great room tour: january progress

Our great room has turned a corner, and is now really feeling like the cozy, welcoming place that we've been envisioning. And since it's the very first thing you see when you come in the front door, welcoming is the number one quality we're going for.

Thanks to a new rug and some warm wood additions and accessories (almost 100 percent used/antique), it is giving off a warm, inviting vibe in a big way. It's also skewing a little midcentury modern now, which I didn't plan, but I am loving the unintended result.

(That used/antique thing is important to us. We didn't want to fill our new house with a whole bunch of new things that require resources to manufacture and transport. I've come a long way since my not-so-distant fear of flea markets and antique stores. Once I realized that "antique" does not necessarily mean "country," everything completely changed for me. And I will never complain about the cost savings that come with shopping this way, most of which I'm sharing here.) 

Still to do:
1. Paint the walls a warm white, to help brighten up the slightly dark space (northern exposure, small windows, no skylights).
2. Treat the new dining bench with teak oil, to match the first bench.
3. Get a buffet with closed storage and wine storage, and move the stand-in buffet next to its twin.
4. Replace the goofy fish-shaped hanger near the wood stove with something more modern.

Welcome in!

New: twin sleeper loveseat, rug and pillows
Used: Armchair (original upholstery, $50 at Reno Consignment) and walnut coffee table ($70 at Long Beach Flea Market)

Say goodbye to Mr. Fish on the wall. His days are numbered.

The dog bed will soon be replaced by a secondhand globe and stand I scored at my last trip to the Rose Bowl Flea Market. The dogs don't really hang out downstairs anyway since it's warmer upstairs.

The framed prints on the wall are all by Michelle of Quail Lane Press, my favorite Etsy vendor.

New: only the books and magazines
Used: Formica and brass console table ($135 for two at Virginia Street Antique Mall in Reno), 1960s California Originals foo dog ($20 at Long Beach Flea Market), green spiral vase ($12 at Second Time Around in Reno), Danish-style walnut two-tiered dish ($10 at Virginia Street Antique Mall) and glass decanters ($10 each at Council of Jewish Woman Thrift Store in LA)

Also new: the hazelnuts.

New: David Trubridge pendant light, alder hardwood dining table, benches, armchairs and table runner, white owl umbrella holder ($2 at TJ Maxx!)
Used: Danish-style side chairs ($100 total for all four at Rose Bowl Flea Market), Nagel candleholders (one from my dad's house, the other two from Etsy Vintage for a splurge-level $52 including shipping, which is not crazy for Nagel), console table (part of the set from Virginia Street Antique Mall), accessories on console table

New(ish): Books
Used: walnut ice bucket with lid ($16 at Long Beach Flea Market)
Gift: silver bowl (wedding present), carved owl figurine from Turkey

Used: glass jars (blue from Wertz Brothers Antiques in Santa Monica, green from Long Beach Flea Market)

New(ish): Napkin holder
Used: Salt and pepper shakers ($8 for set at Long Beach Flea Market)

The left bench has already gotten the teak oil treatment and the right bench still needs it.

Given the high ceilings in the room, painting will be a bit of an undertaking. So I'm thinking we're not getting around to that for a while, even though we've now had the paint we're going to use (Benjamin Moore "Swiss Coffee") for months. But I can definitely live with the room like this for the foreseeable future. It really is the best feeling when I stop thinking "I need to change this, and tackle that project, and move this over there..." whenever I'm in a room, and just enjoy it. We're there.

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xoxo,