Overcoming the Winter Blahs with a Room Makeover

Happy March 1st!

It sure doesn't feel like it around here as I sit and watch snowflakes fall from the sky, but regardless of the weather, there's one thing I always do every March 1st...

...put out the forsythia wreath!

I might have a dirty porch rocker and a bag of ice melt slumped next to the front door, but nothin's stoppin' this girl from celebrating March's arrival!!!

And while the calender says that it is most definitely time to pack these guys away...

...Mother Nature seems to think otherwise. Another (mild) storm is predicted for Monday night into Tuesday...a rain/snow mix.  The farmers have got to be so excited over all this moisture!  Still, I think I need to pack away the snowmen and display the rabbits!

And so to celebrate this 1st day of March, I thought I would share with you our family room makeover.  It's still a work in progress, but for the first time in a long time I feel like the room is nearly finished (furniture-wise) and I can now tackle the windows and walls.

Let's start with the "before" pictures.

Huge, over-sized, dark wood and leather furniture made this room feel small and tight.

Even with the light blue walls, I just never felt "happy" in this space.

And that blue chair.  Oh.my.gosh. That quilt is covering up a huge tear in the fabric and cushion of the seat.

It was definitely a sad room.  Not a room that said, "Welcome home!" Or, "Thanks for dropping by for an unexpected visit," or "let's all hang out together tonight and enjoy each other's company."  Nope.  Not at all.  And although I kept the room neat and tidy, it just never felt cozy!

My husband agreed. And so we came up with a new plan.  One that I wasn't sure was going to work. It involved moving our beautiful (giant!) armoire into our formal living room, purchasing one of those flat screen TV stands, and removing the leather couch (easy clean-up...sniff sniff!) and blue chair for two love seats.

I swore up and down that his plan was crazy and would never work.

May I present to you our newly made-over family room...

Before...

...and After

Much cozier!  We all love this space now and spend so much more time together rather than scattered to different parts of the house.

And see my new little TV stand.  Well, it has shelves and borrowing an idea from Billie Jo at Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea I filled it with the kiddos' most favorite books, games, and DVDs.  Prior to this, I had stored board games in our guest bedroom closet, DVDs in the big armoire drawers, and books in a basket in the family room.  Now, everything is on display, yet neat and tidy, and at the kids disposal! I can't tell you how many games of Trouble, Memory, or Battleship the kids have played in one week's time.  It really is true...out of sight, out of mind.

So, now that I have the layout of the room how I like, I am ready to tackle decorating my fireplace mantle, walls, and windows.  I've had my eye on a beautiful cross for over the fireplace next to the vintage window frame.  I'm also going to recover the throw pillows that came with the couch. While I actually like the more modern/contemporary floral pattern on the pillows, I'm not too hot for the colors of the flowers themselves.  I am also ready to take down the toile fabric valance and gingham curtain for something a bit more clean/modern.

Like I said, the room makeover is not complete and definitely a work in progress.  But a huge improvement over the previous mish-mash design of our family room.

Hoping you have a wonderful weekend,