I do get bored when things stay the same, so this was an exciting makeover.
Here’s the before my our living room at the farm. Of course I always think it is fun to get the room over the years. This is what it looked like when we first had the house built in 2009.
Then I made the screen door chalkboard. Peggy got the old artwork.
I thought the room felt crowded, so I sold the big chair in the corner. I also switched the sofa and the Swedish bench, so that the sofa is now in the middle of the room. I also took out one of the side tables.
As you can see, it’s still a bit crowded, but I thought it felt much lighter and brighter. I loved the way the Swedish bench looked, but the sofa was much more comfortable, so we kept both. Then when the mountain house project came along, I found I needed to furnish the house so we could rent it out. I had a choice. Buy new furniture for the mountain house living room or buy new furniture for the farm and move these pieces to the mountains. I kept hearing that renters can be rough on furniture, so I decided to buy new for the farm, and send these pieces to the mountains. We need the two pieces for seating at the mountains, but we rarely use all of this seating at the farm. I wanted to go with less in this rom.
So I knew I liked the look of the Swedish bench but wanted the comfort of the sofa. So do you want to guess what I bought?
I found this daybed at Restoration Hardware Baby and Child HERE. This is not a sponsored post, just sharing a resource. It was on sale when I bought it FYI. It was a splurge, but I see keeping this down the road when we downside. It would work in a living room or bedroom.
I used an antique linen sheet on the daybed, but noticed it looked very much like dropcloth, so I decided to switch to dropcloth to cover the mattress. So if anything gets on it, I can throw it in the wash, or worse case easily replace it. I was going to make pink pillows for the bed, but decided it was going to be to much pink. I’m keeping the blue striped grainsack pillows. These are from my back porch daybed. Oh yes, that’s a whole nother story, for another day.
I had the pink chenille pillows made for me. I have a few extras in my shop.
See how the daybed looks similar to the Swedish bench? That is the look I wanted.
The French chairs are from my office. I just moved some things around.
Mr. CH is a bit concerned that when the neighbors come over, it doesn’t look much like a Texas ranch. I said that he’ll just have to entertain them on the back porch. Everyone prefers the porch any way. They can do man things back there like drink beer and spit.
So why did I go with a daybed? Well,because we don’t have a guest room, so this is where our guests often sleep, so the bed comes in handy. My sweet daughter Elise for some reason refuses to sleep in her room, so she often ends up sleeping in here. Now I can change the sheets easily when someone sleeps in the living room, and it’s a more comfortable place to sleep than a sofa.
If you have been reading my blog for long, you might know she has been sneaking into the refrigerator at night. I personally think that is why she likes to stay up at night, because she has run of the house. (She has Down Syndrome.) We finally got child locks for the refrigerator and the pantry, so problem solved.
I also added these gorgeous floral prints. So many people asked about them when I showed this photo on Instagram a few weeks, ago, that I decided to carry them for a limited time. BOTANICAL PRINTS.
Here’s the deal on the botanicals. I have to order at least 5 sets at a time to reach the minimum. I’ll be placing an order on March 10 if I get enough orders. After that, I’ll close down this offer. These are expensive for me to purchase, so I don’t want to just go buy 25 sets, unless I know I have customers for them. If you want them, please order them by March 9. They will take about 4 weeks to arrive since they are a special order.
I just love how open and airy the room is now. Removing the sofa in the middle of the room and replacing it with two chairs really make the room feel lighter.
As you can see it’s much more open without the sofa in the middle of the room.
Well a daybed instead of a sofa isn’t for everyone. If you do try this, be sure to add loads of pillows to the back. A daybed is much deeper than a sofa, so you’ll need several pillows so guests can sit like an adult with their feet on the ground. I think I have the pillows 3 deep (a total of 12 large pillows on the daybed plus the 3 small ones in front.)
I love the makeover Anita….It certainly opened up the room for a beautiful light and airy feel….Having a piece in a room that serves a dual purpose is always a great thing….and it certainly does define beauty and function.
What a lovely look, open, clean and welcoming. However, this would not work for my family. Larger cushioned pieces are required. Those sweet little chairs would not work for the 6’6″ 200lb+ men in my family. What inspires me is your choice of coverings and pillows. The daybed is a genius idea. So versatile and useful. Great ideas, thank you.
Oh gosh, I absolutely love it, Anita! Wonderful choices. I love the lightness of the whole look, the pale touch of pink and the fabulous botanicals!! Very welcoming, even if it’s not conducive to spitting… 😉
It looks great. It looks open and light. Love the prints also.
I just love the daybed it’s beautiful, and a great problem solver for what you needed…
The room looks more open and inviting….
Hi Anita!!
Looks so much brighter and I love the prints! I’ve often thought about a daybed in our living room, so, it’s great to see what one would look like. I think it’s cute that your daughter likes to sleep there, than in her own bed!
Have a great week!
Pam
Love the airy look to the room. Can you share where you got the rug and what the fabric is? Thank you.
The rug is from Ikea, I think. But I bought it 7 years ago, so I can’t remember. The fabric for the daybed? It’s dropcloth. The pillows are made from grainsacks. The chairs have leather seats. I hope that answered your question Pam.
I love the room. I love the prints on the wall lovely home .
Thanks Marie!!!
Very inviting room. I always say that one should follow ones heart , when it comes to decorating our homes. Is beautiful.
Totally agree Vanessa
This is such a beautiful room. I have always loved the idea of a day bed instead of a couch! Seems so smart and comfortable. Now I just need to convince my husband!
Hi, Ive just stumbled across your blog and am loving it. Can you tell me where I might find the botanical prints?
I sell them, but only offer them here and there because I have to order several at a time. I may open that back up in a few weeks.
Hi – I’m also interested in the floral prints. Thank you!
Okay I will try to offer them again.
I love the makeover of your room. It is so light and airy and very inviting. I love the neutral colors. The grain sack pillows go great with the daybed. You have such great taste.
WOW! That living looks amazing. So much lighter.
Really beautiful
The daybed is perfect Not everyone has a guest room so this is a perfect solution. I love the room now. Multifunction and serene beauty all in one room.
So lovely. May I ask what weight of dropcloth do you recommend for the seat covering? I see there is a medium and a heavy weight when I look at dropcloths. Thanks for your great ideas!
I’ve never seen different weights, so I don’t know Julie.
I love the prints- they help make the room.
Love changing things around and using a day bed is always welcome?
Lovely, light and fresh!
Beautiful room Anita. Hoping to see you at Roundtop. Will you have a booth there and if so, where will it be located?
Can I still order the botanical pictures?
Yes Jan! I’m placing an order tomorrow.
LOVE Buffalo check anything! I covered a little stool seat with the same light blue once. Have another bentwood chair to paint and cover it’s seat, Also, I have a matched pair of rocking chairs from my grandparents. The seats had multiple layers of fabric on them, and when I stripped them all off, the seats are loosely woven rope. Have you ever seen that before?
I love the way you have done the living room .. I have my daybed as a sofa in my living room due to the fact it is where I sleep due to my husband being ill and I have my 81 yr old mother living with us it is just simple to be in the middle so I can here either one of them .. Thank you for all the info now I do not feel bad about the daybed in the living room
Norma, you should not feel badly about the daybed. I think you were so smart to do that.