My newly painted living room - part 2
Thu, 13 Nov 2014So here is part 2 of my living room paint makeover. I think I should begin with a before photo. :)
And by the miracle of paint, Farrow and Ball's downpipe and plummett in this case, VOILA!
And here is the rest of my living room. It is truly amazing how cozy dark walls like this can be.
Rugs: Ottawa Antique Market and Third World Bazaar Leather chair: Green Light Shop Sofa: Phillip Van Leeuwen Coffee table: Normann Copenhagen Tablo table via Greyhorne
A side note: there are 9 light sources in this room. And it is still fairly dark at night when they are all on. I LOVE IT!
Black lamp: Homesense TV stand: Ottawa Antique Show Air plant holder: na coille Studio Vase: The White Monkey
Here is a mid-paint shot of what was happening on either side of the window. If you look closely in the first photo you'll see there were mirrors inset into these nooks, with little curved glass shelves. GROSS. My husband took out the mirrors and patched the crap out of the remaining gap, and built floating shelves across. I used to hate these columns but now I think they look pretty sweet.
I bought a bunch of plants to fill the shelves in the hopes they would distract from the columns when they grow big and beautiful. Now I don't really care if they distract or not.
Love this cross light I bought from Scott of Gaslight Electric at the Etsy: Made in Canada show.
Pillows: Ikea and Homesense Staghorn fern: Sparrow Floral Design
Blanket under Lucky: an antique shop in Prince Edward Island
Flos Aim light, and Oaxacan pottery I picked up on a few trips to Puerto Vallarta, on top of an old marble tulip table I think an Italian relative made back in the day.
Vintage West German vases filled with dried flowers from around the house (and the coolest Tillandsia from blumenstudio), furry stool I picked up at Homesense Saturday, J104 chair By Hay Denmark via The Modern Shop, rug from Third World Bazaar, goose decoy was a wedding gift from my inlaws, antlers from the wilds of Alberta.
And yaaasssssss, my Jieldé wall sconces on either side of the fireplace. The only gift I have ever received (from hubby) where I was so shocked and delighted that I burst into tears. And now I finally get to put them to use.
When the painting was done I thought the ceiling looked a little too plain so I picked up a ceiling medallion from Rona for $50
The point of this photo was an attempt to get a decent photo of all of the paint colours/finishes in one shot. Success. :)
Reader Comments (31)
Damnit... you made me doubt my own future paint job. That looks absolutely amazing...
Great job!
I love all the details. Lamps, side table, rug.
I LOVE how you used those strange nooks for plants!
Dramatic change. It would probably be to "heavy" for me and for the long, dark winter, but on photos it looks great!
And cats make every great home to a perfect home.
If I would like to describe"cozy feeling" with one photo, it would be your photo, this one
http://www.desiretoinspire.net/storage/kims-house/DesireToInspireFarrowBallDownPipecDSC_0799aa.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1415833438418
Oh dear god, that is so beautiful and sexy. Totally makes me rethink my all-white space.
Absolutely love this! Fantastic job.
Put a cat in a photo and poof! it doesn't matter how the room is decorated!
This is an asthetic I am still adjusting to...
I love the Panton Chairs.. does this block of white give the eye a rest from the dark? Just curious
on how it balances with the rest of the room.
I love it, what a difference. It looks so comforting.
Kim! I have been a nervous wreck today because I have been waiting to see the unveiling and both my PC and Android have been total poops today!! Gah. Anyway, the room is simply gorgeous. I fear I am not going to be happy until I do a dark room. It's funny, for lamp tramps like us it is the perfect solution. You can have a ton of lamps and it doesn't look over done! BTW - your home is full of gorgeous lamps and chairs! I love the West German vase collection on the mantel, and the Oaxacan pottery collection too! Your home has a traveled vibe, as well as a great ethnic vibe! I just love it. But - when you are featured in magazines - and I'm sure you will be - I hope they don't refer to it as eclectic, but rather collected. Hmm. I think I have an idea for a blog post.
P.S. I really adore it. I want to come visit you and drink coffee in that room with you! P.S.S. I would love to see some pics of you in your fab home for Closet Rivalry. I really dig your aesthetic. xxoo
It absolutely brings it all together!
Thanks everyone for the kind words!! :)
Comforting indeed. All I want to do in this room is sit there with a few lamps on, snuggle under a cosy blanket with some cats and relax. I have never had a room feel this cozy and it's 90% due to the colour. It is like a big hug from a massive teddy bear.
margaret, the chairs don't really give your eye a rest, they sort of blind you (semi-sarcastic). admittedly they look better with the grey/beige sheepskins I have on them typically. I think it just needs a bit more colour there. maybe I should try dying the lampshade.
peggy - i'm so glad you like it :) and agreed, I now have a beautiful wall backdrop to do outfit photos against. hopefully I have time to try it this weekend.
The perfect room to curl up on that couch with the cats to read or watch TV.
You've hit it on both fronts...comfort AND high style.
Hi Kim....Love it!!! Cosy with just the right touch of drama. Enjoy snuggling up during the lovely winter evenings with your felines and husband!!!
Oaxacan pottery -- Love!
Grey and black - Love!
I would love to put fill up those shelves with books, various knick knacks and plants !
Very bold! Stunning!
Love what you've done with the place! It looks more sophisticated and had a more intimate atmosphere.
P.S. Kitties are love :3
Oh my goodness I just love this makeover!! I absolutely LOVE dark walls, they are so moody and cosy and I think you have done an amazing job! Inspirational!!
Thank you all for the sweet comments :)
Kim, your living room looked beautiful before, but now it is sublime. I want to cozy up there. Enjoy!
congratulations kim. love the living room. bet you will be spending lots of time in there this winter. so cozy. you have great taste!
nice post and thanks for sharing this
Can't stop looking at this! Cozy AND sophisticated. Not an easy thing to achieve.
@Peggy :-)
Love this! As Swedish, it's nice to see that there are those who dare to paint other than white. Super cozy! Also...fabulous rugs:)
Firstly I love your blog. It is amazing. I check it out all the time. I also love the dark walls. I have done the same thing in my home. The only thing that doesn't show well I feel in the photo is the drapes. Though perhaps in real life they look good. I would do heavy fabric white drapes that puddle. Your couch is gorgeous. xoxoxo
Thanks Karro!
Thank you SKS! But white drapes?! I think they would stand out like a sore thumb. And as much as I love a decent puddle, the less fabric I have dragging on the floor in a house with 5 cats the better.
I'm finally getting around to seeing this... LOVE. Love it all. What a massive difference dark walls make! Did you paint the whole house in these two F&B colors? (Apologies if you stated that somewhere here or IG, and I simply missed it.)