Before I do anything else today, I have someone I want to thank. That’s you! Thank you so much for supporting us and listening to our podcast. (If you missed it, you can find it HERE.
We started working on the podcast many months ago. It’s a dream come true for me to be able to record a podcast about my favorite topic (home decor) and to be talking to my friends 3 times a week. I thought you would listen and be supportive, but yesterday we were blown away! We just officially released the podcast yesterday and already made it to #15 of the most popular podcasts in our category. That’s in less than 24 hours. How did that happen? You…
I’ve been reading up on podcasts. The average podcast episode gets 141 downloads in the first 30 days. If you do the math that’s about 5 downloads/day. We just got almost 3,000 downloads for each episode on the first day. Thank you, thank you!!!
Okay I had a DIY for you today, but didn’t get it photographed in time to share today, so I’ll have to share it later. Instead I’m going to show you the living room at the farm.
I’ve been transitioning it to more color and more comfy seating.
To go back to the beginning, here’s what the room looked like.
The problem has always been how do you provide comfy seating that looks good, and doesn’t feel crowded in the room. When we bought the farm, I had the chance to buy the sofa and chair for about 1/4 of retail, so I bought them for the farm. The room was a bit crowded.
I sold the oversized chair and changed the position of the sofa and the bench. I also changed the artwork to better fit the space.
I think these changes were good. The chair just didn’t fit and we couldn’t open the door all the way. Then I moved the sofa and bench to the mountains. I decided to go ‘off-road’ and add a daybed instead of a sofa. I brought in these chairs from my study. The daybed was so that we could use the daybed for sleeping when needed. I also missed my Swedish bench and wanted something more comfortable with a similar design ascetic. The chairs really go with the bed, but something was off.
I bought this pew for the porch, but tried it inside the house for a change. I knew it wouldn’t stay, but thought I would enjoy it for a few months. I also added the blue rug.
Let’s break down the changes. I was removing the khaki color and adding blue and white. I thought I would add some comfy seating, but didn’t want a light color because it’s a farm and the chairs won’t be washable. The daybed is all washable. That’s a dropcloth on it above. The white chairs look delicate but are covered in leather, so they are very practical.
And so I added these chairs to the room. For buying info on the chairs. CLICK HERE.
The chairs are tailored looking and dark gray. Remember seeing them here?
Would they work in a farmhouse? Let’s see.
To help them fit in, I used farmhouse pillows.
So the gray wouldn’t feel jarring in the room, I added a gray and blue quilt to the daybed. That’s actually the back of the quilt, but I’ve always preferred it to the top of the quilt.
I also covered the burlap ottoman with a white throw. I need to adjust the rugs, but I love the blue rug in here. I feel like the darker color grounds the room and give it substance. I wanted mostly whites in here, but when I was forced to work with the gray for practical reasons, I came up with a room design that I love even more than my original idea.
It reminds me of what my painter mom says. Every painting needs lights and darks. I am going to extend that to a room. Now the room has some darks and I think it works much better. My husband is happy too. Two new comfy chairs that don’t look girly. Win/win!!!
I got so caught up in the excitement yesterday that I forgot to announce a new giveaway. You know the drill. Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win, details here. I’ll announce the winner of the January giveaway today on my Facebook page and notify the winner by email.
The room looks lovely and just perfect! That little cloth and vase on the coffee table add such a nice , soft touch that you inspired me to try something similar with mine. I enjoyed
seeing all the stages of decorating you went through till you nailed the look you wanted. It gives me more confidence as deal with my own “experiments”.
I love the addition of the gray chairs to your living room, they really complete the room. Also great advice from your mother, about adding contrasting color to a room, it sounds like creativity runs in the family!
So fun to see the photos showing all the changes, and how it eventually evolved into a comfy and inviting room, would love to curl up and read a book there.
The new looks feels just right. The combination of lights and darks gives the room depth and warmth.nlove it!
I love the color added with the new chairs. The prior furniture arrangements were attractive, but the new chairs added a layer of coziness that invite you in for a cup of tea and a nice chat ?
Anita
That’s a great change in my opinion. The grey gives some weight to the room and the pillows soften them up to coordinate with the other pieces. Great look and one that many people will find interesting. We can always use new ways to mix & match! Thanks
Love it, and looks comfortable
Best look yet! I agree with your Mom about color differences.
