Will this ever end? Today, I'm presenting you with yet another design board for our living room. In the past I've discussed getting a new sofa and how that has been a real challenge. A couple months ago we searched and searched, but couldn't find anything we absolutely love and could live with for many years to come (when you're spending that kind of money you should really love it). However, we did end up making a decision. I know shocking! We decided to just order a white custom slipcover for our existing sofa. I think that was the logical choice, we get a couple more years out of the sofa (until we move back to the States) for the least amount of $$$. Hopefully, when it finally comes in (from England) we will love it and it will provide the "transformation" we've been seeking.
The sofa we have is a discontinued Ikea model and is slipcovered (we bought it second hand when we arrived in Australia). Apparently, they had a wide variety of slipcover colors to choose from, but since they no longer sell them I did a search for anyone who makes slipcovers to fit that model and I lucked out and found several. The only catch is it takes a month or two to make and then has to be shipped. At first we were looking at mid September, but now it's looking like mid October, before it arrives.
So here is what I'm thinking the room will look like in a couple months....
As you can see there are a couple new things on the board I'm still wanting to purchase. The jute rug I purchased, from Ikea, last year, is already starting to fray on the corners, so that needs to be replaced. This time I'm thinking of a flatweave, like a graphic dhurrie or kilim.
And then the lamps...A.K.A my arch nemesis. They're kind of like the problem I was having with sofas...I just keep hitting a wall at every turn. The lamps I pictured on the board are from West Elm, but again, I don't care for the shade or the price tag, but I like the lamp and color. But, I also still really like the
Buddha lamp I've blogged about a couple times. My new teak side tables and the room are in desperate need of
ambient lighting. Designing for oneself is really the most challenging.
We've lived in our current house for two years now (still hard to believe) and I've only hung bamboo roman shades in the master bedroom (we have a pretty large collection of bamboo shades that we carry around from place to place...house to house), so I'm going to finally put them up in the rest of the house. I also have a few sets of curtains I made about seven or eight years ago, but they're off white and won't look right with the white slipcover, so I think I'll grab a pair of white ones from Ikea, but I want to jazz them up a bit. How do extra large white pom poms down the leading edge sound (bringing in a little Moroccan flare)? I think I'm going to order some thick white yarn and make them myself. I'll also order a few colors of yarn and make cute pom poms like the ones on the
inspiration pillow, but I'll add them to the pillows I'm going to make with my new links fabric.
As far as the art goes, I want to create a gallery wall above my antique Chinese console (pictured). I'm, also, still searching for a frame to fit my otomi...I so don't want to spend money on a custom one. Lastly, I think I'm going to buy that travel
sketch of India I blogged about recently. They're just so amazing, I'm going to start a collection (good/inexpensive idea for any family who want to know what to buy me for birthdays or Christmases).
So, what do you guys think of my most recent presentation? It's a bit more colorful than I usually gravitate towards, for myself, but I think
my otomi is inspiring me to be more adventurous with color.
