Before and After: Living Room

We're in Pennsylvania right now enjoying the holiday weekend with Sam's family, but over the next few weeks I thought I would share some "Before and afters" of various spaces in the apartment, starting today with the living room. Taking a step back to look at how far things have come helps motivate me to tackle the bigger projects I still have on my list that I find daunting but I know will make a huge difference. Plus everyone loves before and after pictures, admit it you know it's true.

So without further ado....

This is the living room about four months after we moved in:

And the same shot, today:

Projects included:

Installing new curtains to make the windows look much bigger

Adding a large area rug (which my mom snagged for us at a carpet store that sells large remnants for a fraction of the normal price for a rug)

Painting the table lamp and making a new lampshade out of yarn

Getting a new sofa, and replacing the generic IKEA legs with ones I stained myself

Making a faux roman shade for the stained glass window

Fixing the bottom of the loveseat after the straps all broke

Making a new coffee table
Sewing new throw pillows

On the opposite side of the living room is our faux fireplace, pocket doors leading to the study, and TV. Here's what that all looked like before:

And now:

Projects included:

Buying a large mirror off craigslist and painting the frame "metallic champagne" (one of the first things I did after moving into the apartment, so it's already present in the "before" photo))

Painting the fireplace with chalkboard paint and drawing in a fire

Painting the pocket doors and door to the front hallway black with white accents

Painting an old dresser and turning it into a TV stand (plus upgrading the TV)

Repainting the mantle and trim a crisp white

I'm always making tweaks, but I'm pretty pleased with where things stand in the living room right now! The single biggest change was adding the curtains, but every little project makes a difference.

In any case, I'll keep sharing one "before and after" a week for the next few weeks, if you're curious!