Family Room Update

Our family room has been a work in progress ever since we moved in. We had all the necessities for a family room, including new carpeting, newly painted walls, a feature fireplace, a huge, broken-in and extremely comfortable brown sectional, an end table, a few lamps, a flat screen TV with stand, and a super cool coffee table with a top that rises to serve as a bar when you're lazy and want to eat on the couch (which we do way too much). I believe that style can be found in the details, though, and for a long time our room was lacking in those small details. This was partly due to the fact that I would only buy accessories that I truly loved versus items I just kind of liked to finish the room. Going this route took a lot longer (we're working on close to a year), but it also ensures your room will look exactly how you want it to.


Here is what our family room looked like when we first moved in:

The first order of business was patching the ceiling, getting carpet installed and painting a few coats of light blue onto the walls. This is what our family room looked like in the fall using only furniture and accessories we already owned:

I wrote about our family room design inspiration here and here. And here is the cliff notes version of my style inspiration for this room:

For our family room, I was most inspired by....you'll never guess.....a bathroom. But not just any bathroom. This bathroom was designed by the amazingly talented Sarah Richarson on her farmhouse series of "Sarah's House" on HGTV. Behold the beautiful bathroom:

 

The Good Life

The Good Life

The Good Life

The Good Life

 I was also inspired by this nook by Pottery Barn:

Pottery Barn

So after patiently waiting and hunting and saving for the small details that would define our family room room, here are the details:




  

Here is a breakdown of the goods (as best I can remember, as again, this has been a yearlong endeavor):


Accessories in the corner (to the right of the window):
* Oars - the tall one was a gift salvaged by our brother in law, whom is a contractor and found this on location, the smaller one was purchased with a giftcard to L.L. Bean given to us by our sister in law for Christmas a few years ago
* Round wicker basket - a $2 find at my favorite thrift store down the road
* Narrow console table - $29.99 @ the Christmas Tree Shop
* Nantucket book - purchased for $2 at Job Lot
* Small sailboat - purchased last summer with my Mom (I don't remember the price - I'm guessing it was under $30)


Wall Art:
* Sepia sailboat print - Brian has owned this for years and we've had it in all of our previous apartments. We also have another similar print in our living room.
* Vintage art on either side of the window above the couch - I found vintage prints online (check out how I did this here), and framed them in $5 Christmas Tree Shop frames. I then hung these frames onto two 20x30" plexiglass poster frames I bought at Walmart for around $10 a pop. I removed the plexiglass and covered the base in a tan linen-like fabric for around $3/yard. I also spray-painted the frame white. Read more about a similar project how-to here.


Couch Accessories:
* White throw - Brian bought this for me at BJ's because he knows I love soft blankets and white is my favorite color. He also bought me fuzzy white slippers at BJ's. What a guy. :-)
* Tan throw blanket - we've had for years.
* 2 large blue/white/brown striped pillows - These are actually European pillowcase shams that I ordered from Pottery Barn. We like to sprawl out on this sectional so I knew that 1) we needed comfy pillows, and 2) I would prefer to be able to wash them easily. These totally fit the bill and the price was very reasonable. I ordered these back in the Fall and don't remember the exact price.
* Light blue square pillows with brown piping - Purchased from Walmart for around $10 each.
* White sea urchin pillow - Purchased on Etsy. This was a splurge at around $50, but I absolutely adore this unique pillow. It was made with vintage chenille and I have a thing for sea urchins; see this post.
Window Treatments:
*Window rods: Nickel-finished rods from Walmart. Don't remember exact price, as they were purchased in the Fall...but again they were reasonably priced.
*Rod rings: Bronze-finished and also purchased at Walmart for around $5/pack (I purchased 2 packs). They were all sold out of nickel, so I took a chance and tried the dark brown color since we already have so much brown in the fam room. I don't think it looks bad, but I am eventually planning to replace them with the nickel version...or I'll just use nickel spray paint on the ones we already have.
*Tan curtains: Drop cloths purchased at Home Depot....$10 for 2 sheets. These are amazing - they are heavy and substantial,  but still very soft (after a run through the washer and dryer). The package I bought came in 9x13' sheets, so I needed to hem the bottom of the curtain panel. I just used my glue gun.
*Wicker blinds over the couch - Purchased on Overstock for under $20 each.