The trendy stark look of all neutrals will swing around to accommodate the necessary complement of the dark tones; especially those found in nice antique furniture.
Loving the gray chairs! We will be moving to our new house soon. It is in a gray and white color scheme. These chairs would be perfect. Thanks for the inspiration.
Love it! The chairs with the daybed looks comfortable without losing that farmhouse charm!
So inviting….great arrangement to keep conversation going !
Totally love the changes! I love to take things I’ve used in another room and incorporate them into a new room/design. Great job!
I have the same gray chairs in my morning room! Great minds think alike!
I have an open floor plan and use this same set up
Lovely and not fussy… great combo
Looks absolutely beautiful, I love it! Thanks for sharing! Loved the podcast!
Love the chairs!
Your final color arrangement did the trick . The addition of the gray chairs makes you want to sit and enjoy the peace of the countryside. Very excited about the podcast that you and friends launched.
It’s always nice to see the evolution of a room. This is beautiful.
Anita, I love this! The gray adds another dimension to the room.
I love the pictures that you added, thanks for sharing the transformation.
Love the room especially the bead board on the walls.
The new arrangement of the room is definitely a winner! Great job, Anita. Thank you for sharing with us!
I love all the variation…and love that you’ve been changing things. I seem to do that a lot too.
Love the daybed and all the color it brings to the room. The all white look is too sterile for me. Enjoy looking at all of your room transformations.
I really appreciate how you broke down the changes in the room. I’m all thumbs when it comes to adding color.
Congratulations on the podcasts!
The new layout is the best by far. It has all those wonderful qualities of a good decorating mix: old and new, light and dark, heavy and light. I love moving things around; it keeps everything fresh and new. Your room is beautiful.
I had not thought of using a daybed in a living room….is it comfortable to sit on ? It does look great and congratulations on the podcast.
Yes it is Ellaine. You do need a lot of pillows though so it sits more like a sofa.
Great to see all the transformations
By adding the darker tailored chairs, the room has a crispness to it and the feminine and male qualities are better balanced. There is more of an edge to the room with the tailored and softness of the furishings. Very nice, indeed. I look forward to your emails everyday, so thank you so much. Oh, I really enjoyed your ipod broadcast. Great to be able to listen when I’m working. Thanks again.
Looks more liveable,not so hard looking.
Yea comfort has returned
A women can have a certain taste but my
Belief is for a room to be a comfort to be in
Not just for show
I love the grey chairs in the farm house. They are beautiful. And I am such a fan of blue and white!
Looks amazing! I love the changes. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Always entertaining and informative. Thanks.
Love the changes – all so pretty. Also love your blog – always a treat to receive!
I’ve always loved that room. Love seeing how you’ve changed it over time. Your rooms are dynamic, never static. Cheers to change!
Ginger
I loved seeing the various steps. I sometimes feel I should be getting it right the first time. I’m happy to see perfection takes time to evolve.
The latest changes are terrific. I know that comfy seating is high on my hubby’s list of what is important in a room so I hope that your hubby is enjoying his comfy, not girly chairs.
The room looks so inviting! Love the light/dark contrast made with those fabulous chairs. Love it when the husbands are on board with the decor changes 🙂
I am loving the added color to your room! Looks balance and lovely!
This is the best arrangement yet! Love it. I have a new chair in my farmhouse living room. It is nice but not the most comfortable. Comfort is so important, but so is ” pretty”. You have it both ways now!
Blessings
I love the change! Bringing in color seems inviting.
I prefer your gray chairs. Not a fan of chairs nor sofas that you can not sit in comfortably.
I myself am going for a navy sofa with gray and blue chairs.
I always thought I would hate a sectional, but got one for more seating for my family an it has worked out great. I am now changing out my living room to provide more comfy seating than decorative seating.
Things can be beautiful, functional, and comfortable. We don’t have to give one up for the other.
I still prefer white walls over all, but am sick to death of white sofas and chairs. Constant maintenance.
Loved the end result. Very inviting…
It’s such a “pretty” room but please don’t tell your husband that one of your readers said that!
love the new look…I am adding a beautiful acrylic coffee table and large white rug to my cottage style living room…modern and country work very well together.
I really liked the changes…you can’t go wrong with blue….like the prints above the daubed…grey chairs also!!
