For my birthday this past summer, my wonderful hubby let me pick out a new sofa- anything I liked! While we had never really considered ourselves fans of leather furniture before, the practicality and timelessness of leather finally won us over. So I knew leather was the way to go. I also wanted something that was tailored with clean lines, and a fresh but classic look. Out sofa-shopping one day, my hubby suggested we pop into a locally-owned leather furniture store. There in the back, I saw exactly what I wanted! We chose a dark brown Brompton leather. This type of leather is tanned in Italy and is the same leather that Restoration Hardware uses on much of their furniture. Once the sofa arrived, I loved it even more than I did in the store! And what I love about it is that it will become more beautiful with age.

What do you think? Do you like the upgrade? We are very happy with our new addition to the room! Now I have plans up my sleeve to replace the ottoman… so stay tuned!:)

When my husband and I bought our first home over three years ago, we fell in love with the character of our home! One of the things that sold us on the home was the view of our pool through the French doors.  Our style has evolved many times since we moved in, so the living room is truly a work in progress. All of this room has been decorated on a budget.

When we moved in:

As you can see, the room is very sparse and the rug is too small.
Now, here it is in its current state:


The couch and ottoman were one of our first purchases as a married couple, over 4 years ago.  While the couch has been serviceable, I actually have plans to replace the sofa with something more our style.

The French doors open to the patio and pool, where we spend much time during the  summer. I love being able to look out and see the water. Since this is the only living area in the home, this room gets a lot of use. As you can see, one of our three dogs enjoys lounging in the living area too!

The rug is a faux sisal and is very soft underfoot. I chose it because of its practicality and also wanted a soft surface for when we have little ones. We love being able to prop our feet on the ottoman while we watch movies.

Another feature we love about our home is the fireplace. It is open on all sides, so our front door is actually behind the fireplace.

Our bookshelf holds family pictures and knick-knacks. We house media components on the lower shelves of this bookshelf.
A few details…

 
I hope you enjoyed the tour of our living room. Stay tuned for some big changes to the space!!

Sources:


Couch & ottoman : Rooms to Go
Bookshelf : West Elm
Lamps : HomeGoods
End tables : TJ Maxx
Accessories : Home Goods, Goodwill and various antique stores
Rug : Home Decorators
Curtains : JCPenney
Side chair : Marshalls
Duncan Phyfe antique chairs flanking bookcase : family hand-me-downs

While you’re on Shelli’s blog, be sure to check out her photos of her home. You will thank me.

Stay tuned for major updates to my living room, coming soon…

My husband and I love to eat out on the weekends. We have a favorite Hibachi place near our house, so eating there is near-weekly tradition. I managed to launder nearly every item in our house- okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I did turn the house upside down washing our sheets, towels, mattress covers, clothes, and dog beds. I know laundry is not a glamorous job, but someone’s gotta do it!

We also went to church, and got to visit with several friends. On Sunday, my friend Tara and I went shopping at North Park. We had so much fun and I totally adore Tara! We were looking for new bedding for her, and in the shoe section of Nordstroms, I happened to find these little beauties:

When I came home with these shoes and showed them to my hubby, he loved them and was happy I bought them. He is seriously so good to me! Plus, every woman needs a touch of leopard. It’s the new neutral. :)

Today, we ate fajitas and mexican food with my husband’s family. Several of his aunts and uncles came over so there was a houseful. It was absolutely gorgeous here in Dallas today! The weather was so much cooler compared with the record-breaking 100 degree temps lately! So we took the dogs for a long walk, and then came home and gave them a bath. I tried to pose them for a post-bath picture, but getting 3 chihuahuas to sit still and look at the camera is impossible!

Haha, oh well! They are cute… and clean. That was our weekend. I hope you all had a restful and safe Labor Day weekend!

Of course, there are so many great fabrics that we have seen all over blog-land, such as the ever-famous Imperial Trellis, or Riad, or Chiang Mai, all of which I personally still love; however, I’ve been hungry for some fresh inspiration lately.

These fabrics feel fresh to me! Any one of them would be stellar in any modern, preppy, or traditional home.

Schumacher Camden Check in Sage

Windsor Smith for Kravet- Insignia in Rosette

Kravet Interpretation in Turquiose

Ginza Floral in Cherry

Robert Allen Skipton in Cloud

Which of these fabrics do you like? Do one of these fabrics speak to you more than the others?

The Bellington Chair is stately in its cinnamon velvet and black walnut wood finish. Love the woodwork under the chair. This amazing piece totally belongs in a moody room with a fireplace, walls filled with books, and aroma of pipe tobacco (love that smell!). Another bonus- it’s on sale!