Mantle Accessories:
* White mirror - We already owned this, I just coated it in white spray paint (it was originally an orange-y maple color).
* White vase - Already owned; it used to be green but this also got the white spray paint treatment. The branches are real but I afixed faux blue blossoms. Read about that tutorial, and my full mantle tutorial here.
* Driftwood - Found on our beach down the street.
* Blue flower print - The print was found online (go back to my Wall Art section above for more info on this); white frame from Christmas Tree Shop for around $5.
* Glass apothocary jars - Leftover from my wedding's salt water taffy bar (DIY tutorial here) and shells are also left over from the wedding.
* Baskets to the left of the fireplace - These are my DIY Ballard Design's file storage baskets (tutorial here).
* Books - All previously owned.
* Candles on top of books - Dollar Store votives that I covered in twine with my glue gun.
* Wicker Chair to the right of fireplace - Purchased at Ikea for $29.99
* Light blue throw blanket - Purchased at Walmart for under $10.
* Crab pillow - Purchased last summer with my Mom for under $30.
* Brown storage cube - Purchased at Job Lot for $15
* Silver tray - Purchased at TJ Maxx for $5 (it was originally orange and I spray painted it)
* Blue #5 buoy - Previously owned.
* White coral - Purchased at Christmas Tree Shop for $1.99 (originally it was light blue - I sprayed it white).


Coffee Table Accessories:
* Glass shell candleholder - Purchased last summer with my Mom for under $30.
* Nautical rope coasters - Purchased at Christmas Tree Shop ($5 for a pack of 8).


End Table Accessories:
* White lamp with linen drum shade - Purchased at Walmart for $20.
* Longaberger basket - Purchased for $5 at a thrift shop last summer.
* Fish print - Printed online and framed in a $3 frame from Christmas Tree Shop.


Bookshelf Accessories:
* White ladder bookshelf - Purchased for $29.99 at Christmas Tree Shop.
* Wedding picture - Print was part of our wedding photography package; frame was $7 at Christmas Tree Shop.
* Books - All previously owned.
* Brown coral reef candleholder - Purchased last summer for around $15.
* Basket with white starfish - Bakset was purchased at Dollar Store (originally it was light blue - I sprayed it in a metallic color). The starfish are left over from our wedding.
* Framed sea fan - Sea fan was leftover from our wedding shell decor; white frame was $5 at Christmas Tree Shop.
* Brown wicker ball - Previously owned.
* Collection of blue books - Some were previously owned and a few were purchased at Value Bookstores for $5 each.
* Starfish on top of books - Previously owned.
* Basket on bottom shelf - Purchased at Walmart for around $10.

Remaining Furniture:
* Sectional, end table and coffee table - All previously owned and purchased years ago from Bob's Furniture.

I am linking up to the following link parties this week:

Sunday: Tatertots and Jello

Monday: The DIY Showoff, Between Naps on the Front Porch, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, House in Roses, Making the World Cuter, Keeping it Simple, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Super Stinky Boys, Mad in Crafts, Creating Really Awesome Free Things, All Things Related and http://diyhshp.blogspot.com.

Tuesday: Coastal Charm, Hope Studios, New Nostalgia, The Lettered Cottage, , The Herber Family, Tip Junkie, The Gypsy Corner, and Creating a House of Grace.

Wednesday: Someday Crafts, Savvy Southern Style, Faded Charm Cottage, The Thrifty Home, Tales from Bloggaritaville, and Blue Cricket Design.

Thursday: Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Chic Cottage, House of Hepworths, The Virginia House, Delightful Order,  Allie Makes, and http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ .

Friday: Chic on a Shoestring, Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous, Common Ground, It’s a Hodge Podge Life, French Country Cottage, A La Carte, Just a Girl, Shabby Nest, Fingerprints on the Fridge, and Stuff and Nonsense.