Living room ideas, plans, creature comforts

Hello and welcome to our living room! I won’t say I’ve fully ~realised my vision~ for grand living room ideas (if only money and time were no object! oh, if only), but it’s our home, so it’s always going to feel comfortable as long as my dude and my cat are there. The three of us spend the best TV-watching hours of our lives in this room, you know.

The archway leads to the kitchen, our primary entry/exit point into the house. This double room used to be a dining room + separate bedroom before the previous owners took out the adjoining wall, and the kitchen used to be a sunroom before that… so the house has seen major layout changes over its almost-70 years in existence. I’m fine with the layout as it is, no further changes needed.

Before we moved in, this room had cream walls, wallpaper trim and blue carpet. So we’re already well ahead of where we started. I’m still pleased with my colour choice – Dulux White Box, in spite of its own name – because it’s got enough grey and green in it to make a rich pale turquoise that shifts with the light. The blue also sets off all the wood tones in the room.

These two retro recliners, well, I just shared the full story about those. (The TL;DR version – I refinished the frames and made new upholstery for two sad-looking chairs.)

I swear I don’t get ALL of my furnishings from the local op shops. But this credenza was, in fact, another tip shop gem. I was lucky enough to stop by after a local government office just did a massive clear-out of their old office furniture. Hellooooo, ’70s blackwood-veneer storage units. This one was $45 and in great condition. If there is a God, she was smiling upon me that day.

The fact that this cabinet has such a simple, straight-lined silhouette (vs. other vintage mod credenzas) feels very Tasmanian to me, for some reason. It’s utilitarian, and what else do you need for holding a TV and a bunch of other electronics?

(NB: I know I’m among friends here, but please pardon my dust. I thought I’d vacuumed more thoroughly before taking these photos!)

I got lucky with this folding brass-topped table as well, but here’s the thing: I found the table and the TV stand well over a year apart. Spend lots of time OR spend lots of money to furnish your place the way you want; pick one. (If you’re curious about this type of mid-century table, here’s an old listing for one that’s similar.)

The large squashy sectional is a Relationship Sectional. You know Relationship Furniture: love your partner, love the furniture that they’ve brought with them. Jamie bought this loveseat and the couch when he started working after uni, and they’re both still going strong. The couch will stay, but I’d like to replace this big ol’ loveseat with a modern daybed, whether it’s a Case Study, Barcelona, or some other modernist-inspired daybed that doesn’t cost assloads. I’m intrigued by the IKEA SINNERLIG, although I haven’t seen it in person.

Old mate Clive Palmer, the potted kentia palm, was in bad shape after I brought it outside (and left it in the sun) while I cleaned its basket. Just like Palmer United, its roots have now withered and crumbled into dust. Hopefully the brake fern here – Mr. Frond? Fernie Sanders? – will cope with low light. I applied Droughtshield, a foliar protective spray, to its fronds in the hopes that it won’t suffer from the heater nearby.

(Past posts: the kilim rug and cushions are from eBay, the arc lamp is from Wayfair Australia / Temple & Webster, and the linen curtains are homemade.)

Again, this is the second recliner that I fixed up. I’ve been keeping an eye out for vintage wool rugs, and this kelly green rug stood out among the usual pastels and oranges. Woolly rugs = cat heaven. I think she would prefer that ALL indoor surfaces were covered in wool rugs.

The record cabinet was another restoration project (which even got posted on Apartment Therapy, whee) and the framed batik is from a collectibles shop.

I took this photo a couple of months ago, but it’s better than any of the recent shots I took of this corner with our dining table. That habanero chili pepper did me proud this summer! It just lost a ton of its leaves, since it’s winter now, but I have faith that it’ll bounce back. It does every year. The blue fan is vintage, and the watering can is a cute find from IKEA. The corner sideboard holds my sewing machine and our board games.

The stack of birch slices are coasters, if you’re curious. They just live with the rotating cast of candles when they’re not in use.

The dining table currently looks like this, because that sewing machine is heavy and it wasn’t going away any time soon. (I’ve been making various projects, but here I believe I was working on a cushion tutorial for Homedit.)

They don’t carry this table at Freedom anymore, but it was called ‘Woodwork’, and “backyard meets foundry” were their words (shudder). It’s an unfussy table, which I wanted, but with a surprisingly pretty mangowood slab. If it gets scratched over time, a fresh coat of wax will fix it.

I still want a bench for one side of the table, but haven’t been looking very hard for one lately.

The snake plant (in its conical ashtray planter) lived by the window all summer, and it rewarded me with new leaves! Sunlight also brings out the yellow on its leaves, or else they fade to green.

Jamie and I have gotten rid of most of our paperbacks, in an effort to go digital. (I ♥ my Kindle and can’t go back.) Still, I have my favourites and they live here. I got the poster in Mexico – I don’t remember the artist offhand, but that is one gargantuan organ pipe cactus.

Scented candles and fragrances help make my living room feel cozy in cold weather, and while I’m choosy about candles, my incense of choice is still a $2 box of nag champa. So if you’re wondering why my house smells like hippies, that would be why.

The Eventual List:

• Replace loveseat with daybed
• Bench for one side of dining table
• Modern pendant lights to replace current fixtures
• Create a faux-brick column around the heater? (It sounds horrible, but I promise I have something in mind.)

Any suggestions for bringing the room together, or other living room ideas that you’re into? I’d love to hear ’em.

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