The Tyler Chair is totally gorgeous and I would like to get my hands it! The goat hide is so luxe :) A pair of these facing opposite a sofa would be amazing.

The Benedict Cabinet is a favorite of mine because it is made of zinc and has a wonderful patina. This great find would complement modern and traditional styles well. I can picture housing my collection of antique Blue Willow dishes here.

The Colette Lamp is another favorite of mine! Its ruby red lacquer and brass finish is so pretty! I’m not usually a “red” person, but I’m loving this little number.

Do you have a favorite item from Jayson? I encourage you to go check out their stuff here… you won’t regret it!

Doing laundry is a chore that is so necessary, and if you are anything like me, as soon as you have washed everything in sight, something else magically appears that needs to be cleaned! Since washing clothes can sometimes be a drudge, why not give your laundry room (or closet, like mine) some love.

I adore the vintage toile wallpaper and black and white floor!

So simple and clean.

Display ordinary necessities in a way that is functional, yet pleasing to the eye.

I love the yellow stripes! So cheerful.

The mirror, vase, and rug make the space feel like a “real” room in the house.

This is a great laundry basket!!

What a cute mudroom/laundry room! One day, I hope to have a space like this! Every house needs a drop-off point for bags, shoes, and papers. This is a perfect space!

I resisted jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon at first, because I didn’t need one more thing to keep up with, and thought I might be overwhelmed by poor images of bad decorating. My husband actually joined first and sent me an invite, which is pretty funny to me. I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of inspiring images (unlike HGTV’s Rate My Space). Anyway, if you’re on Pinterest, I’d love it if you followed me here.

Lately, I’m totally inspired by these images…

Perfect makeup and hair!

Notice a theme? Blonde hair and tan skin!

Great summer work outfit.

Classic.

Perfect blend of traditional elegance with country chic.

Totally digging the dark wooden beams and the sleek marble counters. I love everything in this kitchen!

And because I love cute doggies…

So, are you on Pinterest? If so, hope to see you there!

She sent 3 blue and white antique plates that she found in an antique store in Germany, so I could add them to my collection! I adore them!! :)

I used 2 of the plates to create a tablescape for our dinner last night.

I stacked them on top of my cream Wedgewood dinner plates and Jan Barbaglio chargers, flanked by my sterling and monogrammed napkins (thanks, Mom!), with crystal goblets to top it off.

On the table, I have a cotton runner that I sewed with silver-plate candlesticks that were a Christmas gift from my mom one year. A ginger jar that I discovered in an antique store in Georgia holds branches and makes a great centerpiece. Silver Reed & Barton salt & pepper shakers and my favorite, artichokes, also grace the table. I had fun using my new plates from my hubby’s cousin in Germany to create a simple tablescape. I love mixing high/low-end, fancy/casual, along with various finishes and textures, such as the branches versus the gleaming silver, to create a lovely table!

My hubby and I enjoyed eating dinner here last night (as opposed to the kitchen table where we usually eat)! Our new dishes and tablescape dressed up our meal of take-out enchiladas from Central Market and made our meal more special.

Thanks Karen for the beautiful dishes from Germany!!! You are so kind and thoughtful!!

Linking up to: Tablescape Thursdays at Between Naps on the Front Porch, Savvy Southern Style, Blue Creek Home, and No Minimalist Here.

The seats also were in desperate need of new fabric, as you can see. I will admit, I was not in love with the sun motif on the back of the chairs, but with a fresh coat of paint, they began to take on a new life.

During:

They were starting to look much better and actually stayed this way for a year, until I finally recovered the seats.

Ugh, nastiness.

I found some great outdoor fabric by Tommy Bahama at Joann’s. I love the fun pattern and color!

Finally… after paint and recovered seats…the patio chairs look like this:

After!

Just in time to enjoy summer evenings on the patio by the pool!

Aren’t the pineapples in this pattern fabulous? I love how the green in the fabric complements the striped pillows on my chaise lounges.

fabric: Tommy Bahama

patio set: garage sale find

carafe: The Container Store

glasses in woven sleeve: HomeGoods

book: Emma (Penguin Classic), Christmas gift

green napkins: vintage from my mother

charger: by Jan Barboglio, wedding gift

Linking up to: Savvy Southern Style, Thrifty Decor Chick, House of Grace, Coastal Charm, It’s So Very Cheri, The Shabby Nest, Blue Creek Home, Chic on a Shoestring, Home Stories A to Z, Finding Fabulous, No Minimalist Here, and Between Naps On the Front Porch.