house before & afters: living room

here is the first picture we took of our new house: the view inside from the front door.
you can see they had a different color of paint at the point where the ceiling vaults. there was some wainscoting there that mr. o had already torn down before the picture was taken.

looking in towards the kitchen. there was really nothing wrong with their colors, we just wanted fresh paint and one color instead of the three they had.

looking towards the front door. their curtains were actually nice, just too formal for me. why would they leave these curtains but take all the outlet and light switch covers?!

the final before picture.

and why not start off the afters with my beloved mantle? here is how it is currently decorated:

i recently made the blossom branch with crepe paper and floral tape, and added some of my fake birds. i did limit myself to three, though, for mr. o's sake.

our family pictures are by angie, whom i would wholeheartedly recommend.

here's a little perspective.

we are grateful for the green leather couches we got from mr. o's grandparents. they're practically kid-proof (so far, anyways.)

above the couch is where my painting (that i haven't made any progress on) will hang. so intimidating!

in the corner is a beautiful quilt rack mr. o and landon made for me, after i searched high and low for one that i liked with no luck. it was an anniversary surprise a few years ago.

i love being able to display the beautiful wedding quilt my mom made for us- hand quilted and everything.

the fish pillow i got on a trip to portland, oregon before i was married. i had never bought home decor before, so it was unusual for me- but i loved it so much & still do.

here is the first real piece of furniture we ever bought, five years ago. and can i just say, i love our vaulted ceilings!

a close up of the shelf on the left...

and on the right.

the top two shelves are kind of grandparent shrines- things i've inherited or things that remind me of them.

mr. o took down the hanging light in the entry (you can see it in the third picture) which was the only lighting in the living room, and added four recessed can lights so that we had good lighting.

i am so grateful he can do most anything, and that we had the time to get things done right before we moved in. and not least of all the countless hours, and experience, that our awesome friend landon put in helping. (someday we'll make it up to you!)

now let's see how long it takes for me to get the kitchen ready for pictures!