The Domino Effect in Decorating

I have been busy working on my living room makeover.

It is taking longer than normal because there are so many things I am doing.

It started in the living room and then ran into the dining room~

something I call the domino effect.

I bought this rug at Company C. 
When I put it in the living room the pink and yellow

in the dining room seemed overpowering with the aqua. 

You can't have three colors in equal strengths. 

There is no balance.

 There were too many colors going on in the house now.

So I decided the bright pink had to go, and with it the chairs.

Here is a glimpse of the changes that ensued.

I added beadboard wallpaper and frenchy blue chairs.

I changed the window treatments to simple sheer swags.

Now with the chandy painted and a new frenchy mirror.
But let me back up...

I got my pretty chairs from Bridget at Rustique In NH.

Loading up to head back to my place!

See that mirror with the fleur~de~lis? 

I loved the shape of it and bought that too!

It was finished the same as the chairs in soft aqua blue.

I bought it for the living room, but as it turned out,

I don't always know exactly where something is gonna go. 

I do know if I love it~

it will end up looking fab somewhere!

 Meanwhile in the living room to make the rug work 

(you can barely see it laid on top of my cream carpet to check it out)

I painted and glazed my mantle in pale blue.

Hubby hung my iron and crystal sconces that 

I had been carting around forever.

My Lillian August couch was in serious browns and golds

and this was going to have to change.
It was going to get some slipcovers for the cushions
 to totally transform the look of this piece.

Here is the new carpet thrown down in the room for a look see.
Yes, slipcovers are a must, and mantle was yet to be painted.

I tested out some pink and yellow toiles and polka dots

going with the playful mood of the rug.

The mantle was still grey in this picture.

Only the cushions were going to get slip covered, 

not the tufted frame.

The upholstery has pinks and oranges 

in the brown chenille fabric which is hard to see.

The walls were changed from a
beigy yellow to a clean buttery yellow.
Top is painted fresh, bottom still beigey...
believe it or not this subtle paint change was huge.

Then I took apart the chandelier and set my sites on that offender.

I painted it with an oil based primer and the difference was incredible!
 I can see some crystal strands hanging from the arms.

Here is how it all turned out:

The new mirror looks beautiful in between the windows.
I love the bead board wallpaper 
and the iron garden settee as well.

View from Living Room into Dining Room 
note the white iron chandelier, 
eliminating the dark color was a major factor
 in the lightness of this room. 

You can see the living room a bit...

New pink and yellow toile cushion slipcovers. 

Dining room curtains are in this space now. 
They look so much better in here!

What a happy couch! What a happy room!
I brought in this mirror from dnrm 
along with the antique desert plates. 
It pulls together the pinks and yellows
 of the curtains and the cushions.

Pink and yellow tassel trim detail.
See my conservatory in the garden?

I eliminated the coffee table and
 replaced it with a leather ottoman
 I bought two years ago at Costco.
A tole tray holds books and drinks.

The strong colors of the rug are 
supported by the pinks and yellows.
The blue is repeated in the mantle and the dining room.

My bookcases are dressed up with books, 
special pictures and touches of blues.

My tabletops hold little collections of aqua blue tins,
 flower frogs, amethyst bottles, limoge boxes
and family pictures of my kids when they were little....

...and some French opera glasses for birdwatchin'....
Oh, and that's my Nana holding my now 30 year old son Justin!

These watercolors by noted artist 
Mary Waters Jacobs are of my first two sons.
Its a happy coincidence that their shirts match my decor!

The mantle has a window frame with rose botanicals
 in each frame in cheerful pinks yellows and greens.

A galvanized tin of  pink flowers sits on the hearth.

A view looking across the living room towards my dining room.
A baby grand piano is coming tomorrow!
It will be in the corner on the left.

Here it is a day later!!!!!

I updated this post to show the piano in place.

How about this for a perfect painting
 over it in all the right colors!
I bought it over a year ago because 
I loved the romance and gentility of the scene.

How cheerful is this pretty room?
My colorful living room makeover~
I'm already thinking about the winter look for the room 
as this has a very spring and summery feel. 
Changing the rug out to my black needlepoint rug
and swapping out the mantle artwork will be the plan.

We love both of our rooms!
Use the power of paint, edit your accessories,
 and add prints and patterns 
in a balanced manner to transform your spaces.


Linking to 
Company C
and
My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday
and
Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Friday
and
Funky Junk Interiors SNS
and
Metamorphosis Monday