have a storage fetish. But you try living in a townhouse without a garage, two kids with more clothes than their parents, and a husband’s comic book collection.)\
So, I gave up on “adult” and embraced the IKEA look. While my mom is probably cringing at the thought of the computer in the living room (and not even hiding in a cabinet!), I love the new look and feel. So much more relaxed, casual, and bright. But, it means I have to say goodbye to my beloved love seat. The love seat was given to me by some family friends and my MIL and I recovered it in gorgeous gold fabric. It’s so lovely, I hate to see it go. But I don’t have anywhere to put it. (It is up for grabs, if you can haul it away yourself. First one to claim it, can have it.) BTW, when the living room is finished, I will probably post pics! But this post is to say goodbye to my beautiful love seat. Sniff. According to my MIL, the fabric is silk with cotton over-embroidery. Oy, I may need a tissue. My MIL even hand-stitched the pleats down in the front AND back because I am kind of ‘detail-focused,’ sometimes. Later we realized couches that you buy in stores don’t even have that detail! Hmm, she may need a tissue too.\
Isn’t it lovely?\
\
ETA- she just emailed me, “I still wish I had a home for it. It is like giving away our first child. OK, not quite that serious.” But still painful!