Nice changes, Anita, though the chairs seem to me to be more transitional than contemporary. In any case they work. BTW, congrats on your new podcast adventure. I do admire your energy.
Yes I would agree with that Linda, and thank you!!!
I am loving the new look. And the podcasts.
Love the changes! We’re looking at possible changes as in a real fixer upper due to hubby’s health ,so I love getting inspiration from you! Maybe it will be a chance for me to do “my” thing!
I enjoy seeing how you are evolving in your decorating. I agree that the dark colors are a great addition to the space.
A quick question… do you ever share pictures of the house you live in most of the time? I’m guessing it is in the city, but that’s just a guess. I would love to see pictures of that house!
Like everyone else, I really like this look too Anita! The incorporation of the grey and dark quilt on the daybed look beautiful together.
Love how the room has evolved. Very inviting and beautiful.
The other furniture was too heavy for the room. This transformation is fabulous. You show us the different versions, so we we see the final result it is amazing. Thank you.
Anita, I agree that the room is now a great balance of beauty and comfort!
I love what you ended up with, especially that rug. 🙂
So impressive!! You are amazing and I am never surprised,maybe jealous that you are so talented. I love the way this room looks and want this in my home.
Thank you for sharing.
Deb
Oh yes! I do love this look!
The room looks so comfortable and inviting. Simply gorgeous!
Joan
Everything about this room is elegant and lovely.
Marion
Thank you for sharing this charming room. It is so lively.
Marilyn
You are right, the combo of light and dark makes all the difference!
Love the addition of the blues. The color does ground the space. And the grey chairs look so comfy there and just right for the farm. Well done my friend!
I REALLY like this, Anita! My favorite line in your text was, every painting (room) needs lights and darks. Good job!
I love the new look of the room. All the colors work so well together that it makes it very pleasing to the eye. Can you tell me what your paint color is on the top half of your walls? I love the color. I have also been thinking of adding a light grayish blue to my mostly beige great room so this room helped me make the final decision.
I have been thinking about that exact style of chairs mixed together so it was amazing to see it actually done. I thought I would love it and now that I’ve seen how you’ve done it you just sealed the deal. Looks great!
I love that you showed all the steps with pictures to show exactly what you did. It’s nice to see the changes as it’s happening. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Love the pink leather chairs, I’m workin on two that are old, old that look just like them. I would not have thought of leather tho. Ur work and home is beautiful. Thank u. Love the pod cast also.
The gray chairs fit in well with the furniture that you already had in the room. I think because of the curved lines of the gray chairs and their curved chair legs and tufted backs, they fit in well with the French look of the white chairs. The gray has a solid, grounding effect too, that nicely balances the white. The room looks so inviting, now, as a relaxing conversation area.
Could you please tell me? I bought an inexpensive chair at a yard sale with the idea of painting it white and then having it upholstered with a grain sack. (I love the look of the furniture you have with the grain sack upholstery) Did you provide original vintage grain sack, or does the upholstery person provide a new reproduction upholstery? Thank you
Anita, the room looks really lovely! The process of rearranging furniture is so much fun! Sometimes you never know until you try. 🙂
Hi! I’m one of the co-hosts from the Welcome Home Wednesdays Link up. I love everything about this Farm House look. I love the way you mix furniture and give it a bit of a contemporary feel. Thank You for sharing!
What a beautiful space! Thanks for sharing with us at the Funtastic Friday Link Party!
I like the balance in the room now. It looks very inviting and there is a nice variety of comfy upholstered pieces and leggy pieces.
It’s encouraging to see that you, a decorator, goes through the same changes, goofs and wins that we all do!!
Your room looks great now, and I love the balance the new chairs bring to your room!
Yes Peggy, I make mistakes every day, and happily admit it. We’re all in the same boat learning the same lessons. If I’m not making mistakes, then I’m not learning. That’s my philosophy.
The white and khaki before was so light and pretty, but I know I would have a hard time keeping it looking so pristine. I think adding the blue and gray adds a depth of color and does anchor the room.
Thanks! I’m seeing the value of using some dark colors to “ground” a room. Am much more satisfied with my decorating now. Thanks again.
Yay Betty!!
You always have beautiful decor. What a wonderful way to add cheer to this not so happy time of our life. Thanks for the uplift!!
Thanks Joyce. We need beauty in our lives right now!