Design on a Dime

At the beginning of the summer I began tackling a couple of remodeling projects.  In May I started with my balcony-  Man, I Feel Like a Woman.  My living room was next on the redecorating list.  You might remember my post in June with pictures of my mom and me repainting a chest "mermaid green" to go with the new look- Summer Break Has Begun.  It's taken me a little longer than anticipated, but I am finally finished with my summer project!  

I had originally purchased vintage travel posters from the 1920's as a focal point and theme, hoping to go with an art deco feel.  This proved much harder than I imagined.  Apparently, art deco has not recycled through the area in which I live.  Travel is my favorite thing on earth, and I knew I wanted to weave it in somehow, but ended up not using the travel posters.  I had to start from square one, but this ended up giving me many more options.

A couple of my friends have a great eye and were willing to help me finish up decorating, so this week we hit the stores and got it done.  I'm really pleased with the purchases we decided on.  I was able to keep a travel theme, tie in my love of birds and the whimsical and use the color palette I wanted to.  I used several things I already had.

Shout out to the "Design on a Dime" decorating team: Mother, Daddy, Karena and Karen.  I wouldn't be near as pleased with the result without any of them!  And, they didn't argue when I picked my St. Francis of Assisi figurine as my MUST KEEP item. :)

Below are the before and after pictures.  You'll notice that I changed out several pieces of furniture.  I loved the look of my old decor, but I was ready to personalize and brighten things up a little more.  Besides, I'm the kind of person that needs change every few years.  Note: The before pictures were taken during the day on my digital camera.  The after pictures were taken at night on my cell phone.  You'll probably notice, not only a difference in picture quality, but lighting as well.  I kept the wall colors the same, so even though they appear darker in the after picture, they are the exact shade as they are in the before pictures; the room is very bright.  You can click on any picture for a larger view.




DRUM ROLL, PLEASE...............

LARGE VIEW OF LIVING ROOM:

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

VIEW OF THE CHEST MY MOM AND I REPAINTED TO USE AS TV STAND

WAS ABLE TO USE ONE OF MY DRUMS FROM AFRICA AS A "VASE"

VIEW LOOKING INTO DINING AREA FROM LIVING ROOM:

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

MY MOM GAVE ME THE STOOLS SHE RE-COVERED

LOVE THE WAY THE PATTERNS WENT SO WELL

VIEW LEAVING TO OUTSIDE:

AFTER

VIEW OF SMALL LIVING ROOM WALL:

BEFORE

AFTER

VIEW OF SMALL LIVING ROOM WALL:

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

THE CLOCKS ARE SET TO CALIFORNIA, TEXAS AND LIBERIA TIME ZONES
EACH FOR MY FAMILY THAT IS SCATTERED

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI WAS MY "MUST KEEP" ITEM
HE WAS MY MIMI'S; IS MY FAVORITE SAINT (THE SAINT OF PRAYER); WAS THE FIRST CASE OF STIGMATA

VIEW LOOKING INTO KITCHEN:

BEFORE

AFTER (STILL NEED TO ADD A PLANT BY THE PITCHER)

A COUPLE OF ALTERATIONS TO GUEST BATH:

BEFORE

AFTER

CLICK TO VIEW:

Other Rooms/Original Apt. Look

10,000 Reasons