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Living Room

Decorating

card room green living room shelves

Back in December, I shared our living room freshly painted in Card Room Green, but then I started sharing more Christmas content, so sharing the details of the room was left for another day.  I finally got out the camera again to showcase the built-in bookcases and how they look in their new shade. Because painting the living room was a big, multi-day project, I waited to paint the bookcases until everything else was done.  They were easy to access with the furniture moved back in place and waiting also gave me a chance to decide if I wanted to keep them white or paint them the same color as the walls.  So, I painted the ceiling, beams, walls, door, and trim, and decided the bookcases would look best painted the same color as the wall. My mom came over one day to help and we were able to knock

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1970 home renovation

antique-style fireplace mantel reveal

Earlier this week, I shared about the antique-style fireplace mantel we built to replace the simple mantel shelf.  You can find more details about how we built that mantel in THIS POST.  I really liked the foundation of this room, but I envisioned the fireplace with a more traditional mantel.  The shelf, to me, felt more modern and the room as a whole felt more traditional.  I felt like building out the mantel would give the fireplace more presence and make the room more cohesive.  Here is how the fireplace and surrounding built-ins looked when we moved in… …and here is how it looks now with the room painted in Card Room Green and the mantel we built! Of course, it’s a little hidden because it’s all decorated for Christmas.  In fact, as soon as the paint on the mantel was dry, I started decorating it!  I realized after the

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1970 home renovation

Building our new antique-style mantel

Several of you guessed we would build fireplace mantel option number one and you were right.  All of the antique-style mantel options I shared in THIS POST were strong contenders, but I kept coming back to the first one.  It was the first picture I saved as inspiration and the one that I imagined in our living room.  I think the others would’ve worked, but there was something about this one that I just couldn’t shake.  So, I went with my gut and this is the one we built. Photo via Becca Interiors Because our fireplace had three two-by-four supports for a mantel shelf built into the brick, it made the most sense to work around those.  We could’ve simply cut them off and then build whatever mantel style we wanted, but having support foe a shelf built into the wall was a better option than trying to build up

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1970 home renovation

new plans for the mantel

I shared early in the fall that I found an antique mantel removed from a local home built circa 1810.  I was so excited about bringing that piece of history into our house.  Overall the measurements seemed like they were going to work, but after we got it home and inspected it more carefully, we realized that it would need more than the few tweaks I initially thought.  I was pretty bummed, but Jeff and I were sort of excited at the idea of designing and building our own mantel.  So, I sold the antique one on Facebook Marketplace and started looking for some inspiration. This is mantel option number one and the one I looked at initially when I searched for inspiration about a year ago.  I liked the uniqueness of the curve above the firebox and I felt like the simplicity of it would work nicely in our

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1970 home renovation

the 1810 mantel

A few weeks ago, when I was out and about to pick up the recliner for the living room, I decided to stop in one of my favorite local antique shops.  In case you missed the recliner, I found it on Facebook Marketplace and slipcovered it with the help of my mom.  Here’s what it looks like now, but you can read about how we made the slipcover HERE. Anyway, my primary objective was to find antique and vintage frames for my original artwork, but right away, I spotted an antique mantel leaning up against the front of the store.  Just by eye-balling it, I thought it might be a good fit for our living room fireplace.  Before I get into the details of the mantel, let me remind you what the fireplace looks like… I really love the brick and the fact that it’s a wood-burning fireplace.  We’ve never

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All Things Home

slipcovered living room ottoman

As I’ve been sharing about the soft furnishings in our living/family room this week, several people have asked about the coexistence of our cats with upholstered and slip-covered pieces.  Having lived with cats most of my life, I know they can be destructive and it was one of my primary reservations when we considered bringing some kittens into our home almost four years ago.  But, my lap was aching for some cats and I enjoyed their company, antics, and humor so much that I was willing to put concerns about our furniture aside. We gave our cats cardboard scratchers and plenty of toys and engagement early on, so neither one of them are big furniture scratchers.  They even leave our jute rugs alone as well as other textures that cats might naturally be drawn to.  There is a piece that they have favored, specifically Violet.  They like the ottoman in

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All Things Home

new sixpenny living room sofa

When I shared the slipcovered recliner yesterday, several of you noted the preview of the new Sixpenny sofa.  Today, I’m going to share the entire sofa as well as a review of the style and fabric I selected.  (For the sake of full disclosure, this sofa was gifted to me as a part of a partnership with Sixpenny.) If you remember, I shared the Sixpenny sofa styles and fabric samples I was considering in THIS POST.  I ended up choosing the Elias 84″ sofa in Warm Oatmeal, which is a medium-weight linen fabric, for the slipcover.  One thing I loved about shopping for a Sixpenny sofa online is their website is so thorough.  Each piece of furniture has every measurement you could want as well as details about how the piece is made, materials used, care, and more.  I felt like I was able to make a very informed decision

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All Things Home

making a slipcover for a recliner

Shortly after we moved in, I bought a manual wingchair recliner off of Facebook Marketplace for $40.  I had a feeling it would be a “placeholder” for a nicer recliner in the future, but it seemed like a good tester piece.  We could see how much we used it, see how it fit in the room (while fully open), and help us make a more informed decision in the future.  I intended to make a slipcover for this recliner, but after using it for a few weeks, it became clear that it wasn’t worth the effort or the cost.  The chair wasn’t comfortable and piece by piece, the mechanism was falling apart and got to the point where it would just randomly pop open. So, for almost a year, I looked around at recliners.  I looked at new and used and was very wishy-washy and undecided.  I didn’t mind saving

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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